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Star Wars Outlaws showcases its scum and villainy in gameplay debut

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This story is part of our Summer Gaming Marathon series.

Today’s Ubisoft Forward closed out with a whopping 10 minutes of gameplay footage for the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws, only a day after its debut trailer was released at this summer’s Xbox Games Showcase. You can view the entire gameplay video directly below, but we’re also breaking it down for you.

Star Wars Outlaws: Official Gameplay Walkthrough | Ubisoft Forward

For longtime Star Wars fans, there’s a lot to unpack here. Historically, Lucasfilm’s galaxy far, far away has been a ripe setting for video games, yet it’s been almost 20 years since the heyday of games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars Galaxies. Both of these offer the most freedom of any video game in the franchise, but are antiquated by today’s standards — not to mention, neither of them is considered canon.

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Star Wars Outlaws seems exactly like what fans have been asking for, mixing elements of modern open-world games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and the Assassin’s Creed series with the signature cinematic trappings of the Star Wars universe as players eke out their own existence as interstellar freebooters. The gameplay reveal featured all the sights and sounds you’d want from a Star Wars game, from blaster combat to ground-based speeder chases to even interstellar space travel.

Star Wars Outlaws speeder vehicular gameplay gui
Ubisoft / ubisoft

It seems like protagonist Kay Vess can manually pilot her ship in and out of a planet’s atmosphere and warp across the known galaxy at her leisure. Star Wars Outlaws takes place in the canon between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and it seems like Kay Vess and her companions — such as the adorable alien Nix and droid crewmember ND-5 — will face off against enemy factions like the Empire, as well as the Hutt, Pyke, and Ashiga clans. Players will be able to make choices to influence the events during some cutscenes too.

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There’s no specific release date for Star Wars Outlaws as of today’s Ubisoft Forward, but it’s slated for a vague release window of 2024. Star Wars Outlaws is set to launch for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Gabriel Moss
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As a Contributor on Digital Trends, Gabriel Moss shares his insights about video games and technology. He also contributes to…
All Nix Treasure locations in Star Wars Outlaws
Kay Vass joined by her small alien companion called Nix in a futuristic city.

The only one Kay can really count on in Star Wars Outlaws is her adorable alien partner, Nix. This little guy can help you solve puzzles, distract enemies, and even fetch loot so you don't have to go over and pick it up yourself. For everything he does for you, the least you could do is reward him with some cool cosmetics. Nix Treasures are among many collectibles found all over the various planets in Star Wars Outlaws, but these little trinkets can be traded to special vendors for new accessories for Nix. Of course, there's also a shiny Trophy in it for you if you find them all. Unlike other Ubisoft games where you can scan the city and ping every map marker at once, you need to do a bit more hunting to find collectibles. Here are all the Nix Treasure locations.
How Nix Treasures work

Nix Treasures are different from other treasures that you can just loot or lockpick. When you get close to one, Nix will scurry off and lead you to where he senses the loot. Being a nimble little alien, he will take a direct route that Kay can't, which will force you to look around for the right path. All are collectible from the start of the game without requiring any later game tools or abilities.

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All Jet Vault locations in Star Wars Outlaws
Kay tries to enter Crimson Dawn territory.

One of the most tantalizing distractions in Star Wars Outlaws is the Jet Kordo Holodiscs. After you find your first one and gain access to the Holotracker early on in the game, you will be teased with a hidden treasure from this legendary scoundrel that is just waiting to be looted. Unlock other treasures that you can just lockpick, Jet put a bit more thought into keeping his loot hidden from anyone unworthy of it. You will need to find six individual vaults across the galaxy before you can get the big score at the end, but it will all be worth it. If you're having trouble locating each vault, we'll put an X on your map so you can go right to them.
Jet Kordo rewards

After you've collected all the loot from the vaults and returned to Toshara, you can claim your last reward.

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One small Star Wars Outlaws moment gets autism representation right
Star Wars Outlaws key art that features Kay Vess.

While playing through the first few hours of Star Wars Outlaws, I found myself once again presented with an all-too-familiar trope. ND-5, the game's primary droid crewmate to Kay Vess, appeared to be yet another autism-coded droid that is typically played for laughs or treated as "other" by the main cast.

He is introduced as a stoic and serious character who appears to have no sympathy for anything but his mission. Once he and Kay officially team up, he is given the role of the straight man. Kay will quip and make ironic or sarcastic comments that ND-5 responds to with sincerity. Whenever she asks a question, he delivers his honest answer without cushioning the blow if it would be insulting. In times when Kay wants to act based on emotion, he counters with cold logic. Generally speaking, these are all common traits those on the autism spectrum present.

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