On Aug. 27, Bit Reactor released its first game, “Star Wars Zero Company,” on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
“Zero Company” is a third-person turn-based squad strategy game similar to games such as the “XCOM” series and “Marvel: Midnight Suns.” The game focuses on the titular Zero Company, a mercenary company under the employment of the Galactic Republic at the end of the Clone Wars. When a cult known as the Infinite Coil starts helping the Separatist Alliance conquer Republic planets, Zero Company’s ragtag force is hired to eliminate the Coil before their influence spreads any farther.
Leading Zero Company is Hawks (Jonathan R. Freeman, Erica Luttrell), a former Republic captain and the character the player will take control of. Hawks has lost faith in many of the institutions they used to wholeheartedly support, now prioritizing the bottom line above everything. When Republic intelligence officer Bennic Halloren (Leo Howard) and noble Jae Mordant (Judy Alice Lee) offer the Coil job to Hawks, they are thrust into a journey that will force them to question their detached view of the world around them.
Hawks is a fully customizable character, allowing the player to choose their species, gender, appearance and class. The customization isn’t lacking either, offering over 1000 separate options the player can mix and match to make their ideal protagonist in the Star Wars universe.
Other members of Zero Company include the medically discharged clone trooper Trick (Dee Bradley Baker), former boxer and rhyme spouter Kabb Uppercut (JB Blanc), Jedi Padawan Tel-Rea Vokoss (Nicole Rainteau) and many more. Each member of Zero Company is given their own arc that the player can choose to follow in their playthrough, fleshing out the cast in a roster of remarkably likeable characters with ample depth.
Vokoss, for example, is a character the player meets roughly a fifth of the way through the story. When the player first meets her, she tries to give off the appearance of an incredibly competent warrior and scholar with a kind heart. As their storyline progresses, however, it becomes apparent that while she may be a competent researcher, she struggles with many of the fundamentals required by the Jedi Order. That struggle leads to her developing a need to prove herself, something that defines many of her actions throughout the story. As the plot progresses, Vokoss learns to come to terms with their shortcomings and embrace their successes as they come.
Stories such as Vokoss’ highlight the game’s focus on the individuals making up the player’s squad. Each member of Zero Company brings something unique to the player’s experience and their entertaining stories encourage the player to get to know the characters surrounding them to enhance their gameplay and story experience.
Many of the developers at Bit Reactor previously worked on similar strategy games to “Zero Company,” most notably the “XCOM” series. Veterans of the “XCOM” series can feel the game’s DNA coursing through “Zero Company’s” gameplay, albeit with a more personal focus.
“Zero Company” shares many gameplay similarities with “XCOM,” including how movement, aiming and cover work, albeit with a Star Wars sheen over the entire thing. Those systems in “Zero Company,” while not entirely original, are fine-tuned and rewarding to interact with. Where “Zero Company” stands above “XCOM,” however, in its focus on how your squad of operatives works together.
One of “Zero Company’s” most important systems to the player's experience is the assist system, with which a chosen squad member can attack a target immediately after another squad member. The mechanic forces the player to think deeply about where they position their squad and who to call for assists, leading to the player feeling more rewarded when things work out correctly. Some characters have many of their abilities built around that system, further encouraging the player to get the most they can out of every use.
Another instance of the focus on teamwork comes from the game’s bond system. As two members of Zero Company work together to complete missions, they can gain bond points with each other. As their bond deepens, they gain access to cross-training upgrades, stat boosts and other upgrades that the player can choose from that both members benefit from. A squad member can have bonds with every other squad member, encouraging the player to ensure their entire roster of characters grow and become an unbeatable force together.
The focus on the members of Zero Company in both gameplay and narrative leads to an incredibly rewarding loop of growth and discovery. Using squad members builds their bonds with each other, which makes them stronger, which leads to the player wanting to use them more and to their stories being progressed. The cycle repeats constantly throughout the game, making players feel like they are always growing, even if they face a setback.
“Star Wars Zero Company” is a refreshing new installment in the Star Wars universe. Its focus on the ensemble of memorable characters in both the gameplay and story helps the game stand out as a fun, unique experience for fans of both Star Wars and the squad-strategy genre as a whole.
Rating: 4.5/5
