Star Wars Outlaws: Ubisoft reveals details and gameplay of anticipated game

New footage shows protagonist Kay Vess using her wits and a blaster to take on enemies

Star Wars Outlaws will be released on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on August 30. Photo: Ubisoft

New footage has been shared of the next big Star Wars game. Revealed by French gaming studio Ubisoft, the clip suggests the game will be an exciting adventure in a galaxy far, far away.

Set for release on August 30, Outlaws features smuggler Kay Vess as the main protagonist alongside her trusty pet and sidekick Nix.

The game will be an open world with the opportunity to travel from one planet to another in search of missions and loot.

Here are some points of interest from the gameplay trailer and other thoughts on the upcoming game.

Smuggler’s Creed

Ubisoft has made a name for itself with the ever present and popular Assassin’s Creed franchise. The series which started in 2007 has seen a new mainline game release almost every year since.

As the biggest money-maker and marquee franchise from the gaming studio, Assassin’s Creed was always expected to have elements bleeding into other games. The gameplay footage that has been released for Outlaws backs that up.

It wouldn’t be fair to call Outlaws a clone of an Assassin’s Creed game with a Star Wars coat of paint. It does feel like the game is much more than that. Gamers will be able to use stealth to forego battles and confrontation with the enemy, but sometimes a battle must occur and main character Kay Vess seems more than capable.

What’s more interesting will be playing a Star Wars game with a character who does not possess special powers or wield a lightsabre. Some of the more successful games set in that world usually involve playing as a Jedi.

Kay Vess is not a Jedi but a very smart and resourceful smuggler, which will give fans a chance to play what is essentially a Han Solo game. While Solo has Chewbacca as a companion, Kay Vess has Nix, a cute little alien that can be used to distract the enemy or attack them briefly.

Incredible scope

The gameplay footage that shows Kay Vess during shoot-outs or attempting to quietly get past unsuspecting enemies does look cool, but the game really sells itself once the characters are in space engaging in aerial dogfights.

Outlaws becomes a mammoth of a game when it showcases the level of detail present in outer space levels. Once the characters are in their spaceship and attempting to evade the forces of the empire hot on their tails, it becomes hard to focus on anything other than the beauty of the galaxy on screen.

The game’s huge scope will be its major selling point, and why many will want to play from day one. The lasting success of the Star Wars franchise has been the timeless perfection of its world building and aesthetics. That’s the reason many want to keep watching and stay in those worlds.

Final thoughts

After playing and loving the past two Star Wars games, Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor, it will be quite exciting to return to the universe and play with a character who doesn’t have Jedi powers.

Throughout all the trailers, Outlaws looks detailed and expansive. The open world aspect gives a feeling of freedom to do as one pleases rather than follow the flow of the story and be restricted.

The prospect of playing an Assassin’s Creed-like game in the Star Wars universe should excite potential players. If nothing else, the little alien Nix seems destined to become a fan favourite.