Key highlights:
- Star Wars Outlaws features five explorable planets.
- Some planets can be traversed in 4-5 minutes on a speeder.
- The game aims for quality over quantity in its open-world design.
In an exciting development for Star Wars Outlaws fans, Ubisoft’s upcoming open-world title is set to deliver a thrilling exploration experience in the beloved galaxy far, far away.
As the first game of its kind in the Star Wars universe, Outlaws promises to immerse players in the criminal underworld between the events of “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”.
The game’s creative director, Julian Gerighty, recently shared intriguing details about the scope and scale of the game’s planetary environments in an exclusive interview with IGN.
According to Gerighty, players will be able to explore five distinct worlds: Tatooine, a moon of Toshara, Akiva, Kijimi, and Cantonica.
Each of these locations has been carefully crafted to offer a unique and engaging experience.
One of the most interesting revelations is the size of these planetary environments.
Quality Over Quantity in Game Design
Gerighty explained that Tatooine, the Toshara moon, and Akiva are roughly comparable in scale, with Tatooine being slightly larger.
To put this into perspective, he stated that players could traverse these planets from end to end in about four to five minutes using a speeder bike.
While this might initially sound brief, Gerighty emphasised that the journey across these planets would be far from dull or rushed.
“You are always going to be distracted,” he noted, hinting at the wealth of activities and encounters that await players as they explore.
This approach aligns with the development team’s philosophy of prioritising quality and engagement over sheer size.
The game’s protagonist, Kay Vess, will have plenty to keep her occupied as she navigates these worlds. Players can expect a variety of missions and activities, including:
- Smuggling operations
- Intense spaceship battles
- Rounds of the popular card game Sabacc
- Interactions with various criminal organisations
Adding an extra layer of excitement is a wanted system reminiscent of the Grand Theft Auto series. Players will need to be wary of Imperial forces, as Kay’s notoriety can escalate based on her actions.
Gerighty and his team at Massive Entertainment have taken an interesting approach to world design. Rather than focusing solely on geographical size, they considered how long it would take players to travel across each planet and what experiences they would encounter along the way.
This method ensures that each location feels like a journey worth taking, filled with diverse activities and characters to meet.
The development team’s “quality over quantity” philosophy extends to the game’s overall length as well.
While many modern open-world games boast hundreds of hours of content, Star Wars Outlaws is aiming for a more focused experience.
Players can expect to complete the main storyline in approximately 25 to 30 hours, making it a more compact adventure compared to some of Ubisoft’s other open-world titles.
This approach may be welcomed by players who find overly large games daunting or time-consuming. By creating a more concentrated experience, the developers hope to maintain a consistently high level of engagement and fun throughout the game.
Back 20 years ago, video games could be completed in as little as 2 hours, so we’ve come a long way since those days.
30 hours is a pretty good lifespan, plus that’s not including the possibility of a new game + and DLC content down the road.
Star Wars Outlaws is set to launch on the 27th of August 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Players will have the choice between a standard edition and a gold edition, with the latter offering early access and additional content through a season pass.
As the release date approaches, fans are eagerly anticipating more details about the game’s story, characters, and gameplay features.
The promise of an open-world Star Wars adventure, combined with the developers’ focus on creating rich, engaging environments, has set high expectations for this unique entry in the franchise.