As I hurtled through the dry, ochre-toned wasteland of Toshara on the back of a rusty speeder, I quickly came to the realisation that Star Wars Outlaws could be the game I’ve always dreamed of. While there are timeless stories revolving around the plight of the Jedi and the Empire – the vast, colourful world of Star Wars always alluded to more beneath the hood and left me with one major question: what are the consequences of interstellar conflict for anyone that wasn’t born with magical powers?

During a recent preview event, I had the opportunity to play through two sections of the game for a full three hours – exploring a portion of its open world, and discovering a darker, more destitute setting where inhabitants must survive however they can. And it looks awesome. 

Kay Vess, our protagonist, is a perfect example of a survivor in a war-torn galaxy. Star Wars Outlaws is set between the events of “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” and “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi”, and so Vader’s rule has rippled into even the most far-flung corners of the Galaxy Far, Far Away. On Toshara, a moon dominated by criminals, Kay is tasked with infiltrating the base of Gorak, a local kingpin. Stealth is key here, and as Kay, I deftly slip past meandering guards with an array of quiet takedowns at my disposal for anyone that spots me. Kay can also unlock additional abilities that’ll help – the Fast Talker ability offers a quick way to quickly yap your way out of a full-blown enemy showdown, for example.

What’s even better, is that Kay’s trusty companion Nix is also a handy tool, and can be commanded to create enemy distractions, attack if needed, or even collect a piece of loot that’s just out of reach. This is a mandatory stealth mission, but in the context of the plot it makes total sense – Kay isn’t here to go blasters blazing (this time), it’s a delicate mission that requires discretion. When things go awry, Kay ends up discovering information that is of use to Gorak, and is given a choice to tell him about it or keep it to herself.

This is where the power of choice and allegiances comes in. While playing, I was introduced to four different crime syndicates: Crimson Dawn, The Hutt Cartel, Ashiga Clan, and The Pyke Syndicate – each with their own designs on how to rule the underworld. Kay can foster good and bad reputations with each of the clans – having a good reputation will grant her privileged access to their districts and benefits. Having a negative reputation will make a syndicate less receptive, and even hostile in some cases.

Assisting one syndicate can affect how a different one feels about you too, so it pays to be cautious in who you align with. Gorak is aligned with the latter, and I chose to be generous with my information about a plot to overthrow him. I loved this element of decision-making; as a player, I’m not just on the rails of a pre-scripted story, but getting input in how the story plays out and how the world reacts to Kay, which feels great.

Once that exchange concluded, I stepped out onto the gritty, neon-soaked streets of Mirogana to explore freely. Here, you’ll find vendors offering new equipment, items, cosmetics for Kay that’ll offer new enhancements, and other goodies. The essence of a world ruled by crime is in full force here, characters around me spoke in hushed tones about objectionable schemes, while Empire guards slyly took bribes from enterprising scoundrels. All of this makes the settings of Star Wars Outlaws feel truly alive, and showcased the seedy underside of galaxy in all its questionable glory.

I was prompted to make several more reputation choices in the next few missions, the first coming at the end of a job for The Hutt Cartel. As Kay, I politely declined the request to double cross the Hutts and hand over my goods to Crimson Dawn, which resulted in a… less polite shootout with the clan’s double-crossing agent. Later, during a mission to upgrade Kay’s blaster, I was given the option to steal a necessary part from the Pyke Syndicate or Crimson Dawn, and, having already chosen to annoy the latter, opted to “liberate” the goods from their district. This variation in how to approach jobs and who to favour again plays magnificently into crafting your own version of the underworld, where allegiances can change in seconds and no one can be trusted. 

From there, I set out to explore the arid deserts of Toshara in my first taste of Star Wars Outlaws‘ open world environments. I zoomed past several points of interest, including desert-beaten structures housing collectables, loot, or random events. Exploring those structures led me to a cache of Empire loot ripe for the taking, while another saw me stand off against a band of pirates raiding a homestead. Just like walking around Mirogana, veering offroad to take care of these tasks makes Toshara feel like a living, dynamic place – and of course, snagging a bit of loot is never a bad thing. Even in this select area, the environments felt stuffed with little things to do and secrets to discover.

Another section of my preview took me to the stars, quite literally, and put me at the helm of Kay’s ship. Engaging in a swift battle against some TIE Fighters felt pretty approachable off the bat, the controls were smooth, similar to those of Starfield, and the ship’s tracking module made short work of pesky enemy ships. After that, I landed on the frigid, icy shores of Kijimi, to look for a safecracker. Kijimi is ruled by The Ashiga Clan, but, just like on Toshara, The Crimson Dawn is looking to dethrone them. 

I couldn’t resist a quick roam around Kijimi’s surroundings (and a few bets placed on the virtual Fathier Racing holo table situated in the bar) simply because these environments are absolutely stunning. Total care has gone in to make Toshara and Kimiji feel vibrant and authentic, and I can’t wait to see what other notable Star Wars locations look like.

But enough of looking at the buildings, there are several objectives at hand. Kay needs to win favour with the Ashiga Clan and their Queen, culminating in a mission to steal a mysterious relic. Having already made my way through a stealth mission back on Toshara, I opted for the most chaotic entrance possible, blasting guards and foes into oblivion in fierce firefights, while commanding Nix to attack anyone that proved to be more laserproof than expected. The blaster combat feels extremely satisfying – hits pack a punch, much like grenades, and the option to take out shields with ease or simply stun foes gave a breadth of options in how to clean up what became a pretty outrageous gunfight in the middle of a tranquil setting, which was extremely fun.

The choice that Star Wars Outlaws gives you to craft your own reputation as Kay’s unfolds feels excellent – and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to explore and immerse myself in both new and familiar locations from the Star Wars universe. However, quite uniquely, I’m seeing them from Kay’s nebulous perspective as a well-meaning outcast just doing her best to survive in an underworld brimming with duplicitous characters, and I can’t wait to play more. Thankfully, there’s not much longer to wait either – Star Wars Outlaws launches on Xbox Series X|S on August 30.