Gameplay Mechanics Help Star Wars Outlaws Pave Its Own Way

The release of Star Wars Outlaw s is approaching rapidly, and though we at CGMagazine have previewed the game a few times now , we know the general public is eager to get their hands on it. Through our previews, we have jumped into the shoes of Kay Vess, a scoundrel in the Star Wars universe. With her trusty sidekick, Nix, players will explore a new era of Star Wars , which has never before been seen.

Ahead of Star Wars Outlaws’ launch, we spoke with the game’s Lead Gameplay Designer, Fredrik Thylander. He was able to provide insight into many of the game’s mechanics, including weaponry, exploration and more. Thylander discussed ways that the team behind the game pay homage to the Star Wars properties before it, and ways Star Wars Outlaws is paving its own way, too.

Were many people on the team a fan of Star Wars before Star Wars Outlaws , and did that play into the game design in any way?

Fredrik Thylander: We have dedicated Star Wars fans on the team. You can see their love and passion for this galaxy in their work. The amount of detail and authenticity put into the environment, weapons, characters, and vehicles could not have been achieved without the passion the team had for something they grew up watching. And I think, most of all, the writing team approached this as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to add stories to an era of Star Wars that was a large influence on them.

What goes into designing gameplay for a property that is heavily protected by its fans? How was the pressure?

Fredrik Thylander: Star Wars is a generation-spanning galaxy where many different stories have been and will be told. We approached it with a deference to all of the source material, integrating gadgets, moves and weapons from both the original trilogy as well as some of the later additions from that era. We also worked very closely with Lucasfilm Games to ensure that everything we created and contributed would feel very authentic to long-term and new fans alike.

What new things can we expect through the gameplay in Star Wars Outlaws , and is there anything that really pays homage to previous games or films?

Fredrik Thylander: Being set between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi , you can expect to see a lot of things that feel right at home in that era of Star Wars , and we also got to do some things that felt new and fresh for Star Wars . An example of this is our Speeder that handles in a way we’ve not quite seen before in the franchise, with influences from dirt bikes and speed boats, that really gives exploring on a vehicle a dynamic.

What was the decision behind making the blaster the only permanent weapon in Star Wars Outlaws ?

Fredrik Thylander: Kay handles situations in a variety of ways. She can talk, brawl, sneak, shoot or rely on Nix’s abilities. As such, she, in classic scoundrel style, has only her trusty sidearm as her permanent weapon. However, the VM-19 blaster is unique in that it has swappable modules that the player can quickly change between during combat to allow different types of shots, including Ion and Power shots.

Furthermore, each of the modules comes in variants, discovered throughout the campaign, that give the ability to make the blaster shoot the way the player prefers, including rapid fire and more. Each of these has been hand-tuned for a different type of experience, including their recoil, heat buildup and overheat minigame — our version of reloading. This makes the blaster incredibly versatile and diverse, which we think players will find very satisfying.

Lastly, the way Kay uses enemy weapons against them means every fight is a potential tactical puzzle, with different enemies being prioritized by the player so they can get their hands on the weapons they wield for the rest of the encounter. This also means that encounters against different syndicates have distinct tactical differences, as the weapons available are based on the enemy archetypes you encounter.

What other kind of weaponry can we look forward to in Star Wars Outlaws ?

Fredrik Thylander: Given that Kay faces off against everyone from The Empire to the Hutt Cartel, Pyke Syndicate, Crimson Dawn and the new syndicate, Zerek Besh, and each of those syndicates bring their own weaponry to bear, the player will be able to wield a pretty large variety of weapons, all with unique projectile properties, recoil and mechanics. One of my personal favourites is getting my hands on the Z-6 rotary cannon with a shield emitter. The feeling of turning the tide against a squadron of stormtroopers with that is fantastic.

There seems to be an emphasis on rewarding exploration. How did the team keep this fresh over the course of Star Wars Outlaws ?

Fredrik Thylander: The key to ensuring exploration is interesting is to make sure it’s grounded in the locations and galaxy of Star Wars. We wanted encounters, conversations, rumours, treasure locations and other things to really feel like they belong and made sense. Once the player feels how much the exploration intuitively is anchored in the world game and narrative, they can trust their instincts and follow their gut feeling to where they will find something interesting and be rewarded for it.

Some elements of a Metroidvania are distilled in the larger settlements. Is this something that is only in the larger hub areas?

Fredrik Thylander: Kay has limited tools and Nix’s street thief background when the player starts the game. Part of the journey is about acquiring new skills and equipment to allow for further exploration of the world. So, there will be elements of the world throughout the playthrough that the player will have to find ways to overcome. A lot of the time, Kay can find experts across the galaxy who can teach her these skills or provide her equipment that lets the player get past these obstacles.

And just for fun, what is your favourite part of Star Wars Outlaws so far, be it a mechanic, character, area, etc.?

Fredrik Thylander: After years of working very focused on game mechanics and features, finally being able to just fully get lost in the details and visual storytelling of the finished and polished game world, fully immersing myself in a tactile, grounded depiction of the Original Trilogy era Star Wars , is a delight.

Star Wars Outlaws will be released on August 30, 2024 , for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay up to date with everything Star Wars Outlaws here .