Nothing spells fantasy to me quite like stepping into the Star Wars universe as someone who lives by their own rules, and that's precisely why I couldn't wait to dive right into Star Wars Outlaws. Rather than a Jedi, or a big bad Sith, protagonist Kay Vess is a lone street thief without any fantastical magic or Force powers behind her. But even if she's not some powerful figure in a galaxy far, far away, she has some tricks up her sleeve which I get to try out first-hand, and they quickly sell me on the scoundrel fantasy Massive is trying to deliver. During my time with the open-world adventure, I was able to try out three different missions that all offer up a different bite-sized taste of Kay's journey in the Outer Rim. From a more stealth-oriented objective, to a mission that sees me solve puzzles and climb up a reactor, I also get the chance to blast my way out of an Imperial base and engage in a dogfight among the stars.
Time and again, though, what I enjoy most is the companionship and teamwork of Kay and her best merqaal buddy, Nix. Throughout every mission, I'm making use of the little guy to distract enemies, open doors, fetch items, set explosive traps, or latch onto a droid so I can get some shots in before it even sees me coming. From speaking with creative director Julian Gerighty, it's clear that the pair were always intended to be a packaged deal, allowing Kay to believably and practically gain advantages in dicey situations when she doesn't have extraordinary powers to rely on.
