Star Wars Outlaws is already making big waves thanks to the extended deep dive at Ubisoft Forward 2024. One of the coolest things about this game is how you can travel seamlessly from land to space.
This might not sound like a big deal to everyone, but it’s huge for immersion purists. Compared to Starfield, a game that many had high hopes for, Outlaws is lightyears ahead in this one aspect.
Star Wars Outlaws Has Seamless Land to Space Travel
Star Wars Outlaws lets you jump into your ship, take off from a planet, and fly straight into space without any real loading screens or interruptions. This smooth transition feels super real and keeps you totally immersed in the game. It’s like one minute you’re running around on a planet’s surface, and the next, you’re in the vastness of space, ready to explore the galaxy.
This is exactly how landing on planets in Starfield should’ve been, really wish Bethesda figured out how to do it like this rather than black screens…
Star Wars Outlaws looks great! pic.twitter.com/e8TKHx5b12
— Ameer (@SynthPotato) June 10, 2024
Even some minimal loading screens are covered by clouds, and they only take a few seconds, compared to more than a minute in Starfield for the entire process. You also have to deal with annoying black screens every time you transition from a planet to space.
Yes, I know, that’s the point it is a similar style to Starfield with set landing points from a menu/map, but it doesn’t take you out the experience with a black screen
— Ameer (@SynthPotato) June 10, 2024
It’s like a constant reminder that you’re playing a game and not actually exploring the universe. This breaks the immersion and can be a bit of a letdown, especially when you’re all geared up to explore new worlds and then hit with a loading screen.
Star Wars Outlaws has actually taken a different approach. It has managed to create a system where you can just fly straight up from a planet’s surface into the depths of space without any breaks.
Why Bethesda Should Take Notes of This
The seamless fast travel also opens up so many possibilities for gameplay. Imagine being chased by space pirates or other enemy ships, and you barely escape your planet’s atmosphere, only to dive into an asteroid field to lose them. This kind of dynamic, uninterrupted action just isn’t possible with Starfield’s current design.
I know, you see the menu at the start of this clip for a reason, it’s still mega immersive and doesn’t take you out the experience and that’s how Starfield should’ve done it, it has this menu or smth similar but it cuts to black
— Ameer (@SynthPotato) June 10, 2024
In Starfield, these moments would be broken up by loading screens, taking you out of the moment. Every time you see that black screen, it gets pretty frustrating, especially after dozens of hours in the game. It’s these little things that can add up and make a big difference in how you feel about the game.
Despite Bethesda’s track record of immersive games, it has fallen short in the seamless travel and immersion department for its latest game. It had a lot of hype around it, especially with its promise of exploring the vastness of space. However, the reality is a bit of a letdown when you’re constantly pulled out of the experience by loading screens, even inside of cities.
Bethesda could learn a lot from Outlaws. The technology and design philosophy behind seamless travel aren’t just about making things look cool. They’re about keeping players immersed in the game world. When you’re playing a game, you want to feel like you’re really there without being pulled away constantly.
What do you think of Star Wars Outlaws so far? Let us know in the comments.
