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Rebel Galaxy Outlaw plots a course for launch next month

Kessel run? Never heard of it.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is just a few weeks away and I am practically buzzing with anticipation. Why? Because it's a spiritual successor to Wing Commander Privateer. Confirmed for an August 13th release today, it has big dumb greasy explosions, over-the-top dogfights and absolutely no care for realism, all wrapped around a space-trucker aesthetic that I can get behind. Grungy music aside, a pretty major departure from Double Damage's previous, two dimensional (and capital ship-scale) predecessor Rebel Galaxy. Below, a new trailer featuring a very sassy alien.

If you're not grey-around-the-edges like me and don't remember Wing Commander Privateer, imagine a Millennium Falcon simulator. Small-but-agile bounty hunting ships and space freighters to fly in a galaxy full of much bigger (but slower) fish and profits to exploit. Unlike the previous game, you won't be flying anything big or bristling with turrets, but that's because the focus of it is more personal. Some of the little details like your protagonist's hands fiddling around with the controls as you click through menus are great, as is raising a middle finger to exploding foes.

Watch on YouTube

And Privateer IS the key inspiration - confirmed directly, but if you're still not convinced, Outlaw secretly made its debut in this clever little April Fools video.

Watch on YouTube

I also quite like the main character, basically a lady Han Solo - grizzled, in her forties and fuelled by cheap coffee and nerves. Very relatable. I could ramble for ages about why this game looks so good, but I think it speaks for itself. Here's three hours of lead developer Travis Baldree (previously of Fate and Torchlight) just tooling around space, getting into fights and playing minigames in space bars. It also helps that he has a voice made for radio. Anything that he or that stream doesn't answer should be cleared up by the official FAQ or the rest of the Rebel Galaxy Outlaw site.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw launches on the Epic Games Store this August 13th for £27/€30/$30, with a Steam release (and possibly other stores) the same time next year.

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