Why is this Star Wars game making me so hungry?

Star Wars Outlaws gives you tons of things to do that immerse you in that galaxy far, far away. Sabacc! Speeder racing! Smuggling illegal goods! Quests and loot are to be expected in a massive open-world game, but what I didn’t expect were the extravagant eating sequences. It turns out that player character Kay is quite the foodie!

In four different worlds in Star Wars Outlaws, players can take a seat at a droid-operated food stand and enjoy a unique dish featuring the local cuisine. There’s alien popcorn cobs, ice-encased eels, and a curry spicier than an angry Gamorrean. Each meal begins with a rambunctious droid chef chopping up ingredients and cooking them like in Monster Hunter: World, before revealing your plate like a maître d’.

What’s interesting is that these aren’t simply cutscenes: You have to pick up your space spork and eat! Throughout your meal, you’ll play through simple quick-time events to take bites of a kebab or chug some water after too much spice. You’ll do the same for your adorable companion Nix, who enjoys the meal right alongside you. It can be a genuinely heartwarming moment for you and your little buddy, and a nice break from all the tense heisting. You also rarely get this in-depth of a look at food in Star Wars, which for a certain type of nerd (me) is a huge treat, especially when each meal seems to hide its own surprises.

Of course, this is a video game, so you can be forgiven for wondering if there’s a gameplay purpose to seeking out these food carts, and the answer is a resounding yes. Each meal gives you a bonus for Nix, some of which can be a tremendous boon on your missions: One allows Nix to distract multiple enemies at the same time while another can cause enemies to start shooting their blasters wildly (you can switch between these later).

So the next time you’re strolling through Mos Eisley or Kijimi City, take a break and eat like the locals do!