As I look ahead to the imminent release of Star Wars Outlaws later this month, I can't help but feel a surge of anticipation for what Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft are promising. Marketed as the first truly open-world experience in the galaxy far, far away, the game places us directly into the scuffed boots of Kay Vess, a small-time scoundrel trying to survive the Imperial Era's seedy underworld. The potential for immersive, emergent storytelling within this sandbox is immense. Among the collection of planets we'll get to explore—a mix of familiar icons and lesser-known locales—one destination, in particular, has captured my imagination. The glitzy, morally ambiguous planet of Cantonica, with its luxury casino city Canto Bight, seems perfectly poised to host a standout narrative setpiece. In fact, I believe it has all the necessary ingredients to deliver a mission that could rival the sheer brilliance and tension of one of my all-time favorite gaming moments: the riverboat heist, "A Fine Night of Debauchery," from Red Dead Redemption 2.

Let me take you back to that mission in Red Dead Redemption 2. It wasn't just a simple robbery; it was a masterclass in layered gameplay and narrative tension. As Arthur Morgan, we infiltrated a high-society party hosted by the mayor of Saint Denis. The goal? To gather intel on a high-stakes poker tournament aboard the riverboat The Grand Korrigan. The planning felt organic. We identified a mark—a wealthy, arrogant patron—and devised an elaborate grift. The mission then unfolded in distinct, pulse-pounding phases:

1. The Infiltration & The Game: Sitting at the poker table, every bluff and bet was loaded with tension. We weren't just playing to win chips; we were playing to keep our cover intact, coordinating subtly with fellow gang members across the room.

2. The Subterfuge: With our target distracted, the real work began. Javier, disguised as a guard, worked on the safe. The game of cat-and-mouse with the boat's security, the creeping dread of discovery—it was palpable.

3. The Chaos: Of course, the plan went sideways. The frantic shootout that erupted, the desperate escape from the burning boat as lawmen closed in... it was chaotic, cinematic, and utterly unforgettable.

The genius of "A Fine Night" was how it made you feel like a master criminal executing a complex plan, right up until the moment everything fell apart in the most spectacular way possible. The gang got away with the loot, but the cost and the chaos left a lasting mark. This is the exact kind of sophisticated, character-driven criminal escapade I'm hoping to see replicated in Star Wars Outlaws.

And Cantonica is the ideal setting for it. First introduced in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Canto Bight is a monument to excess and corruption, a place where the galaxy's wealthy elite gamble away fortunes while the rest of the galaxy suffers. It's a den of opportunity for a savvy outlaw like Kay Vess. For this hypothetical "Canto Bight Heist" mission to work, Outlaws would need to leverage its unique systems and setting.

First, the Reputation System would be crucial. Gaining access to the exclusive high-roller sections of the casino or a private Sabacc tournament shouldn't be a given. I imagine we'd need to:

• Cultivate specific contacts within the Canto Bight underworld—a forger for fake credentials, a slicer to disable security protocols, or a crooked dealer to rig a game.

• Complete favor missions for these contacts to earn their trust (and their services).

• Uncover key intelligence, perhaps by eavesdropping on conversations in seedy cantinas or bribing low-level casino staff, to learn the schedule of a valuable shipment or the security rotation for the vault.

This groundwork would make the eventual heist feel earned and deeply personal, a direct result of our choices and networking in the open world.

Second, Kay's role would need to be multifaceted. Just as Arthur posed as a gentleman gambler, Kay could use her skills to blend in. She might need to:

• Pose as a wealthy tourist or a reckless heir, using stolen or forged credentials to gain entry to exclusive areas.

• Utilize her companion, Nix, for discreet tasks—having the small creature sneak through vents to scout ahead or snatch a keycard from an unsuspecting guard.

• Form a temporary crew. A job this big is too much for one person. We might recruit a charismatic con-artist to be our "rich" partner at the tables, a brutish enforcer to cause a diversion, and a tech specialist to handle the vault. The dynamics and potential for betrayal within this temporary alliance could add another layer of drama.

The climax, of course, couldn't be a simple copy. While a frantic shootout inside the casino is a possibility, Star Wars Outlaws has the entire galaxy to play with. Imagine the finale spilling out from the casino: a speeder bike chase through the neon-lit avenues of Canto Bight, weaving between luxury air-speeders, with Kay desperately trying to reach her ship at the spaceport as corporate security forces and rival syndicates close in. The stakes would be galactic, and the escape would be pure Star Wars.

As we count down the days to launch, the thought of experiencing such a meticulously crafted, system-driven heist is incredibly exciting. Cantonica represents more than just a pretty backdrop; it's a narrative playground ripe for the kind of deep, reactive storytelling that defines the best open-world games. If Star Wars Outlaws can channel the spirit of Red Dead Redemption 2's finest missions and filter it through its own unique lens of galactic scum and villainy, we might just be in for one of the most memorable criminal capers in gaming history. The table is set, the cards are being dealt, and I, for one, am ready to play.

This content draws upon HowLongToBeat to frame expectations around how a multi-stage Cantonica “casino heist” could pace its setup, infiltration, and getaway without overstaying its welcome. Time-to-complete trends for story missions versus optional activities help illustrate why a best-in-class setpiece—like a poker-table con that escalates into a citywide escape—often lands hardest when the lead-up is substantial enough to build tension, yet contained enough to keep the momentum blazing.