GamesOpen WorldStar Wars OutlawsThe Trailblazer ship in Star Wars Outlaws drew inspiration from an unlikely place: turtlesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesOpen WorldStar Wars OutlawsThe Trailblazer ship in Star Wars Outlaws drew inspiration from an unlikely place: turtlesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
“I was talking to Benedikt [Podlesnigg], the world and art director, about what the main inspiration was for the Trailblazer, and it was actually a turtle,” De Vos says. “Somebody was asking me about pets, and then I remembered the only pets I ever had were two turtles. So it’s really a full circle moment for me. But you can see a turtle shell; the bottom and the top part of the Trailblazer is really reminiscent of that.”
Star Wars Outlaws: The Big PreviewThis month, we’re diving into our most anticipatedupcoming Star Wars games. To find our coverage, visit theStar Wars Outlaws Big Preview hub.
Star Wars Outlaws: The Big PreviewThis month, we’re diving into our most anticipatedupcoming Star Wars games. To find our coverage, visit theStar Wars Outlaws Big Preview hub.
Star Wars Outlaws: The Big PreviewThis month, we’re diving into our most anticipatedupcoming Star Wars games. To find our coverage, visit theStar Wars Outlaws Big Preview hub.
Star Wars Outlaws: The Big PreviewThis month, we’re diving into our most anticipatedupcoming Star Wars games. To find our coverage, visit theStar Wars Outlaws Big Preview hub.
Star Wars Outlaws: The Big PreviewThis month, we’re diving into our most anticipatedupcoming Star Wars games. To find our coverage, visit theStar Wars Outlaws Big Preview hub.
Star Wars Outlaws: The Big PreviewThis month, we’re diving into our most anticipatedupcoming Star Wars games. To find our coverage, visit theStar Wars Outlaws Big Preview hub.
Home away from home
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
The turtle-like look becomes more apparent once you know the reptile’s shell influenced the design. But it also wouldn’t look out of place in the original movie trilogy, which speaks to the team’s efforts to capture the era: “It was important to create something that feels very grounded,” explains De Vos. “So if you would look at the Trailblazer and look at some ships from the original trilogy, we wanted to take inspiration from the same era. For the Trailblazer, specifically the ’70s, monorails were also a big inspiration, and the front takes inspiration from a Ford Mustang - that’s, of course, a timeless design as well.”
Growing in the galaxy(Image credit: Ubisoft)How Star Wars Outlaws skips RPG conventions like levels and XP to “reward player curiosity” and turn every skill we learn into “a little adventure in itself”
Growing in the galaxy
(Image credit: Ubisoft)How Star Wars Outlaws skips RPG conventions like levels and XP to “reward player curiosity” and turn every skill we learn into “a little adventure in itself”
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
How Star Wars Outlaws skips RPG conventions like levels and XP to “reward player curiosity” and turn every skill we learn into “a little adventure in itself”
In Star Wars Outlaws, one of the first locations we’ll get to explore is Kay’s home, which is in an attic above a cantina. For all intents and purposes, though, the curved ship will, as De Vos explains, be “a little bit like Kay’s home when she’s away”. Offering the means to navigate the Outer Rim outside of planet surfaces, the Trailblazer is one of the main tools at our disposal when it comes to exploration, alongside the speeder. Not unlikeStarfield ship customization- although not quite as extensive in terms of placing various parts and assembling the vehicle - you’ll be able to upgrade and customize the look of the spacecraft. Not only will the customization allow you to give the ship a personal touch with some cosmetic options, but you’ll be able to enhance certain features to suit your playstyle.
“During the course of the game, there are ship vendors,” Thylander says, “there are key parts that she can find that allows her to change things like cannons, missiles, the hull, the shields, the engine, and customize the different liveries, and even exhaust fuel to change the color of the exhausts. Really, this is about customizing how you like to play in space, but also a separate kind of power journey as you get into more and more dangerous scrapes, possibly when pissing off some of the syndicates.”
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
“We wanted to give the player a lot of freedom to change their look as they go throughout the galaxy"Samuel De Vos, lead concept artist
“We wanted to give the player a lot of freedom to change their look as they go throughout the galaxy”
“For the Trailblazer and the speeder, we wanted to give the player a lot of freedom to change their look as they go throughout the galaxy”, says De Vos. “There are additional things that will change your gameplay experience slightly, but the actual visuals of the Trailblazer the color doesn’t impact that, but some of the gameplay upgrades are visible once you upgrade them.”
The “power journey” Thylander mentions refers to the upgrades that may help you out in dogfights among the stars. During my hands-on time, I got the chance to try out a short stint in space in the ship, with Imperial TIE fighters in hot pursuit thanks to my wanted level. I’m curious to see how dicey and dangerous space could potentially become should you anger both The Empire and the syndicates - I imagine upgrades would certainly come in handy then. Ultimately, the customization options are baked into the experience to suit your own style - cosmetically and otherwise.
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“When it comes to customization, it’s very important for us and for the team to respect the shapes that are established with that initial design,” De Vos says. “But at the same time, give the player a lot of agency in defining, ‘how do I want to look when I’m in a dogfight?’, or, ‘what do I want to look at when I turn around the corner and I see the Trailblazer after not having seen it for a few minutes or during a quest?’. So it’s a lot of fun to see how big of a spectrum we can do in variety for the Trailblazer, but also for the speeder. It’s such an honor to be involved with that type of stuff and the team did an amazing job.”
The making of Star Wars Outlaws' galaxy: “We instantly realized that the true Star Wars open-world experience needs to go beyond planet surfaces”.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
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1
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”