Star Wars: Zero Company, developed by Bit Reactor, a studio founded by veterans of the XCOM series, is set to offer a familiar yet distinct turn-based tactics experience. While the core gameplay mechanics appear similar to its XCOM predecessors, the developers are emphasizing a robust narrative and character-driven system as the game's unique selling proposition. The game places players in command of Hawks, a former military officer leading a squad of operatives during the Clone Wars era.
Gameplay in Zero Company involves directing Hawks and up to three squadmates through turn-based battles. Each operator has three action points per turn to maneuver and engage enemies. Squadmates are designed with specialized combat roles and share a pool of points for unleashing powerful, character-specific attacks, such as rocket launcher volleys. This structure closely mirrors the established formula of the XCOM series, a design choice stemming from the development team's extensive experience with those titles.
However, Bit Reactor is striving to differentiate Zero Company from games like XCOM and Marvel's Midnight Suns. While Midnight Suns introduced mechanics like deck-building and environmental interactions to carve out its own identity, Zero Company's initial hours suggest a reliance on proven tactics game systems. Developers acknowledge that the game may appear to play it safe, but highlight that more mechanics and features are introduced as players progress. "From somebody who didn't work on XCOM or a tactical strategy game before--this is my first tactical strategy game--there's the lineage of the dev team and what they know [to consider], and it makes sense to use the muscles you've trained and to follow up with a pattern that people want," explained narrative director Aaron Contreras. He also noted the team's consideration of current trends in the tactical strategy space and adapting those elements, balanced against time and budget limitations.
The Star Wars setting is intended to be the game's primary differentiator. Developers believe the narrative and thematic elements of the Star Wars universe will allow Zero Company to emphasize aspects of its design that were less prominent in previous tactics titles. A significant focus is placed on the story and characters, with players returning to a squad hub between missions. Here, Hawks can interact with squadmates, listen to their conversations, and build relationships. This hub structure is compared to areas like Garreg Mach Monastery in Fire Emblem: Three Houses or the Abbey in Midnight Suns.
"I think the hub came from Greg's design to have the third-person explorable sequences in specific missions," said Contreras. "So we had that mode in and we were going to support it, and then if you have that, you already have everything you need to move around a hub [area] in third person."
Squadmate relationships are central to Zero Company's design, with a "bond system" intended to make the team mechanically stronger as player characters develop connections. These relationships can improve through completing missions for specific squadmates or agreeing with their moral stances during in-game dilemmas. Character interactions and their frequency in battle can also affect their relationships with each other. "The relationships between these different heroes, these operators, makes the team mechanically stronger," Contreras stated. "So [since] that's very important to the mechanics of the game, you want to realize that in the hub space as well, so that as a player with permadeath, you're bonding with all these characters, [and] when they die or they grow, all those things are feeding each other."
Co-founder and creative director Greg Foertsch added that this interconnectedness of story and systems aims for a more holistic experience. "We've woven a story all through the systems and vice versa in some cases, so it feels much more holistic and connected than I think our previous work."
Zero Company's narrative also promises to delve into the complexities of the Star Wars lore, featuring a diverse squad composed of former Republic soldiers, ex-Separatist loyalists, criminals, and bounty hunters. This mix allows for the exploration of politically charged themes. A key concern for the narrative's success, especially with permadeath enabled for all characters except Hawks, is how the story will hold up if key authored characters are lost early. While randomly recruited characters may not have the depth to fill narrative gaps, the developers emphasize that the primary focus for player choice and consequence lies in the team's composition and the development of relationships, rather than Hawks' personal story, which is designed to be consistent.
Star Wars: Zero Company is scheduled to launch on August 27 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.