From the Millennium Falcon to the TIE Fighter, Star Wars has some of the most iconic spaceships of any franchise. The spaceships that exist in the Star Wars They are remembered for many reasons and fans are always excited to discover new ships that they can learn to love. Star Wars Outlaws introduces fans to the Trailblazer, an EML-850 light freighter and the primary means of transportation for protagonist Kay Vess.
While the Trailblazer is the vehicle with which players will venture across planets in Star Wars Outlawsthe ship itself leaves much to be desired for ship enthusiasts in Star Wars. Although Massive Entertainment has dedicated an entire portion of the game to the Trailblazer, it feels underdeveloped compared to the rest of the game. While the Trailblazer and its gameplay are not bad at all, there are a few areas where improvements would provide an excellent Star Wars spaceship experience.
The Trailblazer needs a unique feature
Star Wars ships all have their strengths and quirks.
- Star Wars They are among the most creative-looking spaceships ever.
- Compared to other starships, the Trailblazer is boring.
- The gameplay never quite lives up to the exceptional features that the Trailblazer could have.
What distinguishes one ship from the others in Star Wars It has a characteristic that other ships cannot replicate. It can range from a physical characteristic to a function in which it excels. The Millennium Falcon is famously the fastest ship in the galaxy, and it also has an incredibly unique visual design.
While it might be unfair to compare the Trailblazer to what is arguably the most iconic starship ever, there are plenty of other examples. Ahsoka’s T-6 shuttle has a rotating exterior that allows it to maneuver smoothly and gives it an edge in dogfights with other ships. The Mandalorian’s custom Naboo N-1 starfighter has a propulsion system that allows for a short burst of acceleration to outrun other ships for a short distance.
The Trailblazer doesn't have any features that really set it apart. from other ships. During the game's story, the Trailblazer's previous owner, Sliro, states that the ship is made with a durasteel hull, making it much more durable than the average ship. While this could be considered a distinguishing feature, the game never shows players the ship's durability.
Star Wars Outlaws Pioneer:
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Model |
EML-850 |
|---|---|
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Type |
Light merchant vessel |
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Owners |
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Massive should have included a scene or gameplay section where the Trailblazer can prove to players that he has the extra stamina by accomplishing a feat only he could. This could be something like navigating through a treacherous space like an asteroid field, where other ships would surely be destroyed. As it stands, players can only take Sliro at his word, as there is no way to see the true extent of the Trailblazer's stamina.
Visual design is equally important to creating an iconic Star Wars ship. Rebel ships like the X-Wing, Y-Wing, and U-Wing all get their names from their memorable shapes that resemble their respective letters. The Firespray that both Jango and Boba Fett pilot lies flat when parked, but spins vertically to traverse the galaxy. In comparison, the Trailblazer has a very boxy shape with no distinct visual features.
The Trailblazer seems to play it safe when it comes to visual designnot committing to the sleek spaceship designs of the prequel trilogy, but not embracing the asymmetrical imagery of the original and sequel eras either. Star WarsBy adding some kind of distinctive visual feature, the Trailblazer could easily join the pantheon of icons. Star Wars spaceships.
Kay needs a more meaningful relationship with her ship
Kay is the current pilot, but never takes full ownership of the Trailblazer
- Ships in Star Wars they can often seem like real characters.
- The Trailblazer has a stronger bond with the antagonist than with the player.
Starships are easily associated with their owners and pilots. Han Solo and Chewbacca have the Millennium Falcon, the Mandalorian has the Razor Crest, Darth Vader has his TIE Advanced, and all of these pilots feel inseparable from their starships. In contrast, there is never a moment when it seems like Kay and the Trailblazer are one and the same.
Kay's relationship to the Trailblazer appears to be that of the ship she pilots, and as a player character, she also reflects the player's relationship to the ship. Players never have a real chance to bind and take complete ownership. in making it feel like it's their ship.
The Trailblazer has more than one connection to Slirobeing a ship designed and built by her family. Kay steals it from him but does not have a moment where she becomes the true owner of the Trailblazer. What could be an ironic and poetic moment to have the Trailblazer play a key role in the downfall of Sliro, the ship does not seem to make a difference.
Aside from a few hints, Sliro doesn't even seem to have any real attachment to the ship, where there could be a bit more resentment between Sliro and Kay over the theft of his family's ship. Adding a moment where Kay adds a unique modification to the ship or accomplishes an impossible feat could make Kay and the player feel like they've become the true owners of the Trailblazer.
The Trailblazer needed a more iconic sound design
Spaceships have some of the best sounds in Star Wars
- The Trailblazer doesn't have a distinctive sound that makes it memorable.
- Sound design can be used to complement character traits.
Star Wars has some of the most recognizable sounds in all of media, and spaceships are some of the most memorable. Even a passing fan of Star Wars would be able to recognize the iconic screech of the TIE Fighter. Even outside of the sounds of the ships themselves, many ships have features that fans have praised for their incredible sound design.
It would be difficult to find a Star Wars fan who doesn't love the sound of the seismic charge exploding after being launched from Boba Fett's FiresprayEven the sounds of different ships can reveal a ship's identity, with the TIE class of ships having a menacing laser beam, while the X-Wing has a much friendlier noise in its lasers.
The sounds made by the Trailblazer, on the other hand, are completely unremarkable: opting for more generic sounds, the Trailblazer does not have a distinctive engine sound like so many other starships in the Star Wars universe. Many ships in Star Wars can be classified according to the sounds they produce. It is easy to identify a starship belonging to the Empire, for example, since all the sounds they make are very similar.
The same can be said for ships belonging to different factions. The Trailblazer could live up to its name and use completely unique sounds, giving the impression of being unique and not belonging to any particular group, much like Kay herself. Instead, the ship uses sounds already present in Star Warsmaking him appear less like a pioneer and more like a conformist.
The following section contains mild spoilers for Star Wars Outlaws.
Ship gameplay can be boring
Players will likely avoid the Trailblazer, as it can be ignored
- Players will likely opt to fast travel instead of using the Trailblazer.
- Side missions in space can be ignored without any particular disadvantages.
- More space battles would benefit the game.
There are not many points in Star Wars Outlaws where playing as the Trailblazer is mandatory. As such, players will likely find themselves ignoring the ship's gameplay for the majority of their playthrough. There are only a handful of times where the Trailblazer must be piloted; when leaving Toshara for the first time, when landing on a planet for the first time, and in a space battle at the end of the game. Outside of these sections, The Trailblazer can be largely ignoredWhile the ship can be customized to some extent, it pales in comparison to Kay's customization, and there's no reason to do so in the first place.
One of the main reasons why players don't interact much with the Trailblazer is due to the fast travel system. Once a player lands on a planet for the first time, They are free to travel quickly between planets without having to pilot the Trailblazer.. This is likely implemented this way because of the way some of the side quests are structured. Very often, players will have to travel between multiple planets to complete a quest.
Without this type of fast travel, players would be forced to spend a lot of time in transit. It would be very annoying to land on a planet and talk to an NPC, only to be immediately told to travel to another planet. While this saves the headache of spending a lot of time in transit, it does hinder the experience of piloting the Trailblazer.
While players can choose to use the Trailblazer for travel if they wish, there is no real reason to do so. There's not much to do for the Trailblazer during the journey, except for the possibility of running into a random space battle for rewards. There are missions for space, but these missions are usually not complicated, whether they are small space battles, loot collection or supply deliveries. The rewards for these missions are usually materials to upgrade the Trailblazer, which a player is probably already ignoring.
This type of gameplay loop creates a vicious circle where ignoring the Trailblazer leaves it unpowered and completing missions to power it up becomes tedious. The main story does not include any Trailblazer-focused missions, so most of a player's time will be spent on the planets themselves, rather than in orbit.
However, this is completely ignored in the final mission of the game, which features a mandatory space battle. Since players will likely ignore the Trailblazer for most of the game, this space battle can prove difficult with an unpowered ship. The impact of the battle is lessened by the fact that using a ship with very few upgrades makes the experience much more difficult.
It's a shame because this final space battle is one of the game's finest moments, and the game would be much better if there were more segments like this. Adding more mandatory space battles to the game would incentivize players to upgrade the Trailblazer and want to interact with the space content. This would make the final space battle feel like the culmination of the adventure.rather than leaving players wondering where moments like this went throughout the entire game, only to have the credits roll a few minutes later.