Star Wars: Zero Company, developed by Bit Reactor and published by EA, is set to release on August 27th for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The game endeavors to fuse the deep strategic gameplay of the XCOM series with the beloved Star Wars universe. According to game director Greg Foertsch, this pairing was a natural fit, stating, "Honestly, you couldn't believe that this hadn't been done before." The development team's pedigree, with many members hailing from XCOM studio Firaxis, further suggests a strong foundation for this turn-based tactics title.
The core gameplay loop will feel familiar to fans of XCOM-alikes: players manage a small squad of characters, engaging in grid-based, turn-based combat encounters, interspersed with base management and upgrades. However, Star Wars: Zero Company introduces several key distinctions. While the game features a linear narrative, it is designed to be relatively light-touch, allowing for the preservation of replayability crucial to the genre. The story casts the player as a scoundrel with a rag-tag crew, drawn into a larger conflict, incorporating familiar Star Wars tropes alongside new elements like a brain-infested enemy faction and distinct character personalities.
Missions will largely adhere to the expected turn-based tactical combat, featuring verticality, destructible environments, and varied enemy types. Each operator is granted three action points per turn, with actions like movement and attacking consuming varying amounts. For instance, a sniper-focused character might spend two action points to fire, while others might use all available points for sustained automatic fire.
A significant departure from the typical XCOM formula is the inclusion of "bonds" between squad members. Operators who undertake missions together earn experience, leveling up their bonds. This progression unlocks skill points and the opportunity for "Cross Training," granting minor passive buffs. This system reinforces the thematic emphasis on crew camaraderie, a hallmark of Star Wars, and increases the emotional stakes associated with permadeath for operators.
Beyond combat, the game incorporates third-person exploration elements, particularly during narrative-focused missions. The player can freely explore the game's headquarters, akin to social hubs in titles like Destiny or Marvel's Midnight Suns. Here, static vendors and crew members are available for interaction, potentially triggering side missions or providing key information. The headquarters also serves as the central hub for metagame activities, including upgrading various stations like the medbay and armory, and recruiting new operators. Resource management, primarily through credits earned from missions, allows for upgrades that expand the total number of operators available.
Another new mechanic is "Operations," a pre-mission activity that utilizes an Intel resource. These function as text-based mini-adventures where players make choices with semi-veiled outcomes, offering rewards that can become crucial for late-game min-maxing. Some "dilemmas" encountered during Operations can impact operator bonds, increasing them with some characters while decreasing them with others. The importance of these choices is expected to escalate on higher difficulties or as casualties mount.
Teamwork is further emphasized through an "assist" system. One operator can initiate an assist, targeting another operator within range. When the initiating operator attacks, the chosen ally takes an additional shot for free. The effectiveness of assists can be augmented by operator bonds, character-specific skill trees, and other stacked bonuses, allowing for potent offensive combinations.
Operators possess unique abilities beyond standard attacks. For example, a marksman might use an action point to steady their aim for increased critical hit and accuracy, fire a guaranteed hit shot, or grant an ally an extra action point. Another character, Jae, can perform a finisher shot on enemies below a certain health threshold after allies have attacked.
Enemy variety is also slated to increase as the game progresses, introducing Super Battle Droids that charge powerful rockets and other units utilizing grenades. A system where the main enemy faction gradually levels up over time has also been implemented. Players may have opportunities to sabotage enemy research or construction, but will inevitably have to contend with the remaining upgrades, adding another layer of strategic decision-making and replayability.
Missions themselves offer a range of objectives beyond simple elimination, such as timed rescue operations, cracking safes, or operating machinery for extraction routes. These varied mission structures, combined with the diverse planetary environments inherent to the Star Wars IP, aim to keep gameplay fresh. The game is designed to do more than simply adopt the Star Wars aesthetic, striving to integrate the universe meaningfully into its turn-based tactics framework.
Overall, the initial impression suggests that Star Wars: Zero Company successfully leverages the strengths of the XCOM genre while offering fresh mechanics and a compelling Star Wars wrapper, making it a potentially strong contender for fans of both franchises.