The tactical gameplay of Star Wars Zero Company is worthy of praise, for both its complex squad building mechanics and permanent consequences for failure during missions. The XCOM inspirations here are vast, but one of the most impressive elements of the game is how well it adapts the larger Star Wars universe. The characters and story featured in Zero Company‘s campaign enrich the legendary franchise in new ways, while retaining some nostalgic pieces that make it feel authentic to the galaxy far, far away.
Some of the best Star Wars games don’t just stick to what fans of the series know by repeating plot points from the many movies or TV shows the IP has created. New characters and fresh ideas for Star Wars stories from games tend to take place during eras of the universe, but tell isolated narratives that make the well-known parts of Star Wars more impactful if they do appear. Star Wars Zero Company takes this approach well, with familiar content having a greater weight alongside fascinating story elements that have never been in the franchise before.
It would have been extremely easy for Star Wars Zero Company to be a generic game in the series, with players solely operating tactical missions on the side of the Galactic Republic or Rebel Alliance. However, the game never has you strictly be the “good guys” in the strictest sense of the word, as characters in your squad bring with them a variety of perspectives throughout Star Wars‘ universe. The game ensures that your character, Hawks, is someone who operates within a gray area that Star Wars rarely gets the chance to explore.
For example, Hawks’ primary partner in business and finance operations is Runa Blask, a Togruta and former Separatist operative. Your team also consists of a Clone Trooper veteran who was dishonorably discharged from the Republic, a Mandalorian warrior, a close-quarters Felshi mercenary, and other figures from all corners of Star Wars‘ world. Set during the Clone Wars era, you have characters who would try and kill each other in the more traditional settings of Star Wars games, but in Zero Company, they work together using their unique skills.
One of my favorite interactions is between the Clone Trooper Trick and the Umbaran sharpshooter Luco Bronc who joins your team within the campaign. Clone Troopers and the Republic did heinous acts against the Umbaran people in Star Wars, as demonstrated by a stellar series of episodes in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. The events of that “canon” to Star Wars is brought up within Zero Company, rewarding fans who recognize those little details in Luco and Trick’s interactions.
The whole cast of characters clash with each other over their different views of the galaxy, making them feel like dynamic and rich members to your team. This is why losing them in Star Wars Zero Company feels so brutal, with the game’s permadeath features ripping away your chance to fully explore the backgrounds and evolutions of these characters. Such is the case with Tel-Rea Vokoss, the Jedi Padawan you recruit in the campaign whose spiritualism contrasts well with the grounded cast of mercenaries, veterans, and outlaws within your squad.
The characters of Star Wars Zero Company are all brand-new faces in the universe, but are connected into what fans know while establishing interesting twists on expectations. In a game that also features Anakin Skywalker and familiar sides of galactic conflict, this makes the story feel fresh and separate from what Star Wars has tried before. However, it’s the new expansions of Star Wars lore that made me excited to keep playing new chapters, or how the game addressed big moments from the universe many fans know and love.
The biggest example of this is the inclusion of big events from Star Wars, such as Order 66, where players have a direct role in its execution. Elements of canon from other Star Wars project, such as the existence of at least one character from the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order game, also enriches the campaign for some big moments. The biggest swing this game’s story takes is in regards to its main villains, the cult-like group called The Infinite Coil.
This group wishes to spread a virus called the Shadow Plague, a hostile force never really seen in Star Wars, in former Legends lore or anywhere else. Led by someone named Kundri Fathom, this cult leader is Hawks’ rival in tactical battles, using the Shadow Plague to empower their own units in battle or kill weak opponents. The Plague is dangerous in a strict gameplay context, but also a terrifying new addition to Star Wars lore.
In a setting where you think you know everything, the unpredictable nature of the Shadow Plague creates a tense plot where you are never too sure of what is going to happen next. With fresh characters and a threat besides the Empire, Separatists, or a Sith Lord, Star Wars Zero Company introduces something new at almost every turn, creating a Star Wars experience that is equal parts nostalgic and innovative for fans to explore.
