Ubisoft Massive is working on an open-world Star Wars game, taking the exclusive rights to the franchise’s video game titles out of the hands of EA for the first time in over seven years. Beyond its open world format, very few details have been released about the upcoming game.
The Witcher 3 was generally considered one of the best open-world games of the last decade, seamlessly blending a tightly constructed and character-driven narrative with an open world full of side quests and strange characters to encounter. Here are four features Ubisoft Massive’s open-world Star Wars game should take from The Witcher 3, and why.
The Witcher 3's Immersive Side Quests
The way the The Witcher 3 handles its side quests is one of the game’s most impressive and often overlooked achievements. In many open-world games, the high stakes of the main plot can make completing side quests feel immersion breaking. For example, once the true threat of Alduin has been revealed in Skyrim’s main quest, it seems strange that the Dragonborn would go off-piste to work their way up through the ranks of Riften’s Thieves Guild.
The Witcher 3’s story establishes a clear part of its premise that allows both the main quest and the side quests to feel immersive without contradicting one another. It’s clear from the game’s opening in White Orchard that while Geralt’s overarching goal is to find Yenn and Ciri, he has no way to do so if he doesn’t complete Witcher contracts along the road to pay his way. As a Witcher, Geralt is also often one of the only people able to help in many situations, adding an extra moral imperative.
Ubisoft Massive’s Star Wars game should find ways to make sure that its side quests feel just as necessary from its protagonist's perspective as its main quest, rather than purely supplementary. However, Side quests aren’t the only thing which should have strong ties to the main plot of the upcoming game.
The Witcher's Story-Integrated Romance
Another aspect of The Witcher 3 that distinguishes it from many RPGs is that the game’s romances are integrated into the main story. The two main romances are Yenn and Triss, who both appear in the main story and present romance opportunities in their quests.
Even in RPG series known for their romances like Mass Effect, romances are rarely as integrated into the main story. It's a stark contrast to The Witcher 3, where the two main romantic plotlines are inseparable from the primary narrative. In contrast, the romances in the original Mass Effect trilogy take place almost entirely on the ship as completely distinct side-missions, and romancing a character has far less of an effect on the main plot than a player might expect.
If there are romance options in Ubisoft’s Star Wars game, they should remain optional but like The Witcher 3’s romances their story beats should be part of the main story. Romantic decisions should also have implications for the events of the main story, rather than feeling separate and self-contained like they can in other RPGs.
Borrowing Diverse, But Consistent World Design
The world of The Witcher 3 shows how diverse a landscape can be while still feeling like the same corner of the world. The Witcher 3’s map doesn’t range from extremes like tundras to deserts, but instead explores a variety of biomes which fit into its Slavic-inspired setting. Across The Witcher 3’s world players can explore cities like Oxenfurt and Novigrad, swamps like Velen’s Crookback bog, battle sites, and the moors and mountains of Skellige. The game shows just how much variety there can be in a game world which takes place in roughly one climate.
This could be particularly useful for Ubisoft Massive’s Star Wars game. Star Wars planets tend to have a single kind of environment. There are desert planets like Tatooine, ice planets like Hoth and so on. It’s rare to see a Star Wars planet with more than one biome, and their simplicity helps avoid the franchise’s galaxy becoming overwhelmingly complex.
It’s not known how many planets the new open world game will take place across, but the way The Witcher 3 diversifies its world could be applied to each individual planet that makes an appearance. If the player is on a desert planet, it could have everything from multiple oases, cooler underground cities, quicksand pools, canyons, and so on while still staying true to Star Wars’ one planet one environment aesthetic.
The Axii Sign, The Witcher's Jedi Mind Trick
The Witcher 3’s Axii sign works almost exactly like a Jedi mind trick, with Geralt waving his hand while saying what he wants the target to believe in classic “these aren’t the droids you’re looking for” fashion. It’s almost certain that the new game will have some reference to Jedi mind tricks if the player character is Force sensitive, and Axii gives a great example of some of the different ways it could work in-game.
Axii can be used in dialogue to persuade certain enemies and can be upgraded with sign skills like Delusion. How effective the Axii sign is in dialogue also depends on how much it’s been upgraded. If Jedi mind tricks were implemented similarly in Ubisoft Massive’s Star Wars game players would have them as an option, but they wouldn’t always work and would require player investment to be more reliable.
Jedi mind tricks could also work like Axii does in combat. While taking on enemies Geralt can use Axii for crowd control, confusing enemies and causing them to stop approaching him so that he isn’t overwhelmed. Axii could provide a great basis for implementing Jedi mind tricks as a mechanic in both combat and dialogue, while avoiding having it become an easy get-out-of-jail-free card as player’s explore Ubisoft Massive’s open world in a galaxy far, far away.
Ubisoft Massive's open-world Star Wars game is currently in development.