[ramax]

Between the high marks given by the press and the atrocious reviews from youtubers. I wanted to make up my own mind.
First of all, it's a Starwars game, so in my case there's a certain hype about playing in this universe. Then I'm leaving without much hope, given the latest Ubisoft productions.

So what about this game?

Despite a sluggish, uninteresting start, what really stands out are the excellent graphics, both technically and artistically. The Starwars atmosphere is clearly present, enhanced by a high-performance graphics engine. And the soundtrack fits the universe like a movie OST.

A quick aside:

Like you, I've seen the Youtubers' videos showing the countless bugs in the game that make it ridiculous. Let me be very clear right away: I've only come across a few minor bugs that in no way hinder immersion in the universe.

Which leads me to believe that the bug videos come from the BETA version, and that they're being exploited for this trend of destroying a game, a product or someone just because it gets views.

After the overly scripted intro, it's almost open word:

I say "almost" because at the start, you're given a lot of guidance. And what bothers me, and this is typical of this kind of game, is that if you explore in "free" mode, you're sometimes stuck because an item or skill is missing. And that after having knocked out 40 opponents or spent two hours infiltrating an enemy base just because I was passing by, you'll be forced to go back later because it's part of the mission. And the enemies will have "repopulated" as if I'd never been there.

But the story is good! without being exceptional (but I'm only at the beginning). Here, no JEDI, no SITH, no force. And it's perfectly logical in the timeline in which the game is set: an era in which virtually all the JEDI have been killed. The story is set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.



Here, the scenario tells the story of Kay Vess, a small-time criminal with little ambition, who must prepare the heist of the century. It's somewhere between Lara Croft for the gameplay style (only not as good) and GTA (only not as good) for the criminal atmosphere of syndicates, cartels, pirates... Only not as good, but the combination of the two in a Starwars universe is a great match!

We've got a dominant Empire, criminal syndicates looking to line their pockets, and a splintered Rebel Alliance. We feel small and fragile... but we're digging our own hole, creating a life for ourselves little by little.
In short, the story isn't about playing a princess who wants to save the universe, quite the opposite: we steal, we beat, we betray, we build our reputation in the criminal syndicates.

Starwars Outlaw is a Han SoloSimulator, and that's a really good idea! (There's no Chewie, but there is a little companion who's hyper-useful for gameplay: nyx).

Other highlights:

• The dubbing is entirely in French and of good quality. Especially that of our character.
• The companion, Nyx, makes the game more immersive, with interesting gameplay options.
• The variety of scenery.
• We're neither good nor bad, just trying to survive as best we can.
• We can play Sabbath and other games.
• There are spaceship battles.
• And lots of other things ... which I'll talk about later in this topic.

But there are a few weaknesses:

I can't climb simple rocks. The gameplay is poorly done. You get used to it, but it's sloppy. You find yourself circling a huge mountain to find a tree branch or a " climbable " rock (like in Tomb Rider).

You can't loot (collect weapons and items from enemies), or only very rarely. It's annoying too, when an enemy drops a weapon, in most cases you can't pick it up. And when you can't, you can't keep it, because once you've used it up, the weapon falls out. You have a weapon at the start of the game that you can upgrade. The same goes for vehicles, which you can't take from enemies or NPCs. It ruins the immersion.

No multiplayer. It's pathetic! The world is vast and it would have been so much more immersive than soulless NPCs.


The treasures you do find are decorative items, clothing or collectors' items. No legendary armor, no snipers, no gold-plated speeders... At least at the level I'm at: nothing exciting.
No minimap: I'm not one for excessive aids, but in town it's a bit of a mess and I keep hitting the "?" key to find out where I am.

The music is magnificent, but it's a pity there isn't a system for playing the music from the films! So I play the MP3s in the background when I travel.

I'm a bit worried that all the missions will sound the same. But I'm only on the first planet.

No JEDI, that's good. But still, I would have liked a DLC with a character with a saber :D

Conclusion:

Despite a slow start, I'm really hooked on this game, even though I've become hyper-selective and highly critical. I'll tell you a bit more when I'm a bit further into this exciting adventure!

[Aapje]

Nice review. It still seems like a game made without real love, making it rather mediocre with little uniqueness.

[Sarkhan]

Hello @ramax, thank you for sharing this! It is such a professional review, I am very interested in this game and your opinions gave me a better idea of it. Great job!