Star Wars Outlaws Switch 2 Review

Star Wars Outlaws Switch 2 Review
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2

While I’ve always been a massive fan of Star Wars, I unfortunately missed Star Wars Outlaws when it released over a year ago, so I was very excited to see the announcement that it would come to the Switch 2. As the release drew closer, and the silence around the title grew louder, many people were starting to wonder what condition the seemingly impossible port would arrive in. Information, coming from Alderaan places, reported just days before launch that the game ran at 15 frames per second and was an absolute mess. Here at What’s it like, we know only a Sith deals in absolutes, and after spending the past week swashbuckling around the galaxy, I finally managed to put my console down to share my thoughts on Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft’s latest title. What’s it Like? Put away your Sabacc card, Holster your blaster, and never tell me the odds, kid, as we review Star Wars Outlaws for Nintendo Switch 2.

Star Wars Outlaws follows the story of Kay Vess and her animal companion, Nix, as they try to make their way in the Star Wars universe by taking on contracts and building a crew in the hopes of pulling off a legendary heist. The game is set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, so the Empire is everywhere to increase its vice-like grip on the galaxy as the criminal underworld tries to take advantage of the chaos after the events of A New Hope. There’s a lot of intrigue, double crossing, and triple crossing involved, and to delve deeper into the story would mean we hit spoiler territory, which I don’t want to do. Much like the story, the gameplay is all about discovery. There are 4 main planets you will be exploring while building a name for yourself amongst the cartels. Your choices through the story will both build relationships and burn bridges. Along the way, you will meet characters who act like mentors who allow you to learn new abilities and obtain better gear by fulfilling set objectives, as well as providing some very important lessons for Kay.

Kay is brash and impulsive, and in the opening hours, both the written story and some of your actions as the player really help highlight how Kay is well in over her head. There’s a specific moment on the first planet where I was swindled because I was trying to follow normal adventure gaming conventions. I won’t go into specifics, but afterwards, as a player, I felt like a chump, which then made me feel more distrustful of NPCs moving forward.

It’s that naivety woven into the story that slowly dissolves as Kay becomes more adept at being an outlaw. It’s somewhat similar to the transition of Lara Croft killing someone in the Tomb Raider reboot, although it’s done gradually and with purpose. As the story went on, you could see how Kay was beginning to become a bit more sure of herself, while still having those moments of trust and vulnerability. This helps make the narrative so gripping as you have several moments where you have to make choices that affect your rep with the cartels, and in the criminal underworld, reputation is everything.

There were points where I would turn on the person who gave me the job because Kay’s internal monologue would hint at potentially being double-crossed, and there were times when I felt I made the wrong choice. The game doesn’t punish you in these moments; instead, it helps illustrate that the truth may very well be what you perceive it to be, and the world of Outlaws is a very greyscale place with no black and white outcomes.

Nix also plays a huge part in both story and gameplay, helping Kay navigate the world by being able to activate switches in hard-to-reach places, fetch fallen blasters in the heat of combat, and even jump on opponents to momentarily stun them so Kay can take them out. As the game has a heavy emphasis on stealth, you will use Nix a lot to help with your adventure, as he can also sense enemies, power sources, and be a great distraction while you creep through all manner of locales. If you played Outlaws on release on other platforms, you will find that mandatory stealth has been removed, transitioning instantly to combat instead of forcing you to restart at a checkpoint. Gunplay is fast and fluid, and thanks to Kay’s slowdown and tag ability (much like John Marston’s deadeye in Red Dead), you can blast your way out of most situations.

Despite the story hooking the player in, Star Wars Outlaws is a game built for exploration and taking your time. I initially began powering through the game for the review, only to head back to the first planet to explore and unlock more contracts, customisations, and upgrades. There are so many elements of customisation and upgrades from Kay’s gear, your Speeder, and your Starship. There are plenty of crafting materials to find in the wild, and specific items needed for certain upgrades that become available at key moments to help balance out progression. The inventory system makes it clear what to keep and what to sell. You can also visit cantinas and play Sabacc, a card game that can win you some credits and items. You can even be a scoundrel at cards, discreetly using Nix to see your opponents’ hands, which helped me tip the scales more than once.

Star Wars Outlaws on the Switch 2 delivers an ambitious AAA experience on a handheld console, balancing visual fidelity with performance. The game employs DLSS technology to maintain smooth gameplay, though some pixelation is noticeable during intense scenes, and Kay’s hair has a lot of blur about it; these minor imperfections don’t impact the gameplay. Lighting effects, while scaled back compared to more powerful hardware, still enhance the atmosphere, particularly in cutscenes and gameplay. Environments are richly detailed, with expressive character models and a strong sense of scale, making it one of the more impressive titles on the Switch 2.

There is noticeable asset pop-in, especially when travelling at speed, and some texture pop-in during gameplay, again, none of it managed to break my immersion or frustrate me in the slightest, but it’s worth mentioning. Performance generally holds close to 30 frames per second, with minor dips in crowded or effect-heavy scenes. The game’s populated zones, such as the opening area of Canto Bight, showcase dynamic NPC activity and intricate architecture, contributing to a lively world. Another thing that helps with the game’s immersion is a minimalist “Cinematic HUD”, which is a big departure from other Ubisoft games. This new HUD mode focuses on the objective at hand with minimal clutter on screen. If you would like to see a more in-depth breakdown of the graphics, feel free to check out my recent video on it.

All of this is backed by stellar sound design and voice acting. You can hear the self-doubt creeping into Kay’s voice when trying to confidently tackle a job, and the sounds of speeders and laser fire breaking through the ambience of the world feel impactful. The score pays tribute to John Williams’ legendary efforts, with composer Wilbert Roget II from Call of Duty and Mortal Kombat fame lending his talents to help further the immersion in Outlaw’s impressive world with his orchestral score.

For my scoundrels looking into accessibility, Star Wars Outlaws has one of the most impressive accessibility suites I have come across, and there are far too many to mention here. You can customise nearly all aspects of the game to suit your needs in terms of gameplay difficulty, audio and visuals. Players can swap out stylised text for simplified characters for readability, there’s a high contrast and several colourblind modes. Subtitles, including text and background colour, can be customised to your liking, visual cues on audio prompts like the lock picking game can be overlayed, and a lot of these options can be added in the moment when you first encounter them by pressing X, instead of breaking immersion while you navigate through the menus.

Even handheld mode has its own set of specific options to help make the game more enjoyable in portable play, including touch and motion controls. Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft have put a lot of thought into making Outlaws a game for a lot of people to be able to enjoy. At just under $90 AUD, Outlaws provides plenty of value for money. The main story and DLCs will take around 25 hours to complete, while completionists and people looking to take their time will most likely spend over 60 hours seeing everything Outlaws has to offer.

As someone who grew up dreaming of exploring the galaxy, this feels like the game I always wanted Star Wars to be. Outlaws sets a new standard for what the Switch 2 can achieve with its immersive open world, gripping narrative, and stellar gameplay. Whether you prefer to sneak through an enemy cartel’s territory or blast your way through an imperial space station, Star Wars Outlaws is an epic adventure crafted with so much love for the source material, while enhancing it with new worlds and creations. Sure, there may be some minor technical limitations due to the handheld hardware, but these don’t take away from the sheer scale and adventure to be had. Star Wars Outlaws is simply phenomenal, both as a game and as a technical achievement on the Nintendo Switch 2.

So, What’s it Like? Star Wars Outlaws is like Red Dead Redemption in a galaxy far, far away.

In the interest of full disclosure, a review copy was provided by Ubisoft, but this doesn’t influence my score.

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