You know I've wondered if there's an equivalent to the writing theory that "there are only seven basic stories" but for settings. By that I mean perhaps there are a limited number of archetypes of place-types as related to "the character," which in a theme park is the guest. Something like:
1. A place of wonder (magic world, nature...enchanted garden, National Park)
2. A place of peril (a risky place to be aware, alert...pirate port of call, dark alley)
3. A place of comfort (an embracing, homey, nostalgic and safe place...cozy village, small town, farm)
4. A place of celebration (not necessarily relaxing and not threatening but festive, celebratory...New Orleans, Las Vegas, Key West, joyful and stimulating).
Etc., perhaps a few more.
SWGE may have gone for a rugged sort of vibe but it didn't go far enough to achieve a place of peril. The First Order stuff is not present and over-the-top enough to feel threatening, there's not enough moral decay, seediness, selfishness of the citizenry, or displays of societal mercilessness and desperation to convey a place of peril. It's not a pirate town. It's not Tortuga in space.
And the other way they could have gone is more a place of celebration, a haven for space pirates to gamble and spend galactic credits with abandon. This kind of place would have more illuminated signs, more advertising, more capitalism, so to speak, with buskers and weird street musicians, "nightclubs" and hectic commercial energy.
Either a Tortuga in space, or a New Orleans in space, would have provided guests a better, more relatable analog and an understanding of their relationship/role in the place. Right now it's unclear -- not perilous, not celebratory, definitely not comfortable. And without creatures of all sizes and droids and weird things (a sarlacc pit in the center of town, a Rancor behind a huge gate, a mysterious Jedi training temple?), not wondrous.
