Star Wars Outlaws review - Helmet punching your way through disappointment

This isn't the review I wanted to write. I wished that I could praise the optimisation, the graphics and the gameplay, but sadly, I can only say positive things about some of the gameplay aspects, which I will go into a bit more detail about later.

Outlaws follows Kay Vess and her furry companion, Nix, as they embark on an adventure in a galaxy far away, sprawling across multiple locations, both familiar and new, to claim their freedom. Ubisoft also claims this is the "first ever open-world Star Wars game." Hmm, The Old Republic, anyone?!

I am playing this on PC via the Ubisoft Connect subscription. At £14.99 for a month, it seemed the best way to try the game out and complete it in a month without having to fork out the full price.

The Snowdrop engine has serviced other modern titles, such as Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, which did a great job with dense and lush vegetation, stunning graphics, and an open landscape. However, it fell short in terms of a lack of storyline and gameplay dynamics.

A lot more was expected with Outlaws, however, since not only is the fanbase gigantic for this series in general, but a slew of games has been mostly successful in the Star Wars Universe, and with a AAA developer at the helm, this should have been a walk in the park.

Sadly, like we see all too often these days, a walk in the park seems like a path laden with obstacles, often of the developer/publisher's own making.

System requirements

My experience with the game has been with an Intel i7 12700KF, RTX 4090 and at 4K with VRR and 64GB of RAM. Some observations have been made regarding how memory is used and why Ubisoft's claim of 16GB needed across all settings is not entirely accurate, nor is 24GB of VRAM for ultra, at least out of the box anyway.

Enhanced Snowdrop engine

With the move towards Unreal Engine 5 by many developers these days, it's nice to see in-house engines still being developed. The RED engine being dropped my CDPR in favour of UE5 was the latest major transition, and with close input from Nvidia and Epic, I believe we will see some great things happening with UE5 in the Nvidia branch of the engine in the coming years if Black Myth: Wukong is anything to go by with its almost perfect Full Ray Tracing presentation.

A full rundown of all the graphical options available can be seen at the start of the video below. It has also been recorded in HDR to show off the visual maximum the game has to offer in its current state, so be sure to watch it in HDR:

With the current build of Snowdrop used in this game, I get the impression that the Nvidia additions were made at a late stage of development. They don't seem to work as expected and feel unfinished/broken.

Firstly, Ray Reconstruction (essentially the main reason why DLSS 3.5 exists) is supposed to not only clean up Ray Traced de-noising but also not impact the framerate negatively, and as seen in Cyberpunk 2077 and Alan Wake 2, also improve the framerate by around 5-10fps on the highest settings in my experience. With Outlaws I am seeing a 5-10fps drop in the worst cases, and the visual fidelity doesn't seem that much improved compared to those games, in fact it actually gets worse in some ways as I show below.

Imagine adding millions of dynamic lights to your game environments without worrying about performance or resource constraints. NVIDIA RTX™ Dynamic Illumination (RTXDI) figures out the most important light samples in a scene and renders them physically accurate. Geometry of any shape can emit light, cast appropriate shadows, and move freely and dynamically. - Nvidia

Outlaws is also one of the first games to release with Nvidia's RTXDI (Ray Traced Direct Illumination), which sets out to produce more accurate lighting. Nvidia claims that RTXDI has a low-performance overhead, yet turning it on instantly wipes away around 40fps at DLSS 4K when using it in the Ultra mode.

This is quite frankly obscene, given the visual difference with it on. It is not transformative, improving shadow softness at the edges and gradual cast-off diffusion of them. Shadows remain nice and soft-edged in the low mode for RTXDI, which still has a framerate impact, just not as big as the higher modes, though still not what I would call "low performance overhead."

I think it's clear that these technologies have not been properly optimized for implementation here with Snowdrop. Lower-end GPU users and those on the AMD boat who are not fans of Ray Tracing for good reason may have questions to ask here, too, since Ray Tracing cannot be turned off, only set to low.

I have put together a high-resolution IMGsli comparison where you can select RTXDI on/off as well as some other graphical features to see how they compare from a static point of view, though it also needs to be said that in this game, in motion, enabling Ray reconstruction seems to blur foliage that is moving with the wind, something not observed in other games using Ray Reconstruction, again another tell that the implementation here is poorly optimised.

I also compiled a selection of screenshots on IMGsli with DLSS Performance at 4K output, which also shows Ray reconstruction on/off for readers to compare. These all use the Ultra graphical preset for reference.

From my testing, neither DLSS Frame Generation nor DLSS upscaling affects any noticeable ghosting, which is great to see. However, Ray Reconstruction has obvious ghosting, especially around moving particles that appear blurry in motion. The best way to show this is with foliage blowing in the wind outside.

Ray Reconstruction on:

Ray Reconstruction off:

This is observed regardless of the other graphical settings used, and it doesn't matter if you use native resolution, upscaling or anything else. Ray Reconstruction in this game has been badly implemented, which results in softer details and blurred particle movement.

Moreover, there is a hidden graphical preset called 'Outlaw.' In the same measure as the Unobtanium settings in Avatar, which could be unlocked, the Outlaw setting changes various graphical settings to Max from Ultra. This does include RTXDI, and yes, this also means even more frames per second eaten away.

Visually, I saw only a small amount of difference, and using these new Max values seems best suited if Ray reconstruction is off. It blurs all textures in motion, but with it off, you get lower-fidelity reflections. It seems we can't have it all with this game from a technical standpoint.

Skin tones deserves a mention here too, because the level of detail is quite absurd, especially at the highest GFX settings, take this random NPC in a bar, for example:

Now let's zoom in:

Lastly, the depth of field cannot be turned off; it can only be lowered. The use of depth of field is plentiful, but most of the time, I find it looks too artificial rather than subtle/natural. I often turn this off in games as I find it annoying, especially in cutscenes.

Performance

Moving onto the actual performance, with Frame Generation disabled and DLAA enabled, getting anywhere near 60fps at 4K is a pipe dream. I saw as low as 25fps, with an average being 30-40. Consider that this is a game that isn't even using Full ray Tracing (path tracing essentially), and you begin to wonder what is going on.

The above is the best-case scenario when indoors and when leveraging GPU technologies such as DLSS Frame Generation and DLSS upscaling. Since I am gaming at a 4K output, I can render a clean, quality result using just DLSS Performance, which equates to a 1080P internal render before image reconstruction takes place on those RTX Tensor cores.

My experience with performance is mostly good, but I did have to set RTXDI to low to get over 85fps outdoors and over 100fps indoors. Bear in mind that this is with both DLSS and Frame Generation being used. For reference, Black Myth: Wukong, Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 all run at 100fps or more, and they are fully path-traced titles with none of the issues seen here.

With everything maxed out, the game alone is using 13.1GB of system RAM, if a PC had 16GB of RAM as Ubisoft recommend at these settings, then the game would be sending a whole chunk of assets to the pagefile on disk which would be hampering performance even more. 16GB is not recommended for Ultra at 4K; it should be 32GB. This system requirement seems to have been measured in only some of the low memory utilisation areas of the game and not an average combining both indoors and outdoors to get a better picture of the overall memory needs.

On my system, 33GB of system RAM is used, accounting for background processes and the OS itself. This sort of averaging is not something game developers tend to account for, and a fresh install on a test bench isn't the same as our everyday active-use systems, with lots of stuff running using background memory.

I also tried FSR3 (with and without Frame Gen) and XeSS, but as is the norm for these upscalers on basically all other games, they offer an inferior quality result to DLSS, which in this game is version 3.7, which means the new Preset-E is being used offering better motion clarity and sharpness, only to have those attributes diminished by the poorly implemented Ray Reconstruction, if you choose to turn that on for the better reflections and slight improvement to ambient occlusion.

Where performance takes a nosedive is outside. Simply zipping around on the Speeder, I notice a lot of inconsistent frame time issues, and with RTSS set up, the way I have to show actual memory usage as opposed to just allocation makes it clear to see what is going on. All 24GB of VRAM is being used in total, and chunks of VRAM assets are being sent to system RAM as a result, which means frame time issues during these transfers, which in turn implies framerate drops, as the graph line shows.

Reading around in various comments, it appears Ubisoft has acknowledged that there is an issue with some settings, such as RTXDI, not working as intended, but no word has been made specifically addressing knowledge of memory leaking problems like this.

Lowering the RTXDI setting to low still has the same issues; only turning it off completely seems to relieve some of the VRAM over-consumption, but it does not solve the problem entirely.

The game does look fantastic in HDR, though. If you're playing it on an OLED TV or monitor, then you are in for a visual treat. The Star Wars universe is the perfect setting to show off such display tech.

Gameplay

This is where I initially had a lot of fun. The first 5-10 hours of the game were a blast. I really enjoyed the blaster and zipping around on the Speeder. Word to the wise: If you use a mouse and keyboard, then be sure to change the settings and not use the mouse for steering. It is insanely annoying, as are some of the early stealthy sections of the game.

It was only after these initial hours that the game's wider scope became obvious, and the tedium of rinse-and-repeat set in.

There are only so many times that Superman punching groups of troopers can be done before it gets boring. You are basically invincible when dispatching human enemies this way; just hide in a bush, and no joke, just whistle/distract them with Nix, then pounce with a flying punch. There's very little need to use a gun in these instances.

Can I also add that Kay is able to kill helmet wearing Storm Troopers.... Thems some strong fists.

Speaking of guns, you can pick up guns dropped by the guy you just punched into the dirt, but if you choose to do some seriously complex tasks like talking to an NPC or jumping on your Speeder, then Kay will instantly drop the gun you picked up on the ground. You cannot even enter a vent (of which there are many) with a weapon you picked up, and she drops it right as you enter the vent.

So, what I have learned here is that Kay is not only a nearly bare-knuckled punching machine most of the time, but she is also unable to store picked-up guns when doing basic things, which makes sense.

The movement mechanics need a revamp, too, all too often it feels like Kay is floating when simply running, and the near-magnetic attachment when jumping onto ladders or walls is quite janky. Even switching weapons feels unintuitive at times, especially on harder difficulty modes when you're trying to deal with scores of Storm Troopers from a distance.

There isn't much else to say about the gameplay itself, the missions are generic, the side-jobs are mostly trivial and the initial spark I felt it had was just that. In essence, it feels like a generic action-adventure game with a Star Wars theme, though it would not be really great if you put a good amount of time into it to experience the breadth of what the game has to offer.

There are some light RPG elements, too, rewards to unlock, which give you add-ons for the blaster or new appearance choices for both Kay and Nix that have attributes attached to them:

Conclusion

I was very much looking forward to playing this game since I enjoyed Jedi: Survivor, even with its technical issues that hampered PC performance for everyone, some of which exist to this day over a year later.

But Outlaws has turned out to be a game trying to be Star Wars but missing much of the Star Wars spark that makes those games enjoyable, the same spark that Jedi: Survivor and Fallen Order do have. And yes, I do understand that those games have a primary focus on the Jedi, whereas here, we follow a new character with no direct connection to what we know and love Star Wars for.

This may, in turn, explain much of the controversy surrounding the game's choice of protagonist. On one side, I'm reading comments from groups of people who oppose the use of a female character who looks nothing like the real-life model the character is built from, while on the other hand, there's no Jedi character at play here.

I do not care much about how a character looks and whether they are true to the IRL model they are based on; I care more about whether the game is good and enjoyable to pile on the hours to actually look forward to completing it. Jedi: Survivor was exactly that, Outlaws, sadly, is nowhere close to that.

There are simply too many missteps to be able to happily recommend this game to anyone who enjoys a thrilling adventure without the jank, let alone a Star Wars fan. Okay, the built-up areas you visit during Kay's travels do feel like they are lived in with plenty of NPCs and props that are lifted from the movies, but these are just things to look at here and there instead of interacting with and being a part of, and that is not enough when the game fails in so many other areas that make a game enjoyable.

Visually, I can tell the game is trying very hard to impress, and in various areas, it does, actually, but all too often, I arrive at an area that makes me wonder if the graphics options suddenly switched to low or something because this is the sort of thing that is presented:

I suspect we will not see a patch until after a month, so those using the Ubisoft Connect subscription will have to spend at least £30 if they wish to hold on and play casually while awaiting patches to fix most of the issues.

I am more than happy to eat these words, though, if a patch is released in the coming days, although Ubisoft hasn't had a track record of satisfying gamers lately.

It is a shame, the issues with gameplay, AI and technical break the game's otherwise often stunning presentation and "lived-in" feel especially in the busy districts. put on headphones, dim the lights and be immersed in the Star Wars universe.

Update - 2024.09.06:

There is a progress-breaking bug that means you cannot leave the planet/moon you are on in the Trailblazer. There's no definitive root cause other than it can happen on any location it seems. I posted about it on reddit and folks kindly pointed out the bug.

The only solution right now is to load an old save which means losing several hours of progress, and as per the PS5's patch update from Ubisoft requiring console players to start a new game entirely, it seems PC players may as well have to do the same unless Patch 1.1, which is due soon, fixes it on our platform.

Working around the problem now be reloading an old save does not guarantee that the same issue won't happen again with another set of missions on another planet if you do side missions in an order that bugs the main quest out. This is turbo levels of incompetence on Massive/Ubisoft's part and bolsters the 4/10 score in my view.