Star Wars Outlawswas billed as a major open-worldStar Warsexperience in which players could roam around some of the franchise’s most established planets, while also exploring some new locations designed exclusively for the game. Each planet has its own distinct biome, from the desert dunes of Tatooine to the luscious greenery of Akiva, or the frozen world of Kijimi.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Star Wars Outlaws.]
No two planets' maps feel the sameand providing plenty of reason to spend time looking around each of them, eavesdropping on conversations in bustling cantinas for intel, or simply looking out for various Easter eggs of moments or items that Massive Entertainment have recreated from otherStar Warsmedia, such as the binary sunset on Tatooine that can be watched from the Lars homestead, or “the cursed booth” in the Mos Eisley Cantina where Han shot Greedo, and there are still blaster marks present. However, despite all there is to see and do in the game, there’s one planet that is present that I wish we got to explore a bit further: Cantonica.
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Cantonica Is The Home Planet Of Kay Vess
And The First Location Players Are Introduced To In Star Wars Outlaws
Star Wars Outlawsopens on the planet of Cantonica, the home of Kay Vess, and players quickly learn the main gameplay features they need for most of Kay’s journey through a series of tutorials here as she prepares for a heist. Cantonica is home to the casino city of Canto Bight and is situated in the Corporate Sector of the Outer Rim territories, making it a regular tourist destination for the wealthy.
Cantonica first appeared inStar Wars: The Last Jedi.
However, while the casinos may look incredibly glamorous, there’s a whole, grimier, more run-down part of the city: the Worker’s District. This is where Kay was raised by her mother, an incredibly skilled slicer called Riko, who taught her all the skills she would need to survive and prepared her for the life of a scoundrel before abandoning her as a child, with the bartender Bram Shano looking after her since. Spending time in the Worker’s District was a great way to openStar Wars Outlaws, as it really introduced players to the idea that this would be an exploration of the far seedier side of the franchise asKay moved between dive bars and industrial-looking clubsand set the tone superbly.
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Cantonica Is Only Available In Story Sections In Star Wars Outlaws
The Time Spent On Kay’s Home Planet Is Extremely Limited
Cantonica is also home to Sliro, the game’s main antagonist and leader of the Zerek Besh, and after Kay attempts to steal from him, he puts out a Death Mark on the young scoundrel, forcing her to flee. In my review, one of my points of contention is thatthere were times in which the “open-world experience” didn’t feel all that open-world, as Kay would be restricted from moving from a specific planet until she got specific part to fix her starship, The Trailblazer, or until Jabba the Hutt lifted a lockdown, however, Cantonica takes this a step further, as, unlike the other planets inStar Wars Outlaws, Kay doesn’t seem to be able to freely visit the planet at all outside of story missions.
These missions take place in the game’s aforementioned opening, which introduces some of the open-world interactions Kay has with vendors or fellow gamblers, or skills she needs such aslockpicking to get into restricted areasina smaller quasi-open world as part of its tutorialbefore Kay goes for a more linear mission in which she attempts to steal from Sliro’s mansion, and then she returns to Sliro’s mansion again later to attempt to pull off the heist she has spent most of the game building up to and assembling a crew for. This latter mission is even more linear, as it begins in Bram’s bar, The Broken Hoof, where Kay can walk around and talk to each member of her crew before they are transported to Sliro’s mansion for the heist itself. The group doesn’t explore Canto Bight or any of Cantonica in between.
Cantonica is also shown through Kay’s flashbacks to her childhood, but these are just cutscenes rather than interactive sequences.
This is a shame, as from what’s seen of it during the two main sequences in the campaign,Cantonica seems like a great mixture of extravagance and poverty that really showcases the dichotomy of the planet, feeling like two completely different worlds running side by side. I would have liked to explore this further as part of the open-world, and considering the work Massive Entertainment already did in adapting these areas for the game,it’s surprising Kay can’t go back, even once the situation with Sliro is dealt with and the end credits of the game have rolled.
One criminal organization is also never seen again after the opening as a result: the Sixth Kin. The group first appeared in theDoctor Aphracomics, which, much likeStar Wars Outlaws, takes place between the events ofThe Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedi, and their presence can be felt during the opening moments. Unfortunately, once Kay gets off Cantonica, they aren’t present again for the duration of the game, as Kay deals with the Pyke Syndicate, Crimson Dawn, Hutt Cartel and Ashiga Clan instead.When she does return, it’s solely to rob Sliro’s mansion, meaning she is largely fighting Zerek Besh soldiers and stormtroopers.
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It Would Have Been Nice To Explore Cantonica As A Post-Campaign Reward
Kay’s Reason For Not Returning During The Main Story Makes Sense
It makes sense for Kay not to return to Cantonica throughoutStar Wars Outlaws' campaign, as the Death Mark placed on her by Sliro would make her a notable target if she were to go anywhere near his home again. However, after the heist, Jaylen, the person who initially recruited Kay for the job, does point out that he has given her a clean slate - mainly as an argument as to why she shouldn’t have returned to disrupt his future plans for the Zerek Besh and the Empire - so she most likely could have returned without raising too many alarms after themain campaign has endedand Sliro is out of the picture.
There is, of course, the possibility that Jaylen may have been lying about this, as the game’s mid-credits scene shows he set up Riko with some marked credits, resulting in her getting caught by the Empire.
This would have been a nice endgame reward, as it’s only after the end credits that the full open-world experience truly opens up anyway, with Kay being able to jump between planets and roam around on each of them with complete freedom and no limitations depending on vehicle upgrades etc. Kay also would have far more expertise and confidence in dealing with more intimidating syndicates since her time on Canto Bight, soit would have been fun seeing how she would handle the Sixth Kin, and the other criminals that run rampant in her hometown upon her return.
Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy exploring the planets available inStar Wars Outlaws, and think Massive Entertainment has done a great job at bringing them to life. However, considering the work already done in establishing Cantonica in the game, and how much of a part it plays in Kay’s backstory, it’s just a shame it’s not more explorable, and feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. For those who do want to revisit it, asthe game hasn’t got New Game Plusto at least create the feeling of a more experienced Kay Vess returning to her home, currently, the only way to return to the planet is by starting a completely new playthrough from scratch.
