Star Wars Zero Company is finding unexpected affection from early players, not for its fidelity to the films, but for its ability to evoke the spirit of playing with Star Wars toys. This sentiment, while surprising to the reviewer, stems from the game's core mechanics and pacing, which mirror the creative freedom and intimate scale of childhood play.
At its heart, Zero Company is a turn-based tactics game, drawing clear parallels to the XCOM series. Players engage in tactical movement and combat, weighing decisions on when to advance, when to hold back, and even dealing with the frustration of missed shots. The game introduces variations on the familiar XCOM formula, such as three action points per turn, a directed cone for Overwatch actions, and a system called Advantage Points, which promise to keep the core gameplay fresh.
However, the game's connection to the Star Wars universe, for at least one reviewer, is somewhat distant. Despite a fondness for the original films and John Williams' score, extensive knowledge of the wider Star Wars canon is absent. Yet, the game manages to resonate deeply, a feat attributed to its understanding that Star Wars games should feel more akin to the toys that defined a generation. The experience recalls the days of posing action figures, deciding how they would move, and creating sound effects, transforming simple toys into a dynamic narrative.
This creative endeavor extended to building out the Star Wars world with limited resources. For many, this meant using common household items like egg boxes as spacecraft. The utilitarian and rugged aesthetic of these makeshift vehicles, like the egg boxes, is found to align well with the feel of Zero Company. The game's structure and pacing are particularly well-suited to this toylike quality. The focus on small-scale battles and skirmishes in tactics games perfectly recreates the experience of playing with a handful of figures. The reliance on cover and deliberate progress mirrors the practicalities of posing figures, often requiring them to be propped up to stand.
The scarcity of toys in childhood often meant a more intimate scale, allowing individual figures to become monumental in imagination. Zero Company captures this by focusing on smaller engagements, which allows the unique details of each unit to shine, a contrast to the fast-paced, large-scale action of games like Star Wars Battlefront. While Battlefront offers an expansive sporting experience, Zero Company is positioned as something between a board game and an opportunity to appreciate the intricate details of individual action figures.
For some, games like Zero Company serve as a vital connection to a lost childhood imagination, offering a way to animate the static figures that once populated their play. The game provides the rules and animations that allow these characters to come alive, much like propping up a figure against a bookshelf to keep it from falling during a laser battle. This blend of established tactics gameplay and a Star Wars theme has resulted in an experience that feels both familiar and nostalgically resonant.