The new Star Wars title shapes up as a game that does most things at a decent level but never really exceeds expectations

This story originally appeared on One More Game.

Star Wars Outlaws is fast approaching, and ahead of its August 30 release, we’ve had the chance to try the game out on two separate occasions. Back in Summer Game Fest, we played 3 small chunks that focused on certain aspects like combat and exploration, but more recently, a full 4-hour hands-on via streaming allowed us to clock in more time with Kay Vess and her (mis)adventures.

Playing a Star Wars game without using lightsabers as your main weapon is something we’ll need to get used to, and coming from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, it was hard to see how a game set in this universe would thrive without the iconic weapon.

After our time with it, we have a few more questions that need to be answered before we can fully grasp what it is going for, but most signs point to Star Wars Outlaws being “Uncharted in Space.” Whether or not that’s a good or bad thing is up to you, but I remain cautiously optimistic about the final product.

Star Wars Outlaws final hands-on preview

Before we get into the gameplay bits, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Visually, Star Wars Outlaws looks rather inconsistent. Playing the game via streaming means I’d rather not focus on visual quality for now, but it did provide enough information to make an educated impression.

At times, the game looks gorgeous, the world lived in, and the atmosphere great. You can really see and feel the Star Wars influence, resulting in a fantastic immersive experience. It makes total sense as an open world title, where moving in and out of settlements while exploring the various locales are part and parcel of the package.

During our hands-on, it was most apparent in Kijimi, a settlement in the midst of freezing surroundings with ice-capped structures and a raging snowstorm in the background. It looked great, and if the rest of the game is rendered with the same detail, then Star Wars Outlaws can look absolutely majestic.

On the flipside, some animations and effects are a bit lacking. Explosions seem unimpressive, and Kay Vess’ movements looked a bit stiff and she didn’t control the way I expected. Our gameplay suffered from a lot of texture pop-in, but I’ll defer that criticism due to the streaming nature of the playthrough.

Visually, it’s hard to definitively comment, but Ubisoft does know how to create great and detailed worlds, so for now, know that the game could potentially be a looker if it isn’t already.

Moving to actual gameplay, the first part of our hands-on took us to Toshara, where we got our first look at the reputation system and how it affects decisions and outcomes. The mission required us to infiltrate Gorak’s base, the leader of the Pyke Syndicate headquarters, and it offered typical traversal and stealth mechanics that you would find in similar titles.

Kay Vess can hide behind objects, perform stealth takedowns, and even utilize her trusty ally, Nix, to do various commands like pick up faraway items, flip switches from a distance, and attack an enemy while Kay jumps in for the takedown. Nix is a valuable companion, and various sequences will feel dynamic based on how much players utilize Nix in and out of combat.

Stealth is a big part of the game, but it is only one way you can approach situations. In one part of the mission, I needed a key card to open a security door and it just so happened that the guard holding the keycard was located near patrolling guards. Utilizing Nix, I ordered our friend to simply steal the keycard, and voila, the problem was solved. Nix might trivialize some segments like these throughout the game, but there’s at least that choice from the player on how to go about their way.

Traversal also offers basic running and jumping commands, climbing on yellow-marked environments, and even bridging gaps with the use of a grappling hook. It’s worth mentioning that despite the Star Wars IP, we’re not dealing with a Jedi here. Kay Vess is an outlaw, so don’t expect her to perform acrobatics and fancy maneuvers like Cal Kestis. Nothing innovative or fancy here, but it does get the job done.

Reputation system, combat mechanics

The reputation system in Star Wars Outlaws is one of its banner features, and it does seem rather interesting based on what we’ve seen so far. At a later mission, we were introduced to Eleera, leader of the Crimson Dawn faction, as we were faced with a choice to use the information we got from Gorak’s base to gain favor from one or the other. We chose to give Eleera the information and increase our reputation with the Crimson Dawn.

Gaining a good reputation with a faction will provide various benefits, with one being the ability to stroll around faction-controlled areas without having to sneak about. Other benefits also include exclusive cosmetic items, weapons, more jobs and missions, and more. As a consequence of the choice, you’ll lower your Pyke Syndicate reputation as well, resulting in some unwelcome effects.

It’s unknown at the moment how many of these reputation missions there are, if you can actually gain favor with all of them at the same time, and if these choices will directly affect the outcome of certain quests or the story, but the choice of living an outlaw fantasy in the Star Wars universe seems like something that could be well realized in Star Wars Outlaws depending on how well implemented this system is.

Combat is one part that will prove to be divisive. Vess has very basic melee attacks, and you really cannot rely on it all of the time. Melee attacks are a supplement, but they feel floaty, slow, and lack impact. What she lacks in physical strength, Vess makes up for in the blaster department, which will be her main combat tool.

Her blaster has various modes, which can be switched at any time. Our playthrough introduced the regular plasma attack that will be your primary way of dealing with threats, and a stun shot that requires a cooldown and can be used when in a pinch. Later on, we get to upgrade our blaster with an ion shot, which proves useful for activating some environmental puzzles and taking down shields and robotic enemies.

To address the lack of options, Vess can pick up various enemy blasters as well, from a JND-41 Percussive Cannon to an A300 Blaster Rifle, widening her arsenal. These are temporary and cannot be stored, so her pistol will still be the main weapon throughout the game. Players will also find the usual grenades and explosive barrels scattered throughout, so Vess will have to be resourceful on the battlefield.

Gunplay feels a bit slow, but with Massive Entertainment behind the wheel, it does kind of remind me of how The Division feels like. Combat in Star Wars outlaws will rely on a lot of cover and peeking in an out to sneak in a couple of rounds, and between this, it does feel shallow and one note, and I’m not quite sure about how it will evolve into something with more depth to keep players involved.

Going back to Nix, her little furry friend can play a big role in how dynamic these combat sequences can be. Vess can command Nix to fetch a blaster from over cover, distract and attack opponents while she moves from cover to cover, and so on. This shakes up the monotony of combat, leaving the player with control over how things play out.

The one problem here is that enemy AI is a mess in Star Wars Outlaws. Upon entering a room, I shot at an exploding barrel that took out one guard, but the other guard nearby didn’t even get alerted. In another area, I simply shot my blaster, and all guards in the area were alerted to my presence. It felt very frustrating, and considering Kay is very squishy, these AI inconsistencies can be annoying.

Kay Vess also gains access to some abilities, where she has to meet so-called “Experts” who can teach her the ways. We didn’t get enough time to explore this feature, but it seemed that some abilities are upgraded or unlocked by meeting certain conditions, such as defeating 5 enemies with melee attacks or gathering the proper items.

Equipment is something that we didn’t get to explore thoroughly, but the pieces I saw through general vendors and faction shops that provided perks like increased ammo or improving your crouched speed. This seems like an interesting addition, but it’s too early to tell how much of these perks will greatly affect your playstyle.

Star Wars Outlaws also allows players to travel between systems and engage in ship-to-ship battles, which is something that also doesn’t stand out too much but is a decent effort. Ship controls are pretty basic but has a weight to it that doesn’t make the ship feel too maneuverable, meaning you’ll have to control your boosters to make quick turns and follows.

These dogfights in Star Wars Outlaws are serviceable, leaving Kay with basic blaster fire and the occasional missiles to dispose of foes. It’s unclear for now as to how deep this aspect of the game will go, but it’s at least one other thing players can sink their teeth into in between faction missions.

It feels like a game that does most things at a decent level but never really exceeds expectations, at least based on our limited time with the game. The systems are there, and the storyline seems interesting enough to maybe warrant more adventures with Kay Vess, but apart from the great art style and visual detail, we’re left wanting something that blows us out of the water.

Still, we remain cautiously optimistic, and it’s only a matter of time until we get to dive into Kay Vess’ outlaw life to determine a final verdict. – Rappler.com