Star Wars Outlaws was a divisive game when it released at the end of August. For everything it did well, like its atmospheric open-world and story, shortcomings like the forced stealth sections and underbaked combat mechanics undercut its potential. Developer Massive Entertainment has been hard at work recitfying these shortcomings with a healthy amount of tweaks and gameplay additions rolling out for the remainder of the year.
But amid big improvements added to the game last week, the release of Outlaws’ first expansion, titled Wild Card seemed to fly under the radar. I booted up the new content expecting a relatively short collection of missions starring one of the series most charasmatic characters. What I got instead was one of the best gameplay sections and story arcs in the entire game. If Wild Card is any indication for what to expect from the future expansions, Massive Entertainment certainly has won my attention.
Wild Card is a story expansion that sees protagonist Kay Vess cross paths with the one and only Lando Calrissian. The story has Vess hired by an Imperial Governor to iniltrate an illegal tournament on an elusive ship called the Morenia. The goal is to win the tournament’s top prize, a resource filled moon, for the power hungry Imperial. To ensure Kay’s cooperation, Governor blackmails her with a forgery that paints the scoundrel an Imperial double agent. It’s a simple and believable enough premise that sets the stakes.
In order to play Wild Card, players must have completed “The Gunsmith” and “The High Roller” quests. Both happen early on in Outlaws’ 30-plus-hour runtime. Those starting a fresh save or jumping in for the first time, however, should know there will be some hurdles to jump before meeting Calrissian.
Once things get rolling, though, it’s a pretty thrilling ride. For one, this is a pretty substantial update. In an age where the term “expansion” is used pretty loosely, I expected an hour, maybe 90 minutes worth of gameplay here. Instead, Wild Card took me 4 hours to beat. The characters are strong, particularly the main villian. Ubisoft Paris (Mario + Rabbids, Ghost Recon Wildlands) which led the development on this DLC, clearly took some cues from Andor and Mandalorian season 3 to add a bit of depth to the typical Imperial bad guy. This approach mostly works.
It’s also well paced. The main mission starts with players obtaining what information they can from the criminal underbelly hanging out in the local cantina. What little intel she finds leads Kay on a thrilling space chase to obtain the exact location of the secret tournament.
The next section of Wild Card offers one of the coolest missions in the game to date. Vess must use her cunning to finesse her way into the tournament. Doing so is a multi-step process with multiple possible solutions. It’s a section that reminded me the Black Ops 6’s mission “Most Wanted,” an entirely non-violent standout in Call of Duty’s single-player offering this year.
There are more awesome moments throughout, like daring escapes and infiltration missions, but I want to avoid extensive spoilers. Just know that they all accentuate the game’s strengths and feel authentically Star Wars. The quieter moments manage to maintain tension and make the player feel as cool as a Han Solo or Dash Rendar. The more action heavy scenes offer breathtaking set pieces that feel ripped straight from The Force Awakens.
What makes these sections so much more fun is how well they pair with the game’s slate of new changes. While I prefer Outlaws’ stealth gameplay, at no point are players forced into it to progress. Going in guns-blazing is always an option and makes failing to stay hidden less of a slog. The ability to use enemy weapons in more places, the rebalanced gunplay, and improved AI also help the game feel a bit less mindless than it did at launch.
In addition to the main quest, there’s a new expert quest that has Vess unknowingly helping Lando and Rebel forces in a series of missions. It’s a neat addition knowing Lando’s hunger for redemption following the events of The Empire Strikes Back. Across both of its quest strings, Wild Card adds new outfits, ship decals, new combat, spaceship maneuvers, and Sabacc abilities to learn. Getting everything new included in the DLC will take additional play time after completing its main story missions.
If there’s one criticism that I have about Wild Card, it’s about Lando’s voice actor. The chemistry between Lando and Vess is surprisingly fun thanks to some well written banter. But the actual voice of the scoundrel sounds nothing like the Billy D. Williams’ iconic portrayal. This is Lando without his signature flirtatious timbre and playfulness. For long-time fans, its pretty jarring to see a “rizz-less” Calrissian, espeically when hanging out with someone as conventionally attractive as Kay Vess. (Well, hey, at least he looks the part.)
Wild Card expansion is a surprisingly fantastic addition to Star Wars Outlaws’, one that comes just as the game is getting meaningful improvements. It’s an easy recommendation for those who enjoyed the base game and a great bonus for those who’ve been waiting for a price drop or some days off to play. Wild Card is also a good sign for what’s to come in the next scheduled expansion A Pirate’s Fortune. Don’t sleep on Wild Card. It’s a much better addition to the game than most might expect.
