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It's hard for me to get interested in anything Star Wars nowadays, ever since Disney decided to, mildly put, gut that franchise with a slate of mediocre content, the new trilogy and The Acolyte included. It's a far cry from what Star Wars used to represent: serious themes, real stories, relationships that mattered, and most importantly, an incredible time in cinema or on the TV screen if you're more into streaming.
Things are a bit better in the video game world, though. Battlefront and the Star Wars Jedi series prove there are still great stories to tell in this universe, but for each of those quality games there's Ubisoft's Outlaws, which was one of my most disappointing titles of 2024.
So it's safe to say the franchise has been a hit-and-miss affair, more miss than hit, which is why I distanced myself from it. It's not the Star Wars I used to love. It's too commercialised, too Marvel-like, too busy chasing daft humour and trying desperately to be likeable.
But after spending several hours with Star Wars Zero Company, I'm starting to think my love for this sci-fi universe could get a second wind.
Star Wars Zero Company screenshots (PC, Max settings)
What is Star Wars Zero Company
For anyone unfamiliar, this is a turn-based tactics game in the vein of XCOM, Mutant Year Zero or Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus, developed by Bit Reactor, a studio established in 2022 by former Firaxis Games developers who worked on XCOM and Civilization. The studio calls itself a "development studio for strategy games," so you can already tell where its passion and expertise lie. These are people who know exactly what they're good at and aren't trying to reinvent the wheel.
When EA and Bit Reactor invited me to this preview event, I was excited but a little wary. Turn-based tactics isn't usually where I spend my Saturday night gaming sessions, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to frame my critique in a way the tactics community would respect. But here we are, so I suppose I got over that fear.
In a nutshell, I had fun with Star Wars Zero Company, and I wish my time with the preview build had been longer. This session has certainly made me more interested in checking out the full game. It isn't my most anticipated release of the year, that title's reserved for The Blood of Dawnwalker, but Zero Company won me over with a solid cast of characters, deep systems and engaging gameplay.
Story and setting
You play as the leader of a mercenary group called Zero Company, reluctantly roped into a dirty, off-the-books job for the Republic. It's that kind of mercenary group, hard to recommend on any other terms. As the leader, you don't have much choice in the matter, since you're neck-deep in debt to a Hutt called Gorga, who's remarkably understanding given how much you owe him. At least he was in the time I played.
Since this is a Star Wars game, atmosphere and setting carry a lot of weight, and the question is always whether it captures that feeling of being out there in a galaxy far, far away: gliding through space, hopping from planet to planet while tracking down a dangerous separatist group that, at least early on, seems to be the game's main antagonists.
What I can tell you is that the Star Wars tone is absolutely here. From the visual direction to the music to the dialogue, it's all nicely packaged into something Star Wars fans will genuinely appreciate.
Production values are surprisingly high for a turn-based tactics game. Animations are smooth, cutscenes and voice acting are both impressive too. That department alone piqued my interest early on. Barely any of the writing felt out of place in my playthrough; quite the opposite, it felt natural, the conversations were believable, and there's a joke here and there, especially from our cheeky protagonist Hawks, who's got no shortage of sarcasm.
Squad bonds and character creation
One thing I found particularly interesting is that you can build relationships between your squadmates, strengthening their bond the more time they spend together in the field and the more they've got each other's backs in combat. Doing this unlocks new combat synergies, adding another layer to both combat and preparation. I'd go as far as saying this should be considered mandatory from the start, since it makes your life in combat noticeably easier.
It's worth mentioning that you can create your own character however you like. There are plenty of options on offer, and you're not limited to playing human if you fancy something more exotic.
Gameplay and combat
The actual gameplay is what made Zero Company so engaging, so let's get into it. As with most tactics games, you control a squad of four characters on the field, with full control over their loadouts, weapon upgrades, and movement, much like they're your own characters. Team cohesion and synergy are paramount here, and the variety on offer is excellent. You can build a team of snipers, a team of tanks, whatever you like, but unless you've actually got a plan for how that composition works on the field, you're in for a bad time. I went for balance: Scout, Heavy, Assault and Sharpshooter, and that gave me the best mix of aggression and staying power when the situation called for it.
Even with a solid composition, though, you'll often come unstuck if you charge in Rambo-style without taking good positions and making smart use of grenades and skills. You can target specific enemies to make them take more damage, back up a squadmate for a duo attack that doesn't cost an extra move, unleash a rocket launcher, hand action points to an ally, and plenty more. This is only scratching the surface, but the variety is genuinely there once you know what you're doing and start maximising your moves, skills and attacks. A good example: the difference between a standard attack and applying a debuff before teaming up with a squadmate for a combo attack can be the difference between taking an enemy out entirely or watching them survive to their next turn.
Smart thinking can make Zero Company less punishing, but it makes pulling off a brilliant move all the more satisfying.
Weapon variety plays a big part in that too. Each Operator carries a primary weapon that is suited to their role in combat, and there's a decent spread to choose from: Blaster Pistols are light, fast sidearms you can fire without limit for a single action point, Repeaters are heavier, repeating blasters that gain damage bonuses the more action points you commit to them, Blaster Rifles sit in the middle with solid base damage and good critical damage, and Longarm Blasters are slow but hit the hardest, trading action point cost for the best base and critical damage in the game. All of this can be swapped and further modified in the Armory, and each weapon pairs with any specialisation, so you're not locked into a rigid class-weapon combo. This is obviously excellent news for those who like to experiment.
On top of that, every Operator starts with one Talent and one Specialisation defining their abilities, both of which can be upgraded using focus points earned by strengthening bonds with teammates. Apart from a handful of characters, you're basically free to respec Talents and Specialisations whenever you like, and a second Specialisation opens up later in the campaign, giving you even more room to reshape your squad as you go.
There's a proper spread of Specialisations to build around too: Assault Operators are frontline fighters built for medium to close-range kills against enemies hiding in cover, Gunslingers spread multi-target blaster attacks across numerous enemies with fast strikes, Heavies soak up damage as thickly armoured frontline tanks, and Medics keep the squad alive by healing and preventing injuries, with some added support for morale on top. On the other side, Scoundrels thrive on exploiting opportunities on the fly, Scouts handle reconnaissance and set up openings for the rest of the team, Sharpshooters excel at picking off specific targets from range, and Soldiers are the flexible mainstay, mixing melee, grenades, heavy blaster fire and even a rocket launcher depending on the situation.
Ship systems and mission structure
The game runs deep on systems too. Your hub isn't just a generic ship; it's officially called the Den, tucked away in a hulking hangar on the Ring of Kafrene, and it's where Zero Company actually lives between jobs. The camera shifts from the isometric battlefield view to third-person the moment you step inside (and also outside of combat during missions), and it's worth poking around rather than just going straight towards "the war table".
There's a proper variety of stations on the ship too. So for example, The Armory is where you modify Operators' weapons, equip utility items and dig through the Black Market where you can buy new items. The Medbay is where injured Operators go to recover, tying directly into the permadeath system I'll get to below. Personnel lets you manage your roster, spend focus points and check the Bonds between Operators, while Recruitment does exactly what it says, letting you hire additional Operators from across the galaxy to bolster your ranks. There's also Customisation for your Operators' cosmetic appearance, upgrades for improving other stations and roster-wide bonuses, and the Pit, where you can catch up with key Operators and unlock unique hero missions. It's a genuinely dense hub, and checking in regularly between missions to hear your crew's take on unfolding events adds a nice bit of texture to the whole thing, especially with dialogue that's natural, without that tasteless humour we see so often nowadays.
One thing I'm mixed on is how missions are structured. At the war table, where you pick your next job, you can choose between the main mission and side missions. Some side missions resolve entirely at the war table through a simple choice. For example, you might find someone stranded in the galaxy and have to decide whether to save them, leave them behind, or hand them to the Republic as a law-dodging runner. Your choice shifts your reputation with the galaxy and your teammates, and affects your reward, so weighing greed for loot and credits against keeping your crew happy adds a decent layer of depth.
I didn't play long enough to see whether upsetting your squadmates has real consequences, whether they'll eventually walk if you push them too far, but I hope that's the case.
There are also bigger side missions on the war table that actually involve combat, though these tend to be very short: you're dropped onto a small map, given an objective, some combat, and that's it. Nothing special, and I enjoyed these far less than the fully fleshed-out story missions. I'm hoping later stages of the game bring longer, more meaningful side content.
Squadmates, injuries and permadeath
Your squadmates can die, which is a bold call from the dev team even though we've seen similar stuff from other games in the genre. Injuries happen when an Operator goes down mid-mission or during dangerous operations on the holotable, and they hit combat stats negatively while they're active. The Medbay is where you send Operators to recover, and it usually takes a full cycle until they're back on their feet. There's also the Bacta Tank that does wonders and heals them instantly, but it's much more expensive to use.
Rack up a third injury on the same Operator, though, and that's it, permanent death. That said, the system didn't feel especially threatening early on. I was curing injuries well before anyone got close to that third strike. I'm curious how this evolves in the full game, whether there'll be stretches where you're locked out of your ship and can't heal up, because as it stands right now, it never felt like something I couldn't easily manage.
One nice touch that I have to mention is that your ship has a memorial where you can remember your fallen comrades. Didn't quite get to form a strong bond with anyone in my preview, but I'm sure this will result in some hard-hitting emotions down the road.
Visuals and technical state
Visually, the game looks stunning and genuinely captures the feel of a Star Wars setting, from sprawling ships lighting up the sky in the distance to the dark, grimy slums you explore hunting for clues and targets. The VFX holds up its end too. I never got tired of watching grenade and rocket explosions tear up the environment.
There were a handful of goofy bugs, characters rotating oddly in place, and a wonky camera that occasionally blocked my view entirely during special attacks, but that's par for the course with an early build. Hopefully those get ironed out before the full release.
Final thoughts
So, where does all of this leave me? Honestly, I liked what I played. There's real potential here, and I'd happily spend more time with it once the full game is out later this month. Am I completely sold, convinced this has enough fuel to keep me hooked for dozens of hours? Not quite. But then again, I'm not the guy who'd play this no questions asked. Tactics games aren't exactly my thing to begin with.
If you're an XCOM fan, though, or you generally love tactics games, this oozes quality across the board. The production values are excellent, the writing is solid, the world feels like true Star Wars, and the gameplay has more than enough depth for anyone who loves tinkering with their squad down to the tiniest detail. Hopefully that's the case throughout the entire experience.
Star Wars Zero Company launches on 27 August for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
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