Star Wars Outlawsisn’t much like my favorite games of 2024 in most regards, but there’s one element of the experience that I immediately fell in love with, and it continues a trend that I can’t get enough of. Although 2024 hasn’t quite given me a game that’s a personal 10/10, I’ve loved a lot of what I’ve played, especially when it comes to some indie titles likeLorelei and the Laser EyesandCrow Country. I’m not deep enough intoStar Wars Outlawsto have any kind of finalized opinion on it, but I’m having fun so far.
There are certainly some major game design correlations betweenStar Wars Outlawsand other 2024 hits, even if they don’t amount to games that feel the same overall.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthborrows some standards of Ubisoft-style open-world design, for example, breaking up the world into distinct zones that still feature towers to activate and checklists to complete. The best parts ofStar Wars Outlawsdon’t lie in those overarching elements, however, andsome of the most fun can be had when Kay Vess sits down at a Sabacc table to gamble.
Star Wars Outlaws Review: Dazzling Hives Of Scum & Villainy
Star Wars Outlaws focuses on a grimier, seedier side of the universe with a rich, detailed open world that features both new and legacy characters.
Star Wars Outlaws Continues The Year Of Card Games
Sabacc Is One Of The Best Parts Of Star Wars Outlaws
It makes sense for an open-worldStar Warstitle to squeeze in Sabacc, a card game that got a big spotlight in the filmSolo: A Star Wars Story, butit’s not the first game to put an emphasis on cards this year.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthis the most obvious analogue, with aminigame called Queen’s Bloodthat I had a blast mastering. Queen’s Blood was preceded by theFF8andFF9classics Triple Triad and Tetra Master, but it’s been a long time since cards have stolen the show in theFinal Fantasyseries.
It’s also hard to talk about2024 games without a mention ofBalatro, a huge breakout hit that masterfully combines the addictive hooks of poker and roguelike gameplay. In a market dominated by huge AAA ventures with cutting-edge graphics,there’s no better proof of the power in cards than inBalatro’s success.Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthalso included its own share of card-based diversions, although that’s to be expected from the series that consistently leads the industry in engaging side content (that I implore anyone yet unfamiliar to check out at the earliest opportunity).
Sabacc Is Simple But Engaging In Star Wars Outlaws
Taking Risks At The Game Table Is Always Thrilling
I’m not going to make the claim that Sabacc is entirely competitive with Queen’s Blood orBalatro, but the game still managed to hook me pretty immediately. A rules screen with a long list of tabs is a front for a game that’s actually pretty simple in practice, asking players to gamble their way into pairs of matching cards of low value. The core concept doesn’t involve any particularly complicated strategy, buteverything hinges on a risk-reward component where the odds of improving Kay’s hand have to be weighed against several key factors.
10 Hidden Star Wars Outlaws Features That Will Improve Your Experience
To get the most from a playthrough of Star Wars Outlaws, players should use every feature they can to maximize their experience exploring the galaxy.
Although playing a game like Sabacc in real life would benefit from getting to analyze the poker faces of opponents,Star Wars Outlawsoffers a consolation prize by letting Kay cheat. There’s more than one way to do so, but the one that’s available at the start relies on sending Kay’s adorable companion Nix to spy on the hands of opponents. I also love the cute little animation of Kay showing Nix her cards while playing Sabacc, the kind of touch that makes sitting at the game table feel a lot more alive.
Cheating requires a degree of caution inStar Wars Outlaws, as overindulging in reckless behavior can get Kay banned from any given game table.
There’s a minor collectible element to Sabacc as well, with shift tokens that Kay can acquire throughoutStar Wars Outlaws. These deploy special abilities that can turn around the trajectory of a round, from restoring Kay’s supply of chips to modifying Impostor cards that opponents might otherwise use to luck into pairs. Acquiring more shift tokens isn’t anywhere near as interesting as getting newcards inFF7 Rebirth, feeling more like part of the seeming obligation to strew extensive collectibles throughoutStar Wars Outlawsthan anything else, but the tokens can be fun in play.
Sabacc Is The Perfect Star Wars Outlaws Feature
This Isn’t A Jedi Story
I’m sure someStar Warsfans used to another version of Sabacc might not love theStar Wars Outlawsiteration, as previous official iterations have followed different rulesets while maintaining the same overall concept.The version in the game strikes a nice balance between simplicity and strategy, though, and it’s easy to justify that theStar Warsuniverse is home to plenty of Sabacc variants.Solo’s Sabacc was noted to be a fork known as “Corellian Spike,” so there’s definitely room for whatever Ubisoft’s take is.
Star Wars Outlaws Avoids Ubisoft’s Biggest Mistakes (& I Couldn’t Be Happier)
I had some serious doubts about Star Wars Outlaws, but even the first few missions in the game were enough to show it avoids many Ubisoft flaws.
Seeing a card game inside any video game tends to make me happy, but Sabacc really does add a lot toStar Wars Outlaws.The game may not have appeared in the Mos Eisley cantina inA New Hope, butsitting down at corner tables in dingy rooms to gamble captures that atmosphere of scum and villainy so well. In a game where the outlaw life can be a bit restricted — I’m quite frustrated by Kay’s inability to hot-wire speeders — cheating at cards is the perfect way to spice things up.
Knights of the Old Republicfeatured a card game called pazaak, so there’s good precedent for including something of the like inStar Warsvideo games.
I’m excited to see what allStar Wars Outlawshas in store that I haven’t experienced yet, but I’ve already developed my share of complaints, so I also have a bit of apprehension that some elements could let me down. When it comes to Sabacc, though, I already feel comfortable in the knowledge that I’ll be enjoying it until the end.Star Wars Outlawsisn’t the first major game of 2024 to offer an enticing card game experience, and I hope it won’t be the last.
Star Wars Outlaws
Set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Star Wars Outlaws is an open-world action-adventure game where players hop into the scoundrel boots of Kay Vess, a woman who travels the galaxy Looking for a better life. Together with her furry partner Nix and new allies she meets along the way, Kay will navigate the various landscapes, towns, and planets across the galaxy while outsmarting both Crime Syndicates and the Empire.
