The best part of Star Wars Outlaws (at least from the preview I played, but I’m fairly confident in calling this already) is obviously Nix. The happy little merqaal has been a personal as well as a fan favorite since we first saw him in earlier trailers of the game, and after getting hands-on with a demo at Summer Game Fest and exploring, sneaking, and fighting alongside him, I’m more smitten than ever.
Outlaws, as its name suggests, focuses on the scoundrels and ne’er-do-wells of the Star Wars universe, rather than the larger conflict between the Jedi and the Sith. Specifically, it follows Kay Vess, a thief and general rascal with connections to multiple underground factions.
The preview at Summer Game Fest took place across three levels, each with their own flavor of roguery. In the first, Kay escaped an imperial patrol after a quick dogfight in an asteroid field. In the second, she explored a ruined ship, climbing and grappling through a maze of broken panels and collapsing walkways. And in the third, she retrieved a stolen artifact—by stealing it right back, of course. In all of these, Nix was a constant companion, always there to help out.
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There’s a lot that Nix can do in Outlaws because there’s a lot that Kay can do. If you’re sneaking, Nix acts as a scout that can make enemies visible through obstacles and point out resources like new weapons or grenades in the environment. If you’re hiding, he’ll fetch things for you. He can also serve as a distraction both in and out of combat—although you should be careful, because Stormtroopers will kick him and you will feel bad about it. Luckily, you’ve got a few ways to get back at enemies. Kay juggles three blaster modes, two for dealing with different kinds of enemies, along with a single-shot knockout that’s balanced by a long cooldown.
Nix’s scouting especially comes in handy for certain environmental puzzles, such as finding batteries you can power with one of your weapon types (the EMP, which you can also use to take down enemy shields). Just about the only thing he can’t do is help with the door-opening and terminal-unlocking puzzles, which take the form of distinct minigames. One is rhythm-based and the other has a more visual logic—a Wordle-style headscratcher where you’ll have to figure out a sequence of patterns by knowing whether they’re present and whether they’re in the right spot.
Okay, sure, Nix might not exactly be at his most helpful when you’re climbing around crumbling spaceships and the like, but he will cling onto your back to make sure he doesn’t get lost. It’s extremely cute.
Between sneaking, shooting, puzzling, mini-gaming, ship-flying, parkouring, talking to people around the galaxy, and more, Outlaws offers a lot of different activities in one package. Much of it feels familiar within the well-trodden Ubisoft formula, but also in how it’s encased in its Star Wars wrapper. Set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, there’s plenty of callbacks and grounding in that galaxy far far away, like droid enemies and R2 units trundling around the city streets.
How Kay’s story fits into the wider tapestry of the original trilogy’s story aren’t yet clear, but there are hints that the game focuses on the scoundrel’s quest for freedom. In this way, it falls thematically alongside its broader struggle for liberty within the confines of the Empire. It seems that players’ choices may also influence exactly how everything shakes out, as the preview missions impacted a larger reputation system. For example, recovering the artifact in the third mission gained us reputation with a “queen” of a robotic faction on a frozen planet, but it was hinted that it might have upset others.
The full context of those relationships wasn’t totally apparent from the small slice that I was able to play, but these factions and their interrelations are one of the things I’m left most curious about after my time with Outlaws. The different planets are gorgeous to explore, and I hope that they feel equally full of life and intrigue. I also wonder how Kay herself will fit in here. She feels like she’s borrowing from the familiar Han Solo archetype, and while he ended up having a heart of gold under all that bluster, it’s not yet clear whether Kay will show the same.
Nix, though, will surely always be the best boy.
Star Wars Outlaws will be released on the Epic Games Store on August 30th, 2024.
For more on Summer Game Fest, check out our full recap of the live presentation here. We also have rundowns for the rest of the festivities, including the PC Gaming Show, the Future Games Show, and Guerilla Collective.
