Star Wars Rebels Defying Boundaries and Embracing Their Destiny

Star Wars Outlaws, one of the major surprises of Summer Game Fest, stole the spotlight during the Xbox Showcase and Ubisoft Forward presentations. With an anticipated release window set for 2024, the game has finally been officially confirmed. While fans have been aware of the development of an open-world Star Wars game by Ubisoft Massive, they have been left in the dark about crucial details such as the game's time setting, protagonist, and general gameplay style.

However, the recent extensive gameplay reveal has shed light on what to expect from Star Wars Outlaws, and the initial response from fans has been overwhelmingly positive. Positioned as a story-driven, third-person, open-world shooter, the game falls short of being the full-fledged RPG that some fans were hoping for. Nevertheless, it also promises to break free from the linear structure seen in recent titles like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Interestingly, Star Wars Outlaws may also draw inspiration from Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, paving the way for a similar success.

Star Wars Outlaws' Choices Might Follow in Guardians of the Galaxy's Footsteps

In Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, players were immersed in an engaging narrative-driven single-player experience. Taking on the role of Star-Lord, the game offered a linear structure with opportunities for players to influence gameplay and story through dialogue choices. While dialogue options remained consistent throughout, only a select few decisions had a significant impact on the gameplay. These pivotal moments were easily recognizable by the appearance of a pink diamond surrounding Star-Lord's icon at the center of the choices.

These crucial choices typically occurred before major story or action sequences, resulting in one of two outcomes. For example, early on in the game, players were presented with the decision to either hide Rocket's tech from the Nova Corps or conceal a mysterious alien llama. Opting for the tech would grant the player a new weapon for ship combat but incur an 8000 credit fine, while choosing the llama would result in a 7000 credit fine and skip a prison-breaking minigame later on. Another significant choice arose later in the game, where players had to choose between selling Groot or Rocket. Choosing Groot would lead to a stealth mission, whereas selecting Rocket would trigger an intense firefight.

With a predetermined character and storyline in place, Star Wars Outlaws is unlikely to offer players extensive narrative choices that significantly impact the overall plot. Instead, the game is expected to follow the approach seen in Guardians of the Galaxy, introducing select branching paths within the main story. These alternate paths may lead to different action sequences, such as engaging in a speeder chase or a blaster firefight, depending on the player's dialogue choices. This was already hinted at in the gameplay trailer, where the player's decision to refuse an Imperial officer's bribe resulted in the Empire pursuing them.

Star Wars Outlaws is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S in 2024.