Star Wars Zero Company Review – Built on Hope

Has it really been more than 11 years since the last true XCOM game (and no, Chimera Squad doesn’t count)? We’ve seen plenty of notable standouts that put their own unique spins on the formula, from the Mario + Rabbids games to Troubleshooter. While they’re certainly enjoyable in their own right, I’ve been left wanting for a title that really channels that XCOM feel. And not just a facsimile, but also something that really evolves on the formula in ways that make sense. Heck, throw some Star Wars in by way of The Clone Wars as well because why not?

You wouldn’t think Bit Reactor and Respawn Entertainment could pull that off with Star Wars Zero Company, and yet, to use a cliché, it’s scratching that XCOM itch like so few other titles have over the years. Yes, there’s the familiarity and comfort that comes with time-worn mechanics, but it doesn’t lean on them so much as leverage them to build on the tactical turn-based loop. Even with the odd graphical issues (at least on PS5), it feels like a sizable leap forward while also delivering an interesting, if not always super-compelling story with likeable characters.

"XCOM veterans will immediately feel comfortable with the usual mechanics – taking cover, flanking, Overwatch, maximizing Action Points, hit chances and so on."

Even with its non-typical set-up, the Star Wars feel is unmistakable. As Hawks, a disgraced Republican commander, you run a mercenary outfit known as Zero Company. Far from a hive of scum and villainy, it’s a roughshod operation that’s barely holding on and which owes a sizable amount of Credits to the Hutts (which is never a good thing). After a run-in with the Infinite Coil – whose Shadow Plague is slowly but steadily spreading through the galaxy – Hawks and his crew are tasked by the Republic to investigate and ultimately put a stop to their influence. Throughout all this, we learn more about the one driving the faction – Fathom – and what ultimately drives her.

Of course, Zero Company recruits its own notorious individuals, including Cly the Mandalorian, Tel-Rea the Jedi and so on, each with their own reason (and quest). Trick, a former Republic Clone Trooper, and Kabb Uppercut are along for the ride from the start, as is Runa, who serves as a manager of sorts when she’s not needling Hawks about the group’s depleting funds.

Admittedly, the story is slow to get going. Even as it introduces all the key players and teaches you its various mechanics, the characterization can feel a bit surface-level at first. But give it time, and they develop quite nicely, going beyond the current set-up to slowly incorporate other significant events in the Star Wars universe. And that’s not including run-ins with beloved characters like Anakin Skywalker. It can still feel very straightforward and low-stakes at some points, especially when it comes to the threat that Fathom possesses (at least, against the backdrop of everything else that the galaxy has to offer), but the pacing is brisk and the writing solid throughout.

The real star of the show is the gameplay. XCOM veterans will immediately feel comfortable with the usual mechanics – taking cover, flanking, Overwatch, maximizing Action Points, hit chances and so on. Not that I’ll gloss over how well Zero Company executes on those fundamentals, even on a controller. Movement feels snappy; there’s a weight behind damage, whether you’re shattering cover, pelting someone with Blaster shots or triggering explosions. Even relatively simple actions like bonking an enemy upside the head with a melee attack feel satisfying, and accessing all this on controller via the radial menu feels intuitive.

"Years of modded XCOM 2 aside, there is a decent enough variety to be had, whether you’re fighting off numerous enemies, taking out high-value targets, or interacting with objectives."

Where Zero Company excels is in how it evolves the typical XCOM formula. You can set the distance of Overwatch, which also affects your accuracy, making it more of a planning tool rather than a “set and forget” tactic. Allies can also call for backup, leveraging any nearby teammates to follow up with their own shots. Besides a guaranteed hit from the extra attack, it also costs zero Action Points and helps build Bonds.

So while enemies can initially seem tanky (or your weapons underpowered) early on, chaining together extra actions and Overwatch can whittle them down quickly. And that’s before factoring in Advantage, which the entire team generates and lets you unleash powerful abilities like Trick’s rocket launcher. Getting into the fray and pushing an enemy goes hand in hand with knowing when to play defensively and bait out their movement. It’s an ingenious loop that makes each skirmish satisfying from start to finish, even if the overall amount of challenge can feel a bit wanting as you progress further (and this is on the Normal difficulty).

As you complete missions, characters earn Focus Points, which go towards their own Talents and Skills. However, building Bonds allows for an array of incremental bonuses through cross-training. You can invest in more movement, higher damage, increased critical hit chance, or even Focus Points, which can go into Skills. This encourages you to engage in more actions to quickly build Bonds, which in turn encourages a faster sense of play, and repeat. Simple, yet very rewarding. And thankfully, the overall writing quality means you won’t regret interacting with characters for the cross-training benefits alone.

Of course, Zero Company doesn’t inextricably tie you down to these pre-made companions. You can bring in custom characters depending on available funds. Operations let you dispatch forces and make decisions to net more Credits and increase standing with different factions (though different choices can prioritize one or the other). The Armory expands with consumables like grenades, healing items, weapons and whatnot, thus letting you further outfit the squad and lean into their respective playstyles.

All of this isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, and the same goes for the mission types you directly control squad members in. Years of modded XCOM 2 aside, there is a decent enough variety to be had, whether you’re fighting off numerous enemies, taking out high-value targets, or interacting with objectives. It can feel overtly safe at times, but it works, and it’s bolstered by fantastic combat and production values.

"Even with these qualms and my own nagging complaints about the story, Star Wars Zero Company is a delight."

Which is where Zero Company somewhat falters. Don’t get me wrong – the attention to detail on characters and environments, whether it’s in cutscenes or combat, is quite good. Bit Reactor captures the seedier and more epic sides of Star Wars incredibly well, where every down-in-the-dirt skirmish coexists comfortably with the larger conflict at hand. Performance is also pretty solid, especially at 60 FPS, but as you’ll quickly notice, image quality takes a noticeable hit. It’s far from unplayable, but the degraded shadow quality and aliasing stick out more often than not. And I didn’t find Quality Mode to be a sizable enough visual upgrade in exchange for playing at 30 FPS.

At the very least, I haven’t faced any significant bugs, though it felt like there was sometimes a short delay between taking out that last enemy and triggering the victory screen. Otherwise, no crashes or game-breaking issues, which is a lot more than I can say for the PC version.

Even with these qualms and my own nagging complaints about the story, Star Wars Zero Company is a delight. Beyond simply presenting a new tactical turn-based title and throwing a bunch of Star Wars-themed covers and cameos, it offers a fundamentally rewarding experience that can stand alongside some of the genre’s greats, even if it doesn’t necessarily supersede them.

This game was reviewed on PS5.