Star Wars Zero Company may have lightsabers, blasters, Clone Wars battlefields, tactical cover, action points, and enough squad customization to ruin your evening in the best possible way. But the scariest feature is not the combat system. It is permadeath. According to PC Gamer’s recent Zero Company breakdown, Bit Reactor’s upcoming Star Wars tactics game gives each squad member three action points per turn, while also allowing operatives to die permanently. That includes custom characters and story characters. In other words, this is not just Star Wars XCOM with clone helmets. This is Star Wars XCOM where your favorite disaster gremlin with a blaster might not make it home. Star Wars Hits Harder When Loss Matters Permadeath is a dangerous mechanic for a story-driven game. Players get attached. Players build favorites. Players name custom operatives something stupid, give them the coolest helmet, then immediately pretend they are emotionally prepared when…
Tactics
Star Wars Zero Company Has No Romance, and That Might Be the Right Call
Star Wars Zero Company has companions, squad bonds, story characters, base interactions, permadeath, and enough tactical pressure to make every bad decision feel like it should come with paperwork. What it apparently does not have is romance. According to PC Gamer’s latest overview of the game, Zero Company includes BioWare-style companion energy, approval-style relationships, and squad interaction, but no player romance arcs. For some RPG fans, that may sound like a missed opportunity. For this particular Star Wars game, it might actually be smart. Zero Company Is About Bonds, Not Dating The important distinction here is that Zero Company is not ignoring relationships. Quite the opposite. The game seems heavily built around them. Players lead a squad of original and customizable characters through covert Clone Wars missions, building trust, bonds, and tactical synergy along the way. EA has also described the team as an unlikely ensemble of allies who must…
Star Wars Zero Company’s Best Idea Is Making Your Squad Actually Matter
The easiest way to describe Star Wars Zero Company is still “a Star Wars tactics game.” That is also the least interesting way to talk about it. Yes, Bit Reactor’s upcoming turn-based tactics game has cover, classes, tactical decisions, squad builds, and all the lovely battlefield panic that comes with telling four people to survive a Clone Wars mission with a plan that sounded much better in your head. But a new Xbox Wire interview with Creative Director Greg Foertsch and Lead Designer James Brawley suggests the game’s most important idea may not be the tactics. It may be the relationships. Zero Company Is Leaning Into Found Family Foertsch says Star Wars is at its best when it is about relationships and found families, pointing to Star Wars Rebels as one example. That is not just a cute quote for the trailer crowd. It appears to be a real design…