Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Over the past week, the team at Massive Entertainment has been reevaluating many elements of Star Wars Outlaws for its next big update. With the game about to come to Steam and the holiday season around the corner, the team has seen an opportunity for a second chance, so the upcoming Title Update 1.4.0 update will see some major changes. Among the changes on the agenda is the removal of forced stealth, considered to be one of the most unpopular aspects of Outlaws.
"Our first step in expanding player choice is removing forced stealth from almost all quest objectives," Creative Director Drew Rechner said on the Star Wars Outlaws website. "This doesn't mean that sneaking is no longer a viable or even preferable option in some cases. Rather, if you're caught while sneaking, the objective won't fail and reset you to the last checkpoint. Instead, you'll seamlessly transition into combat. We know many of you enjoy the stealth approach, so it was important to us to preserve that playstyle while also giving you the freedom to decide how to tackle each mission. Ultimately, you'll have the choice to sneak, go in combat-first, or---my personal favorite---sneak until you're caught and then blast your way out. And if you end up in combat, you'll get to experience the new and improved combat loop described in our Dev Update #2."
Stealth was a mixed bag in Star Wars Outlaws, to put it kindly. Many fans and critics were turned off by it, as it got in the way out Outlaws' initial core appeal, which was a game that allowed for multiple play styles. While our own Bill Lavoy didn't totally hate Outlaws' stealth as much as most, he did cite it as a negative in our review.
The removal of forced stealth is one of many changes expected to come to Star Wars Outlaws as part of its arrival on Steam. It also represents one of the biggest changes under Rechner, who took over as Creative Director from Julian Gerighty earlier this month.
Look for more information on the future of Star Wars Outlaws later this week. A special Game Update Showcase is scheduled for this Thursday, November 21 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET on the Ubisoft Twitch channel.