Star Wars Outlaws has sounded like a slam-dunk from the get-go: a single-player third-person action-adventure developed by Massive Entertainment (The Division, The Division 2) which follows a charismatic bounty-hunting duo as they "attempt one of the biggest heists the Outer Rim has ever seen". Also, it's set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, perhaps the most fertile ground of all for storytelling in the Star Wars universe.
But it's important not to get ahead of ourselves here and keep expectations in check. Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment is being quite helpful in this, with creative director Julian Gerighty sharing extensive details (including handy comparisons) in the latest issue of EDGE magazine.
As reported by MP1st, Gerighty said that each planet in the game is designed to feel like a "journey", even when utilising vehicles, and players should expect them to be roughly equivalent to two to three zones in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. Each will be hand-crafted (forgoing procedural generation), and Gerighty described more details about Outlaw's various other workings, which you can peruse below:
- Focusing on “full freedom of approach” when it comes to encounters.
- Exclusive quests, vendor prices, and locked-off areas can be accessed by the Reputation system. If you’re not on a faction’s good side, they can send people to chase you down; monetary punishment is also part of it.
- Players will not have “total free rein” in terms of travel, you won’t be able to freely fly above the planet, and there will be set landing and take-off areas.
- Nix (the alien companion of protagonist Vass) can be directed by players to attack enemies, activate out-of-reach buttons, cause distractions, and pick up heavy weapons from fallen foes. Massive says Nix is like a cross between Watch Dogs’ spider bot, BioShock Infinite’s Elizabeth or BD-1 from EA’s Star Wars Jedi games.
- Each planet was designed to be big enough that traversing will feel like a “journey, even on a vehicle that’s fast-moving".
- One planet is equivalent to two to three of the zones in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
- Locations are all “handcrafted”, and there are no procedurally generated entire planets.
- Vass’ ship Trailblazer was inspired by toys of the 1970s and was made to be “very, very simple.”
- The game is set between Empire and Jedi, so Massive can emulate that “feel.”
- The studio has been developing tech which “emulates some of the lenses of the 1970s.”
- ND-5 droid (Vass’ companion) design lifted from prequels.