Star Wars Outlawswas far from a perfect game. It suffered from some major technical issues at launch, its overreliance on mandatory stealth sequences got old very quickly, and its combat mechanics needed some tweaks. But there was still plenty to like aboutStar Wars Outlaws, especially for die-hardStar Warsfans.
On paper,Star Wars Outlawsshould have been the dream game for manyStar Warsfans, with it offering a sprawling adventure set across multiple open-world planets that finally let fans live out their dreams of being a smuggler inthe Galaxy Far, Far Away. After plenty of patches and updates,Star Wars Outlawsis much closer to delivering that ultimateStar Warsfantasy fulfillment, and it lays some strong blueprints for another type ofStar Warsscoundrel simulator.
Star Wars Outlaws Should Pave The Way for a Star Wars Bounty Hunter Game
Star Wars Outlaws Lays Some Strong Foundations for a Bounty Hunter Game
The opening ofStar Wars Outlawssaw players diving head-first into theStar Warsgalaxy’s criminal underworldat the height of its power, between the events ofEmpire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedi. As fresh-faced smuggler Kay Vess, players needed to sweet-talk their way into the various criminal syndicates of the galaxy’s underworld, including the Hutts, the Pykes, and the Darth Maul-founded Crimson Dawn.
Once in each syndicate’s good books, players needed to slowly make their way up the underworld’s social ladder, earning higher payouts and catching the attention of the galaxy’s most hardened criminals and scoundrels. This narrative and gameplay structure formed the backbone ofStar Wars Outlaws' moment-to-moment gameplay, and it’s a blueprint that could translate well to a bounty hunter adventure.
Much like asmuggler like Kay Vess, a bounty hunter would need to begin their career by meeting with various guild leaders and carrying out any dirty work they needed doing. To advance in their field of work, a bounty hunter would need to follow a similar trajectory to Kay Vess', taking on jobs of increasing scope and severity until they were working for the most fearsome underworld leaders in the galaxy.
These jobs would see them heading to a new planet, questioning local sources, and hunting down their bounty before the competition beats them to the punch. Generally speaking,Star Wars Outlaws' gameplay formula would work well with a bounty hunter protagonist.
The Desire for a Star Wars Bounty Hunter Game Is There
Bounty hunters have been some of themost popularStar Warscharacterssince their mainstream introduction all the way back in 1980’sStar Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. That shot of Boba Fett, Bossk, 4-LOM, Zuckuss, Dengar, and IG-88 on the Executor’s bridge is still one of the franchise’s most iconic, sparking imaginations by showing not only that bounty hunting is a prevalent profession in theStar Warsuniverse, but that it’s a profession that’s home to some storied characters.
Thanks to Jango Fett and The Mandalorian, bounty hunters have remained some of the most popular characters inStar Warsmedia. But despite being so popular, only a handful of games have attempted to capture the gnarly profession.2002’sStar Wars: Bounty Hunteris probably the most well-known example, and while its capturing mechanics were fun, they took a bit of a backseat to the game’s run-and-gun action.
ManyStar Warsfans are still longing for a proper, fully-fledgedStar Warsbounty hunter game that puts tracking and capturing targets at the forefront of its gameplay loop and narrative.
