I didn't expect to like this game nearly as much as I have been. I thought it was mostly just going to be a somewhat-repetitive space game (with the typical Ubisoft gameplay) which I was mostly buying for a really cool-looking physical Arwing.
And I'm very glad to be wrong about that. The game's fantastic.
First, some info on the Switch Starter Edition specifically: While you only get physical versions of the Arwing (+wings), 2 weapons, Fox and Mason... you actually also get digital versions of the Zenith (+wings) and the Shredder Mk. 1 weapon too. (These are the physical toys you get in the PS4/XB1 Starter Editions). This technically means that you get 2 ships, 4 wings, 2 pilots and 3 weapons if you choose to play without the toys. (Scanning a toy lets you use that part "digitally" for 7 days, but scanning it again refreshes that timer) Basically, there's more content here than I was expecting. (But I like playing with a physical Arwing so... I never really used the bonus ship or weapon.)
All the different weapons function wildly differently and it's fun to come up with different combinations which complement eachother. (I decided to get 5, or 6 if you include the digital Shredder) Plus, you can mod both the weapons and your ships (Two ships here, or 3 if you include the digital Zenith) to further augment their capabilities. I normally end up rocking my Arwing with the Levitator / Frost Barrage combo with energy mods so that I can keep firing without cooldown. Levitator holds the enemy in place, then the Frost Barrage causes a Cryo-Blast freezing any other enemies nearby (and doing massive damage). It's fun.
And the gameplay itself is good too. There are a bunch of "Ubisoft-style" (for lack of a better term) quests with repeated objectives and generic rewards, but progression in the main story allows you to unlock things which helps skip a lot of the tedium. Don't like taking out each and every Extractor yourself? Build an Armoury and let other people do the work for you. Not fond of exploring the entire planet to get everything on your map? Build or upgrade an existing Observatory and they'll scan a very large area around themselves for you. Dislike the time-consuming space travel with Outlaws constantly interrupting you? Take out a nearby Outlaw Base in space, and you can use it as a fast travel point. Understanding what each building and mechanic does helps to cut back a LOT of the tedium which people complain about.
My only real complaint is that my original copy of the game had the Arwing unable to properly connect to the mount (ie: faulty product), but I got it replaced and all is good. For a game I originally bought just because I was vaguely interested and it was on sale, I've ended up playing it way more than I expected.
(Note: Review written from about halfway into the game... at least, I assume I'm halfway. I'm about to fight the first Dreadnaught.)
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