We got our first look at Star Wars: Outlaws gameplay at Ubisoft Forward today, which included a few teases of the game's narrative choices and faction reputation systems.
Most notably, at the end of the footage, we see a cutscene where protagonist Kay Vess witnesses a backroom deal involving an Imperial officer. You have the choice whether or not to bribe that officer - in the footage, Kay instead pulls a gun on her, ramping up hostilities with the Empire.
"In these choices there is no wrong answer," creative director Julian Gerighty says in dev breakdown of the footage. "There's just ways to weave your own story, ways to change, challenge, increase your reputation with certain factions and syndicates, decrease it, gain an advantage, or a different perspective on the story, too. So we put a lot of effort in giving the player agency over their own trajectory."
There are some particular consequences to making the Empire mad, though. Pissing off Imperial forces will see your wanted level go up GTA-style, leading to more and more Imperials coming to chase you down.
A bit before that sequence, Kay gets into a fight, and as she escapes an on-screen indicator notes that her reputation with the Pyke Syndicate has gone down. "Kay's reputation with the syndicates will play a big role in how she approaches her journey, whether it's the Pykes, Hutts, or others," narrative director Navid Khavari explains. "We had a saying that in the underworld you live and die by your reputation. If a job she takes hurts a syndicate, those opportunities aren't available, so her choices play into how she experiences her journey."
Throughout the breakdown video, the devs emphasize several times how important managing your reputation across the various factions will be. Here's hoping that the final game, which is due to launch in 2024, will make good on the promise of this branching narrative.
The devs also noted that we're going to see a "different side to the Empire" in Outlaws.
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