No joke, Star Wars Outlaws was one of my favorite games from last year. Somehow the pitfalls that Ubisoft was known for in their big budget open world AAA games, seemed to fall perfectly into place with Massive Entertainment behind the wheel. So it wasn't that big a surprise to see it be announced as the first Ubisoft game making the jump to Nintendo Switch 2. While the first few showings of the game looked rough, I'm very pleased to report that Star Wars Outlaws is a great fit for Nintendo Switch 2 and I'm hopeful that a new group of players will discover their love for Kay Vess and her band of rogues.

Outlaws takes place between Episode 4 and Episode 5 of the mainline Star Wars films. The explosion of the first Death Star has dealt a massive blow to the Empire and it is a golden time for the crime syndicates to seize their chance at fortune and infamy. You play as Kay Vess, a down on her luck thief, who after multiple failed attempts to land a big score, gets recruited to put together a crew and plan the ultimate heist. With her alien pet Nix, a stolen spaceship, and the piloting droid ND-5, you set out across the Galaxy to score it big. As you traverse between planets you’ll get caught up in the battles between the crime syndicates, swipe credits off of anything that moves, play a ton of Sabacc, and infiltrate Imperial strongholds. The cast is really the glue that binds this world together. Kay is such a fun protagonist to play as. Her quick wit, but also a dash of overconfidence sets her apart from similar characters like Han Solo. Her interactions with ND-5 especially are a lot of fun. ND-5’s pragmatism and extensive knowledge of the Galaxy gives them both a great dynamic, especially once the plot kicks into gear and they grow more toward each other as partners rather than co-workers.

This is all set against the most lively feeling Star Wars universe I've had the pleasure of experiencing in a game. While Knights of the Old Republic might have a deeper story as an RPG, there is something so satisfying about walking around an accurate interpretation of Mos Eisley on Tattooine. While the marketing has presented Outlaws as the first “open world” Star Wars game, I do think that its ambition is scaled quite different to, let's say, an assassin's Creed. While you can traverse between several planets and galaxies, each map feels distinct and designed with intent. You don't need to worry about exploring an actual planet-sized map, but rather a pretty sizable area that gives off the feeling of an open world without feeling endlessly exhaustive. It's a careful tightrope to walk, but Massive Entertainment understands that a world designed with purpose makes it much easier and fun to navigate.

And the game is a lot of fun. While the original release I'd argue was more presented as an action game with dedicated stealth segments, after a few updates the game now leans more heavily into the action genre. While I personally love the stealthy approach, playing into my interpretation that Kay would avoid killing whenever she can, the game balances the action segments pretty well. You can pick up a blaster and start shooting, but this has consequences for your reputation. Every world has distinct sectors that have been claimed by one of the crime syndicates. Entering these areas freely can only be done if you're on good terms with that particular organization. Early on I managed to screw up immensely with the Pykes, meaning that for a quest where I had to steal a database from them, I wasn't able to simply walk through the front door without having to fight 30 guards. This push and pull system gives Outlaws its unique flow and flavor. After stealing the aforementioned datapad, I was contacted by the Hutts to sell the datapad for them at a premium. It would give me more credits, but lower my reputation with Crimson Dawn. These choices are a lot of fun, and while not all are equal, I did play into the fact that Pykes were Kay’s sworn enemies. Meaning they'd occasionally send death squads after me. Making certain infiltration jobs all the harder, but even more satisfying upon completion and screwing them over once more.

When the action does get going, the game offers a lot of approaches. From simply shooting with your blaster, with several modules that enhance certain shots for different types of enemies, to getting Nix to help out. At any point by holding the L-button you can send Nix out to fetch dropped items, like weapons or grenades, or sabotage alarm systems and even detonate explosive barrels. Even pinned down by multiple stormtroopers there's always a way that Nix can be helpful for distractions or simply attacking enemies on his own accord. Space combat also plays a large role here, as the Trailblazer allows you to take off and explore the space surrounding the different galaxies. Getting into dogfights feels pretty clunky, as you turn and maneuver tactically to get around enemy fighters and shoot them from behind or disable their engines with a well timed Ion cannon shot. If anything it doesn't resemble the galactic battles from episode 3 or 7 but rather the way in which Han and Luke operate the Millennium Falcon in Episode 4. Whenever I got into space combat I often let out a beleaguered sigh. Not because I wasn't interested in this type of combat, but because it feels like you need to put in work compared to shooting your blasters on the surface.

That ties back into this larger feeling that Outlaws is interested in exploring the larger world of Star Wars. The characters that have dirt under their nails, need to struggle through their daily lives and get by thanks to a lucky break. More often than not, Kay’s missions go horribly astray and siding with the lesser reward is the only way to prevent a bad scenario from spinning out of control. There are rarely “correct” choices in Outlaws and I love how this forces the characters to stand their ground. You're not a legacy character with force powers or plot armor, but Kay Vess, someone who's had to struggle most of her life. Abandoned even by her mother and her many father figures. The story here can be surprisingly rough and direct, but is always in service of making Kay and her crew feel like a relatable group of misfits, set up to try and do the impossible because the dice have landed wrong one too many times.

Getting into the technical weeds, I'm glad to report that Star Wars Outlaws runs great on switch 2. John already did a quick impressions video on the technical performance and the inclusion of ray-tracing really helps Outlaws to retain some of the shine it had on other platforms. I was especially happy to realize it was possible to send over my save file from a different platform to the Switch 2 version of the game. You simply cannot call this a lazy effort on Ubisoft’s part and I'd go so far as to wholeheartedly recommend Outlaws on Switch 2 if you haven't gotten around to playing it. Sure, it'll not look as pretty as the other versions, but even at a locked 30 fps and with the occasional pop-in, this is simply a wonderful experience on the system. All the story DLC is included too, which is a nice bonus and got me to play some of the additional content I had missed on my original playthrough.

I think Star Wars Outlaws manages to shake off the often attributed pitfalls of the “Ubisoft Open World Game”. Sure, there are still lengthy fetching quests and the core gameplay loop doesn't change too much between the beginning and end. But it's the trifecta of the reputation system, the Star Wars flavor, and especially its characters that set Outlaws apart from the pack. This isn't simply an assassin's creed in a Star Wars coating. Outlaws carves its own path. It can stand among the lineup of not just great Star Wars games, but third person action games in general. It may not be revolutionary but what it does, it does so incredibly well. Back when I played it last year, I was already entertaining that particular opinion but revisiting the game on Switch 2 has convinced me of this. It's a shame that Outlaws was overlooked last year, but perhaps now it is time for a reappraisal of what Star Wars Outlaws is, rather than what it could be. I am genuinely of the opinion that in ten years we'll look back at Star Wars games and go: “you know what, this Outlaws game is pretty fantastic”. Just know that you've heard it from me first.