The recent interview with Game Informer about the space gameplay in Outlaw has piqued my interest. Although no one has played this part of the game yet, I am intrigued by the developers’ descriptions of Outlaws’ outer-orbit gameplay. Art and world director Benedikt Podlesnigg and creative director Julian Gerighty provided insights to Game Informer, explaining that the planets and moons in Outlaws will have explorable zones within their orbit, offering opportunities for flying around, exploring, and completing side missions. The game’s orbit mechanics are such that if you exit the orbit of one planet, you’ll hyperdrive to the orbit of the next, ensuring that you’re never drifting out in empty space.
It’s akin to jumping from one hand-crafted zone to the next. The comparison to last year’s Everspace 2 is promising, as Everspace 2 is known for its puzzles, secrets, and small quest chains with interesting stories and characters. Gerighty’s description of Outlaws’ spaceflight as “accessible, fun, and action-packed” seems to echo the modernized ship controls in Everspace 2, resembling the controls in a third-person shooter rather than complex flight controls. The anticipation for Outlaws’ space gameplay is high, with expectations of a blend of Everspace 2’s approachable exploration and Star Wars Squadrons’ combat.
This combination is something that many gamers, including myself, have been hoping to see for a long time. As a fan of combat-focused space sims, such as Star Wars Squadrons, I am hopeful that Outlaws could finally deliver the experience that I have been seeking. While I have thus far refrained from joining the chorus of online gamers expressing dissatisfaction with new Star Wars games, the potential disappointment with Outlaws may prompt me to share my thoughts through a strongly-worded tweet.
