Star Wars Outlaws is about making friends in low places

It wasn't too long ago that Shacknews had a first opportunity to try out Star Wars Outlaws. We got a taste of what gameplay will look like, as well as what Ubisoft's vision of the Star Wars universe would look like. We also walked away with several questions regarding game mechanics and systems that we didn't get to check out. Fortunately, Ubisoft recently gave Shacknews a second crack at the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws where we got a closer look at how certain ideas like criminal factions and traveling across worlds would work.

For those who missed the Summer Game Fest preview, Star Wars Outlaws follows the story of Kay Vess and her sidekick, a merqaal named Nix. They're on the run after a job for criminal warlord Sliro goes completely sideways, so they go from planet to planet in hopes of building a better life for themselves. This often involves Kay getting in closer with some of the galaxy's most ruthless crime syndicates and playing every side to her advantage whenever possible.

While our last preview focused heavily on combat, traversal, stealth, and other moment-to-moment mechanics, this time we were focused on learning how Kay gets on a syndicate's good and bad side. Much of this session took place on the moon of Toshara, an original location created for this game in conjunction with the team at Lucasfilm. Toshara has a capital called Mirogana containing a cantina similar to Mos Eisley, where scum and villainy gather to unwind with a few drinks. This is where players will encounter many of the crime syndicates they'll interact with and they can send Kay's story in several different directions. Many of their encounters will involve Danka, a Mon Calimari who deals in information and understands what it takes to survive on a cutthroat world with multiple cartels at work.

For our playthrough, we entered the cantina to meet a crime boss named Gorak, who represents the Pyke Syndicate. Already, players can put Kay's skills to work since nobody sees Gorak without paying a handful of credits up front. Since I was placed into this demo with an empty wallet, the objective was to blend in and quietly find a vent that would provide a pathway past the guard in front of the lift. Upon getting into the lift and getting into Gorak's chambers, it was time for some fast talking. Gorak doesn't tolerate people wasting his time, so the idea is to navigate the dialogue options in a way that gets on his good side. He doesn't totally trust Kay by the end of their encounter, but he does offer her a job.

What's interesting about this development isn't so much the job, but its aftermath. Kay uncovers that there's a mole within Gorak's circle. The implication is that reporting back to Gorak with this information could lead to a promotion within his ranks, thus getting in better with the Pykes. That is, indeed, a possible path, but it's one that I didn't end up taking. That's because as soon as I walked back into the cantina, a Twi'lek femme fatale named Eleera approached Kay to court her on behalf of Crimson Dawn. It wasn't long before I made the choice to give her the information on Gorak's mole instead, putting Kay in good with Crimson Dawn and potentially putting her on the outs with the Pykes.

That sort of juggling act greatly sums up the Star Wars Outlaws experience. It's a game that moves forward based largely on its Reputation System. Depending on which criminal gangs Kay has been friendly with and which she has antagonized, various sections of the game will either open up or close. For example, while briefly in the good graces of the Pykes, I was able to walk through a section of Mirogona that they controlled without being thrown out (or, worse, shot at). Similarly, Crimson Dawn wasn't entirely familiar with Kay's work, so their sections were closed off. That's not to say they were entirely inaccessible. Kay can still find ways to sneak around or enter restricted areas undetected. Being friendly with certain factions mainly makes getting around easier, but being on their bad side doesn't make that impossible.

On top of the Pykes and Crimson Dawn, Kay will encounter two other crime syndicates. Verrick, a human agent of the Hutts who's operating within Mirogona, attempts to recruit Kay for a side mission that we didn't have quite enough time to dive into. Finally, on the remote planet of Kijimi (many years before it became a haven for spice runners in The Rise of Skywalker) is the Ashiga clan, an insectoid crime family that operates on what's best for the hive and an original creation for this game.

Kay's relationship with all of these factions will fluctuate depending on certain story beats, completion of certain missions, player choices, and also certain fail states. To explain that last one, I was on Crimson Dawn's good side for a while until tasked with infiltrating a restricted part of their Mirogona encampment. Getting through to this section required that Kay not be seen, but after failing this section about six times, I watched as my good relationship with Crimson Dawn was suddenly out the window and I was now on their bad side, no longer allowed inside their camp.

There are plenty of opportunities to build relationships within Star Wars Outlaws, because the worlds in this game are fairly expansive. A chunk of my playthrough was dedicated to exploring Toshara via speeder bike. Outside encampments had their own collectibles, characters, and potential side missions. Just be wary of which factions have it out for Kay, because outside of city walls, they will shoot on sight.

Speaking of factions who will shoot on sight, there's one faction for which everybody shares a common hatred: The Empire. Cities like Mirogona and even the populated areas outside of the Thieves Quarter in Kijimi will frequently have Imperial patrols. They won't pick a fight with Kay in most cases. They're simply there to make sure everyone moves along. However, common antipathy towards the Imperials will often lead to crime syndicates sending Kay in their crosshairs. One mission saw Kay infiltrate an Imperial Star Destroyer in search of Crimson Dawn's old accountant named Bosnok. Upon completing a lengthy stealth section and eventually finding him (well, his head, anyway), it led to a harrowing escape sequence where fellow crew member Waka needed to have Kay's ship ready to fly. The Empire, unlike most of Outlaws' crime syndicates, isn't the forgiving sort, so it's important after making a daring escape to hack into a nearby Imperial terminal satellite to clear any Wanted status that Kay may have on her head.

There are going to be a lot of working parts in Star Wars Outlaws, something that Massive Entertainment has specialized in for years. We haven't even explored the ins-and-outs of workbenches, which Kay can use to upgrade some of her weapons and tools. Fortunately, she won't be alone. On top of her omnipresent partner Nix, Kay will have a capable crew at the ready, like the aforementioned Waka (who's had some troubles with the Pykes himself) and a battered Clone Wars-era Battle Droid named ND-5. Kay and Nix are ready to embark on a new life of galactic adventure when Star Wars Outlaws comes to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on Friday, August 30.

This preview is based on an early PC build made for an on-site press event in Irvine, CA. The final product is subject to change.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?