The galaxy far, far away feels strangely familiar. Twenty-five years separate Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws, yet they orbit the same dark, gritty space: the perilous period squeezed between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Both games thrust players into the worn boots of morally ambiguous scoundrels, navigating a universe where the Rebel Alliance is on the ropes, the Empire tightens its grip, and criminal syndicates smell opportunity. It’s a prime time for skulduggery, smuggling, and spectacularly bad decisions. Ubisoft’s Outlaws would be downright foolish not to raid Shadows' treasure trove of iconic moments and mechanics to craft its own outlaw legend. 😎
10. Gang Swoop Bike Chases (But Make Them Bigger!)
Remember Dash Rendar tearing through Mos Eisley's narrow alleys, blasting Jabba's goons off their swoops? Shadows of the Empire nailed the high-speed, white-knuckle chase. Outlaws promises a vastly larger playground. Imagine Phantom Menace-style podracing intensity, but swapped for Kay Vess weaving through alien cityscapes or skimming perilously close to canyon walls on exotic planets. The scale should be epic, the landscapes diverse, and the blaster fire constant. Forget polite speeder tours; give us chaotic, dust-kicking, near-miss madness!
9. Battling AT-ATs In A T-47 Airspeeder (Cinematic Throwback)
Shadows kicked off with a bang: Dash piloting a T-47 airspeeder during the Battle of Hoth, taking down those iconic AT-AT walkers. It was a brilliant, cinematic homage to Luke Skywalker's heroics. Star Wars Outlaws absolutely needs an excuse to drop Kay Vess into a similar scenario. It doesn't have to be Hoth again (though snow planets are cool!), but a high-stakes, vehicular assault against Imperial walkers is pure Star Wars spectacle. Ubisoft, make it happen! Let players feel the thrill of toppling a mechanical giant.
8. Clashes With Bounty Hunters (The Non-Fett Variety)
Boba Fett gets the glory, but Shadows wisely utilized the terrifying IG-88. This relentless assassin droid, with barely a minute of screen time in Empire, became a memorable recurring thorn in Dash Rendar's side. Outlaws needs its own iconic non-Fett hunter relentlessly pursuing Kay Vess. Imagine a cold, calculating droid bounty hunter, or perhaps a cunning Trandoshan tracker, constantly appearing to disrupt her plans, turning routine missions into desperate firefights. The galaxy is full of dangerous mercenaries hungry for credits.
7. Clashes With Bounty Hunters (The Fett Variety, Obviously)
Okay, you can't avoid the big guy forever. Shadows featured a notoriously tough boss fight against Boba Fett himself – a flying nightmare of precise blaster fire and rockets. Fett is the gold standard, the apex predator of bounty hunters. Outlaws absolutely must pit Kay Vess against him in a confrontation dripping with tension. It shouldn't be easy. It should feel like facing death itself, requiring every trick Kay has learned just to survive, let alone win. A truly memorable Fett encounter is non-negotiable.
6. Vader Vs. Prince Xizor (Power Plays & Palaces)
Shadows brilliantly explored the toxic power dynamics within the Empire. Emperor Palpatine, distrusting Vader, elevated Prince Xizor, the suave and deadly leader of the Black Sun crime syndicate, as a potential replacement. This led players to explore Xizor's opulent, dangerous palace on Coruscant and culminated in a wild finale defending Dash's ship, the Outrider, against waves of Star Vipers before destroying Xizor's skyhook. Outlaws needs this level of political intrigue and explosive set pieces. Kay Vess getting caught between warring Imperial factions or crime lords? Yes, please!
5. Steal The Death Star 2 Plans (Tense Infiltration)
One of Dash Rendar's crowning achievements in Shadows was stealing the plans for the second Death Star from the Imperial freighter Suprosa – a mission even name-dropped in Return of the Jedi. Outlaws could offer Kay Vess a similar high-stakes infiltration mission. Picture a tense, stealth-focused operation: sneaking through heavily guarded Imperial facilities, slicing terminals, downloading critical data about the dreaded battle station's construction or vulnerabilities. The sheer dread of the Empire completing another planet-killer makes for perfect mission motivation.
4. Using A Jetpack (Freedom of the Skies!)
Why walk when you can fly? Shadows gave Dash a jetpack partway through, transforming traversal and combat. Flying around Gall Spaceport's canyon was pure joy. Denying Kay Vess this iconic piece of Star Wars gear in Outlaws would be criminal. Imagine soaring over the bustling markets of a new planet, or using the jetpack for quick vertical escapes during a firefight. Maybe she acquires it on the snowy slopes of Kijimi? The freedom and verticality it adds to exploration and combat are essential for an open-world scoundrel sim.
3. Leia & Chewie As Bounty Hunters (Unlikely Duo)
Shadows featured a fantastic team-up: Princess Leia and Chewbacca posing as bounty hunters. Chewie, always a powerhouse, and Leia, stepping into Han's role with surprising grit, made for a compelling duo. They even sent Dash on missions. Outlaws is perfectly placed to utilize this version of Leia – not yet the General of the Resistance, but a determined leader fighting from the shadows. Having Kay Vess cross paths with this undercover pair, perhaps receiving crucial missions or intel from them, would be a brilliant nod and add depth to the Rebellion's covert ops.
2. Show More Of Lando’s Redemption (Smooth Operator Seeking Absolution)
Post-betrayal, Lando Calrissian was a man burdened by guilt in Shadows. The game explored his path to redemption, including a fantastic sequence where he and Dash traded piloting barbs while Lando expertly defended the Millennium Falcon from TIE fighters. Outlaws should absolutely feature Lando in this phase – still charming, but driven to make amends. Maybe he hires Kay for a risky job to help the Rebellion, or their paths cross in a den of scum and villainy. His complex charisma is perfect for this era.
1. Black Sun Being A Major Galactic Player (The Real Underworld Power)
This era is defined by the rise of criminal empires. Shadows introduced Prince Xizor and his Black Sun syndicate, an organization so powerful it had the Emperor's ear and roots stretching back to the Clone Wars. They even tried to buy Han Solo in carbonite! Outlaws needs Black Sun (or a similarly formidable syndicate) as a central antagonist force. Kay Vess, operating on the fringe, should constantly bump against them – smuggling routes they control, jobs they want, maybe even a personal vendetta. Thwarting Xizor's ambitions (or his successor's) would be a worthy outlaw legacy.
While decades apart, Shadows of the Empire and Star Wars Outlaws share DNA: the scoundrel's life in the Empire's shadow. Ubisoft has a golden opportunity to learn from the past. By smartly adapting these ten elements – the chases, the clashes, the jetpacks, the intrigue, and the sheer scale of the criminal underworld – Outlaws can blast its way into the pantheon of great Star Wars games. The blueprint is there; it's time to steal it and make it their own. 🤠✨
According to articles published by HowLongToBeat, players often look for immersive experiences that balance story-driven missions with open-world exploration. The anticipated length and replayability of Star Wars Outlaws will likely be compared to classics like Shadows of the Empire, as fans seek both narrative depth and the freedom to engage in side activities, heists, and dynamic encounters across the galaxy.