With Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment currently developing Star Wars Outlaws, a game in which you play as Kay Vess, a character described as a "scoundrel outlaw…attempting one of the biggest heists the Outer Rim has ever seen", it's reasonable to assume that they're going to take some major cues from the Western genre.
If that's the case, why not create Red Dead Redemption 2 in space? The idea practically sells itself. Red Dead 2 is rightly considered by many to be one of the best games of the last decade, if not of all time. Drawing on what makes that game so great when developing a space western seems like a logical choice. If it wants to achieve a level of success Rockstar continues to enjoy, Star Wars Outlaws literally just needs to be Red Dead Redemption 2 in space.
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+ 3The Star Wars franchise has always had a strong connection to the Western genre. Give him a Stetson, and Han Solo is basically just a charismatic outlaw straight out of a spaghetti western. Mos Eisley is a town full of cowboy archetypes; the cantina is nothing more than a saloon frequented by bandits and outlaws, albeit alien bandits and outlaws. The Mandalorian also borrows from the genre, with Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin being a travelling gunslinger helping those in need and quickly drawing his blaster on those who wish to do him (and Grogu) harm.
From the small snippet of gameplay that we have seen, it looks as if Massive Entertainment will be honouring Star Wars’s connection to classic Westerns. At one point in the trailer, after getting discovered sneaking through enemy territory, Kay Vess does a cowboy-style quick draw on the Hutt hired, à la Arthur Morgan or John Marston. Then she whizzes off on a speeder bike - okay, it’s not exactly a horse, but it’s close enough - to catch up with her droid friend in Jaunta’s Hope, a Mos Eisley-esque frontier settlement. Next, it’s into a saloon full of dodgy-looking characters. A hive of scum and villainy, to be exact.
click to enlarge + 3One of the main reasons behind the massive success of Red Dead Redemption 2 is that the world feels and reacts like a real place. The slice of the American frontier that you explore in the game is meticulously crafted, offering players an immersive playground like no other. The attention to detail is staggering, from the diverse landscapes to the dynamic weather system. Then there's the commitment to realism, with lifelike wildlife and interactive NPCs with whom Arthur can talk and converse. All these pieces fit together to create a game world that feels like it continues to exist even when you’re not playing.
That feeling of getting lost in the wild wilderness is something I hope Star Wars Outlaws can replicate. We know that the game will include at least four planets: Tatooine, Kijimi, Akiva, and the moon Toshara but we don’t know exactly how large each of these planets will be. In the gameplay trailer, Kay Vess needs a speeder bike to traverse Toshara, so we can expect them to be substantial. Massive Entertainment will be hard-pressed to craft four separate worlds, all on the scale and intricacy of the Red Dead Redemption 2 map – and I’ve not even mentioned space exploration yet – but as they've previously demonstrated with games like The Division 2, they’ve proven they can create expansive and detailed environments.
If Star Wars Outlaws manages to capture just a fraction of the worldbuilding seen in Red Dead Redemption 2, it could set a new standard for Star Wars games, and maybe open-world games as a whole.
click to enlarge + 3There has been a recent trend in Ubisoft games to incorporate RPG elements, a departure from their usual style. Flagship Ubisoft titles, such as Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry, now feature RPG mechanics, whether it's levelling up your character or equipping levelled gear to confront higher-level foes. While this approach can work in some circumstances—Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla was a successful action RPG—other times, it can fall flat, as seen in Far Cry 6 with its levelled enemies that felt like bullet sponges when shot.
Star Wars Outlaws should follow in the footsteps of Red Dead Redemption 2, where equipment and unlocks are given to the player naturally over the course of the game or bought from shops with cash earned from missions and activities. I think it’s crucial Star Wars Outlaws steer clear of bland RPG mechanics that might ruin an otherwise immersive experience. Red Dead Redemption 2 succeeded in creating a world that felt alive, where progression was tied to the narrative and the player's actions rather than a traditional RPG level-up system. Star Wars Outlaws could benefit greatly from adopting a similar approach, creating a dynamic and immersive galaxy that evolves based on the player's choices and interactions rather than just numerical upgrades and loot-based progression.
As someone who adores the Star Wars Universe, I want to explore the Outer Rim and its planets for the sake of discovering secrets and uncovering its mysteries, not because I’m on the hunt for an item that’ll give me an incremental increase to a stat I didn’t even know about. I want to get lost in the game’s world, not constantly checking off hundreds of icons on my map. Maybe that’s too much to hope for; Ubisoft games love having world maps with countless activities and collectables, but I’m hoping that Massive Entertainment will take a page out of Rockstar’s book and realize that sometimes less is more when it comes to crafting immersive open worlds. We don’t need to be bombarded with an overwhelming number of markers and tasks; instead, they can focus on delivering a rich and cohesive experience.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Features and Star Wars Outlaws page.