Detailed Planets Filled With Secrets
Far and away one thing Ubisoft has to get right, and is well within their ability to get right in the open-world Star Wars game they are planning is making sure the locations in the game (whether it takes place on one planet or all over the galaxy) are beautiful and fun to explore.
Ubisoft’s open-world games are generally very detailed and are filled with secrets and gorgeous things to gawk at, especially the recent Assassin’s Creed games.
While this Star Wars game is being developed by the minds behind The Division, they aren’t slouches either when it comes to developing very pretty and realistic-looking locales.
I was extremely impressed with how the dystopian version of my home city, New York City, looked in The Division 1, and The Division 2 carried that torch very well.
I’m hoping and frankly, expecting, the team behind Ubisoft’s Star Wars game to really dig into the lore and bring whatever setting they decide to go with to life in a way we haven’t seen before.
Quests With Well-Known Star Wars Characters
Another page that the developers might want to borrow from what has worked recently in Assassin’s Creed are the quests that feature high-profile figures from history. In this case, of course, it would be Star Wars history.
This is just one of those areas where games have a massive advantage over movies and even books.
Not only can games approach the depths that books can hit when it comes to fleshing out characters, it can also do it with some visual pizazz that the movies are known for, and (arguably) immerse players better than any other medium. This could also allow players to interact with popular characters in a way that hasn’t been seen before.
The icing on the cake, of course, would be to have as many of the actors from the movies, TV shows etc. as possible voice their characters in-game and dial that immersion up to 11.
Whether that’s possible or not, there’s still a big opportunity here for Ubisoft to really dive deep into the lore of some popular characters in a modern open-world setting.
Discovery Mode
There have been plenty of beautiful Star Wars games over the years, but this open-world game from Ubisoft will presumably add exploration into the mix as well.
If it’s a true open-world game, then you should be able to go anywhere your eyes, feet, and perhaps starship can take you. What better way to leverage that freedom than with Discovery Mode?
This is a feature that has been added in the recent Assassin’s Creed games and it effectively turns the game into a museum, allowing players to walk around and learn about the sights without worrying about combat, and even allows players to go on guided tours.
It would certainly please fans of the lore, especially if Ubisoft goes the extra mile to secure some behind the scenes commentary or shake out some new lore revelations out of Disney.
It also could serve as an accessible primer to those looking to wade into the Star Wars universe’s deeper lore for the first time.
“Grey Zone”
The Division as a series has had a very up and down history with peaks and valleys for sure. This extends to the unique Dark Zones feature seen in both games. While they haven’t always hit the mark, there have been few multiplayer experiences this generation as unique as it.
It would be a shame for the developers to completely abandon the idea because they are working on a new franchise.
The Dark Zone, for those unaware, has been an area within both Division games where lawlessness generally reigns. You can choose to cooperate with the players you run into, or you can choose to be an outlaw that griefs other players and perhaps bands up with other like-minded players to control an area.
Star Wars, especially as of the recent sequel trilogy, has been more open to the idea of “grey” and breaking the binary of Jedi vs. Sith and Good vs. Evil.
Perhaps this concept can be fully realized in a Grey Zone of sorts that lets players be the Jedi they want to be with all the perks and consequences of their choices.
Heavy Customization
Ultimately, though, whether the developers decide to add a “Grey Zone” or not, it would be nice to be able to build a character that feels unique to us, the players.
It’s totally unknown at the moment whether we’ll play as a named character that cannot be changed around, or if we’ll able to create a character that we can fully personalize, but in either event there will hopefully be lots of options to customize powers, skills, and abilities.
The Division 2, Assassin’s Creed and other similar Ubisoft games often have lots of options for players to customize their characters both cosmetically and from a gameplay perspective as well.
Branching skill trees or even classes that allow players to fine tune their play style are common place in Ubisoft games but also Star Wars games too. And of course cosmetics that make our Jedi look and feel bad ass would be appropriate as well.
Both of those are well within the wheelhouse of The Division’s developers. Just go easy on the paid cosmetics please Ubisoft.
What do you want to see in Ubisoft’s Star Wars game? Let us know in the comments below.
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