• [Daily Mirror Icon]
• Gaming
• Star Wars

Star Wars Zero Company is a spiritual XCOM 2 successor that absolutely nails Clone Wars era battles

If you're a Star Wars fan looking to scratch that itch in a way only a turn-based tactical RPG can, Zero Company is shaping up to be a perfect genre blend.

[A clone trooper, jedi, and other operators running into battle in Star Wars Zero Company.]

View 3 Images

Star Wars Zero Company allows you to recruit and upgrade your ideal team of operators, kitting them out to suit your playstyle.(Image: Electronic Arts)

We play Star Wars Zero Company's opening few hours, learning what it takes to build up a squad, kit them out with skills and weapons, and then become the most feared mercenary group in Disney's sci-fi galaxy.

While most Star Wars fans might concern themselves with the side of the universe filled with lightsabers and magic wizards, cinemas iconic galaxy far, far away is also ideal for carving out a thrilling scoundrel fantasy. Double crossing rival cartels, playing rival bounty hunters off one another, and regularly working both for and against both the Republic and Separatists You cant tell me it isnt more fun to play the charming miscreant. Just look at Han Solo!

Well, developer Bit Reactor clearly sees the appeal in this fantasy too, giving you the tools to craft an entire team of such rascals, then letting you harness their skills within the realm of a single-player turn-based tactics RPG that is Star Wars Zero Company. I recently played it for just under five hours or so, and boy is this a perfect pairing of IP and video game genre.

Casting you in the shoes of the titular squads leader, Hawks, one of the things I appreciated most about my time playing Zero Companys opening hours is how quickly it throws you into the familiar yet fun tactical overhead action. Set during some of the Clone Wars eras key years, Im not someone with a particular fondness for the prequels like so many 90s kids do, yet even I can appreciate how much sense this period filled with expendable clone troopers and Jedi sergeants suits the gameplay framework Zero Company inhabits.

The tutorial might be just that, a tutorial, but its also a good one. Teaching you the basics of attacking enemies from a far, how to take cover, and setting up overwatch zone cones, it all plays out under the guise of a heist with my team and I hired to steal a data disc and then required fight our way out against rafts of droids.

[Screenshot showing a Mandalorian bounty hunter setting fire to a super battle droid within a Star Wars Zero Company battle.]

View 3 Images

Star Wars Zero Company might be a tactical game, but playing it on a controller feels totally flawless and natural.(Image: Electronic Arts)

Prior to playing I was sceptical about exactly how much a strategy game of this ilk could capture that distinctly Star Wars vibe given how distanced you typically are from the action. And yet, solely through the tutorial alone, Zero Company instantly convinced me that its setting up a story and characters worthy of the wider canon.

Hawks themselves, despite being heavily customisable in both a male or female incarnation aesthetically, actually has some spice to them. More than just a simple vessel used to give your decisions a mouthpiece, plenty of the characters suave and quick thinking was on full display during both gameplay moments and cut scenes that worked to give them actual agency. The kind of which youd expect from a leader.

Following this opening mission it didnt take too long for the stakes of Zero Companys narrative to be appropriately set, with Hawks and his team quickly called upon to aid the Republic in fighting back against a Separatist-aligned cult called The Infinite Coil.

I didnt get to bump up against them too much as part of my preview outside of a few NPC interactions outside of battles, yet I was relieved to see developer Bit Reactor take the time to build up and develop a new kind of enemy group exclusive to this specific story. Honestly, if Zero Company just provided an infinite supply of missions, roguelike style, with me and my own custom-created squad, I think I'd still be happy. But that simply wouldnt be true to Star Wars.

Back in Zero Companys Den is where most of your decisions and investment in team members takes place. Whether its customising eachs appearance, improving their weapons, or investing added Focus Points into specific combat abilities unique to the class they belong to, theres plenty of ways to finetune the playstyle of each Operator that initially starts out as randomised.

The game recommends you play with permadeath on by default, so I did. And while I never lost a member of my personal Zero Company while playing - outside of the tutorials Rhodian character, which is required - I already know that losing any one of them wouldve crushed me. This was one of the XCOM franchise's best features, and its great to see it return here.

Roger, roger

Getting into the missions themselves, then, and I was pretty impressed by the level of tactical depth they allow for in gameplay terms, but also the degree of variety they offer - both in terms of environment and objective. Ability-wise, I elected to make my Hawks fall into the Sharpshooter class, which grants the use of skills like Precision Shot, being a calculated blaster shot that always hits, providing the enemy is in view.

Multiple times when battling droids and/or human factions did this save my butt, letting me finish off enemies before they could either get a kill shot on one of my team or prep a rocket missile that would deal serious damage the next round.

Easily the standout mission I played as part of my preview was called No Clone Left Behind. Though not a story critical mission needed to progress, I was encouraged to complete it because I knew it would further strengthen my bond between my Hawks and Tricks, the resident Clone Trooper sergeant on my squad who knows a thing or two about blaster rifles.

Plus, whereas most mission objectives either require you to simply kill all enemies or defend X position, No Clone Left Behind saw me, Trick, and two other operators of my choosing drop down to rescue an injured clone in need of saving. What played out was a thrilling strategic battle that tested my ability to make the full use of my teams skills, while fending off Separatist forces, and getting Tricks former squad mate out of there as efficiently as possible.

[Star Wars Zero Company screenshot showing a Rhodian operator's different outfit and armour options.]

View 3 Images

Bit Reactor recommends playing through the campaign with permadeath on, encouraging you to look after your squad.(Image: Electronic Arts)

Already, even after just a few hours of playtime, developer Bit Reactor is already proving how competent it is at mixing in tactical gameplay elements with more emotional story elements. The latter of which I always felt the XCOM games lacked. Sure, taking turns to blast away aliens from different vantage points is fun, but even more so when youre so invested enough that the thought of permanently losing a team mate worries you.

XCOM 2 did feature this second aspect, admittedly, but a bit of Star Wars paint has worked wonders to make me fall in love with my squad in just a short amount of time. The expendable ones youre able to recruit, yes, but also those you can actually talk with back at your base, such as my beloved Trick. Will Zero Company offer me Mass Effect 2 levels of bromance and companionship? I hope so.

With Bit reactor being a new studio primarily made up of former Firaxis creatives, itd be easy to simply write Zero Company off as merely an XCOM game set in the familiar universe. You wouldnt be entirely wrong to do so either. And yet, despite sharing a lot of mechanical similarities with 2012s Enemy Unknown and its direct sequel, this style of tactical play is merely used as an initial launch pad to then exponentially build off of.

Star Wars Zero Company looks and plays like the XCOM 2 successor youd expect, sure, but it also harnesses the fabric of the force-infused galaxy to great effect, making me care about my team and encouraging me to customise their talents to suit my strengths, all without sacrificing the Star Wars typical cinematic flair. Should this fine balance continue in the late-game, this'll be one turn-based tactical RPG that's strong with the Force indeed.

Star Wars Zero Company is scheduled to launch on PS5, Xbox, and PC this August 27, 2026 .

[Daily Mirror Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.