The story trailer for Star Wars Outlaws, the first open-world Star Wars game, is here, and I have only one thought: DO NOT HURT NIX. The floppy little alien is the best bud of the main character, Kay Vess, and he is a precious ball of sunshine who must not be harmed.
But there’s a lot more going on in this trailer, which looks, in a word, incredible. Outlaws is a heist game, following Kay as she tries to outwit a whole lot of shady underworld characters and pull off a major job. All she wants, she says, is to live free. But we all know how easy that is in the galaxy. You’d think there’d be enough planets to go around, but somehow, there’s always some greedy Imperial and/or crime lord looking to take over a place.
Here’s the very short synopsis:
Experience the first-ever open world Star Wars™ game, set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Explore distinct planets across the galaxy, both iconic and new. Risk it all as Kay Vess, an emerging scoundrel seeking freedom and the means to start a new life, along with her companion Nix. Fight, steal, and outwit your way through the galaxy’s crime syndicates as you join the galaxy’s most wanted.
I like “emerging scoundrel.” It implies something like “emerging artist”—a suggestion of fresh-faced, creative scoundreling that hasn’t been seen before.
Naturally, Kay encounters some familiar faces (including a carbonite-frozen Han and a sarlacc) and locations (who doesn’t love visiting the Outer Rim?). And since this is a heist, she has to put together a crew. But this trailer does a great job of balancing familiar Star Wars elements with new characters, strange vistas, and attitude. StarWars.com has a lengthy interview with creative director Julian Gerighty, which digs into the criminal syndicates, the design—so much about the design, from identity of every cantina to the personality of the ships. (Kay’s is “cross between a turtle and a pickup truck.”) In combination with the trailer, it makes the game even more enticing.
Star Wars Outlaws will be available August 30th for Xbox, PlayStation 5, and PC.
