There’s still more fun to be had in Star Wars Outlaws, as the second DLC pack, A Pirate’s Fortune, launches on May 15! We got our first look with the trailer above, featuring Hondo Ohnaka (Jim Cummings) rather extensively, as well as a lot of ship combat in new environments! Also, the first trailer for Beyond Victory: A Mixed Reality Playset popped up, giving us a sense of how podracing will look, and new information on its various modes was revealed. Head below for the rest!
I adored the main Star Wars Outlaws experience and enjoyed the first story pack, Wild Card, as it brought new gameplay elements and had a neat new space to explore, but it did feel a tad short. Originally I was going to review it, but I’ve just not had the time, but maybe after A Pirate’s Fortune is out, I can put together one about both story packs. Here’s the rundown of what the new pack will all entail:
“In the new story pack, Kay Vess and Nix team up with the legendary Hondo Ohnaka on a journey that picks up after the completion of the main storyline in the base game. They’ll face off against Stinger Tash and her Rokana Raiders, infiltrating the Khepi Tomb to uncover the secrets and hidden treasures it holds. Along the way, they’ll discover the Miyuki Trade League, who offer new rewards for the Trailblazer in exchange for completing contracts to smuggle dangerous goods across the galaxy.”
I’m all in for more rewards for the Trailblazer, as I tricked it out rather early in the game and space combat got a little too easy, so hopefully the new enemies are not only tougher in this story, but more upgrades are needed to be the best. Alongside the release of the story pack, there’s cosmetic packs for special edition buyers, while all players will get Skeleton Crew themed gifts: “an outfit for Nix, a Trophy for the speeder and a Trinket for both the speeder and the Trailblazer!”
And if you’ve been waiting to check out Outlaws, there’s a three-hour long demo out for free now!
Before we launch into Beyond Victory, I have to say, it’s disappointing it’s currently only in development for Meta Quest, a company many people are boycotting or don’t want to deal with given its leader’s ties with Donald Trump and his fascist administration, and Volo Bolus, the main character, seems to be non-binary and this representation is being gatekept from fans, including a tie-in comic, seemingly only available at Celebration. I can only hope the comic will be made available to all digitally after the show, to help mitigate things somewhat.
Here’s the pitch for Beyond Victory:
“Meet up-and-comer Volo Bolus as they join forces with the legendary podracer pilot Sebulba in this heart-pumping and engine-thrumping mixed reality experience. Set around the time of Solo: A Star Wars Story, Beyond Victory will feature an electrifying story and a variety of unique modes for players to enjoy.”
I’d be curious how they’d do podracing in VR and what the mixed reality playset nature of the game would all mean, and the trailer above gives us a better idea. Essentially, podracing will play out in Augmented Reality, where you can see your surroundings and are watching and playing the action from above, while parts of the story will play out like previous VR games, Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge and Vader Immortal. Honestly, the way podracing is being done is likely the best way to avoid motion sickness for players, as I bet I’d be queasy fast if players were put inside the pod itself. It’s cool to see Sebulba back and more podracing in Star Wars, but this really makes me wish for a rerelease of Racer Revenge or a modern-day follow-up on regular consoles/PCs!
Here’s more details on how the mixed reality of it all works:
“The VR experience will offer three distinct modes for fans to enjoy:
– Adventure: Using a combination of virtual and mixed reality, the story follows Volo – an aspiring podracer whose life gets flipped upside down under the mentorship of the infamous Sebulba.
– Arcade: Experience the thrill of podracing in mixed reality on a virtual holotable that brings players right into the heart of the action like never before.
– Playset: Transform the physical world around you and create your very own incredible Star Wars moments in mixed reality with a collection of unlockable virtual action figures and vehicles.”
And as mentioned earlier, there’s a comic, written by Ethan Sacks with interiors by Will Sliney, Steven Cummings, and Shogo Aoki, that serves as a prequel to game’s story and characters, but it’s only available currently as a giveaway at the convention. Like I said before, hopefully this goes digital for all soon!
There’s more gaming news to come from Japan, like Zero Company’s full reveal, but we’ll have the coverage once it happens!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky.