Star Wars Zero Company is a fun if less than challenging XCOM-like that is a worthy addition to the canon of great Star Wars videogames.
Star Wars Zero Company is a worthy addition to the canon of great Star Wars videogames. While its tactical battles could serve to be more complex and varied, the triple-A polish enhances a thrilling narrative that's begging to be replayed again and again.
When asked if I like Star Wars, I usually say I enjoy the 20th-century films and Andor, but that's not strictly true. During my lifetime, Star Wars videogames have had a far more successful hit rate than the movies or TV shows, from underappreciated Doom clone Dark Forces to simulating space dogfights in Star Wars Squadrons. Battlefront 2 (both of them), the power fantasy of the Jedi games, I've even got a soft spot for the Force Unleashed duology. What I'm saying is, Star Wars Zero Company has big shoes to fill. And that's before you get to its XCOM heritage.
Zero Company is XCOM but Star Wars. A creative collaboration between developers Bit Reactor (many of whom are ex-Firaxis) and Respawn, which made the well-received Star Wars Jedi games. Turn-based tactics with a triple-A glow-up. Chess with lightsabers and intergalactic gang warfare. Did I mention XCOM but Star Wars? But can Zero Company possibly live up to these Skywalker-high expectations?
My first thought when loading up Zero Company was, "this has no right to look that good." That triple-A shine, presumably Respawn's influence, makes a first impression like a Wampa fist to the nose, albeit a Wampa fist that you're happy to see after a long time out in the cold. The positives keep flowing as you're introduced to the turn-based combat through some simple missions.
The core loop will be familiar to anyone well-versed in XCOM and its progeny. You have your den-Zero Company's base of operations-where you can talk to your operators, heal injuries, recruit new allies, and upgrade your stats, abilities, weapons, gear, outfits, and the den itself. Phew. You can also perform reconnaissance missions, called Operations, to increase Zero Company's reputation. This in turn offers rewards like experience, credits, gear, or even temporary stat boosts to the members sent along.
There's plenty of depth to the hub, but it never feels overwhelming. Despite juggling numerous currencies (credits, intel, capacitors, focus points, contacts, bonds, den experience, and more), everything is straightforward and loops together neatly. However, this simplification continues to the missions themselves, and that's more of a problem.
Simplifying the between-combat bureaucracy is fine; that's not what I play XCOM-likes for. But Zero Company's missions are unfortunately too simple. I started on the recommended difficulty, normal, but quickly had to turn it up-and I wouldn't consider myself a veteran of this genre. It's fun finding combos to begin with, but the classes are poorly balanced, and I quickly reverted to the same four operatives on each mission, despite a roster of a dozen different space dudes.
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