Star Wars Zero Company Preview
We’ve all played games where the mismatch between genres or the combination of IPs makes you dizzy with confusion. The upcoming Star Wars Zero Company, on the other hand, is an obvious pairing: Star Wars+Tactical Turn-based RPG. It’s a profound mystery why this hasn’t happened before, but developer Bit Reactor — including veterans from the XCOM series — has decisively answered the call. Thanks to an assist from Respawn Entertainment, Bit Reactor’s Star Wars Zero Company will satisfy fans of both Star Wars and Tactical RPGs.
Set Up for Success
Very briefly, Star Wars Zero Company is set during the Clone Wars. You play as Hawks, a disgraced Republic veteran who now heads a group of mercenaries. In order to pay off a debt, Hawks and company join the fight against the Infinite Coil. Led by Kundri Fathom, the Infinite Coil are a separatist cult. Both suffering from — and spreading — a dark side-related disease called the Shadow Plague, the Coil gain extra power, strength, and resilience.
That’s only a sketch of a very deep and lore-heavy narrative that’s incredibly authentic to Star Wars. While most of the characters are invented, there are a few notable cameos like Anakin Skywalker, voiced by Matt Lanter. Of course, I was only able to play an extended preview, so there are no doubt many more to discover. The mission and level design, however, feel — probably thanks to Respawn Entertainment’s cooperation — pitch perfect. Environments are full of recognizable Star Wars detail.
Bit Reactor has stressed how central the narrative is to Star Wars Zero Company. The player becomes deeply invested in the story and characters, and it’s a real loss when one of the Company’s Operators falls in battle. From what I’ve seen so far, the game is both well-written and exceptionally well-acted, blending and balancing humor and drama. Although there was some uncanny-valley weirdness in the player character (probably my fault), NPCs look great.
Action Time
Players have a lot to look forward to in the game’s story and characters. But Star Wars Zero Company isn’t a graphic novel, so combat is an equal partner in the experience. If you’ve played the generally excellent XCOM games, you know the basics. Players control a squad and use cover, positioning, specialized tools, weapons, and different abilities in turn-based combat. There’s a lot of variety in mission design, from freeing captives to intel reconaissance to infiltrating enemy bases. There is a difficulty slider and a number of ways to configure combat, but enemy AI is no slouch. I felt the pressure of every move, and I don’t think I played a single battle where the tide didn’t turn back and forth.
Star Wars Zero Company introduces a number of tactical options, like Overwatch. Overwatch creates a tactical zone that automatically triggers a response if an enemy enters it. Operators can Call for Backup, where other team members will take a shot if they have line-of-sight. Of course there is a mechanic for moving and healing an Operators, but if they receive three injuries, they’re killed in action. No coming back from the dead.
Thanks to the specific setting, weapons, tools, and tactics, Star Wars Zero Company doesn’t feel like “XCOM in a Star Wars Costume.” It has a similar flow, for sure, but has more than enough original mechanics and ideas to make it stand apart. And not every encounter takes place on the battlefield. Operations are decision-based narrative encounters that resolve without combat.
Operator, Take My Call
Stepping back from combat, Star Wars Zero Company includes a dizzying array of options for crafting both the cosmetics and abilities of Hawk. There are eight character classes to start from, and Operators have upgradeable Talents and Specializations in addition to weapon upgrades, modifications, and Utilities, which are items with passive and active abilities. These are all pretty standard for players familar with the genre, but implemented with a fantastic Star Wars flare.
Operators are recruited throughout the campaign and balancing their class specialties and weapons are a huge element in a successful battle. Operators also have Bonds with each other. Bonds are strengthed through shared combat and specific battlefield tactics. Strong Bonds payoff in a range of bonus stats and abilities. You can also change the appearance, clothing, and even species of all Operators once recruited.
If you’re getting the idea that Star Wars Zero Company has a lot of depth, you’re right. Even in the pretty substantial preview, I only scratched the surface.
No “May the Force Be…” Puns, I Promise
Let’s be honest. If you’re a fan of sci-fi, pop culture, or timeless stories, you love Star Wars. If you enjoy turn-based tactical RPGs, you’ve probably played and enjoyed games like XCOM. Putting the two together is a genius move that took too long to happen. Come August 27, 2026 fans of great tactical RPGs and Star Wars have a real reason to celebrate.
***PC code provided by the publisher for review***
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