The bustling cantinas and shady back alleys of Star Wars Outlaws‘ gorgeously detailed (but never overwhelming) cities, towns, and small villages feel refreshing. Is it because they’re deeply interactive? Nope, not at all. In fact, they’re rather static sets when it comes to possible interactions. The secret sauce is that they truly feel lived-in and straight out of a galaxy far, far away.

Massive Entertainment’s latest open-world game isn’t that advanced once you get past the graphical presentation. Its overarching world design is actually a restrained version of what Ubisoft has been applying to Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs, and even Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora for more than a decade now. It’s, however, a painstakingly detailed window into the Star Wars universe, and it all comes together because its makers really understood Star Wars thrives the more cool background characters and creatures which are crammed into a single scene.

Plenty of other Star Wars games (most, in fact) have nailed the surface-level vibes, the sights, and the sounds of the vast galaxy that came from George Lucas’ mind decades ago and has only grown in size, age, and scope as new artists have entered its sandbox. However, not everyone appears to understand the small little things that pile up and make Star Wars… Star Wars and not just another sci-fi/fantasy tale pretending to be Star Wars.

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