Pinning down a squad of battle droids behind half-destroyed durasteel cover isnβt about fast reflexes or swinging a lightsaber; itβs about cold, hard calculations. And friends you can rely on. You pick out a line of sight, order your sniper to higher ground, set your flanker to overwatch and run the percentages, knowing that one wrong move could cost you a veteran soldier forever.
Due to be released later this month, Star Wars: Zero Company is a game that trades fast-paced blockbuster action for the calculated tension of galactic chess. Itβs the first time weβve seen the galaxy far, far away represented as a turn-based tactics game (a fan-favourite genre that includes Fire Emblem, X-COM and Final Fantasy Tactics). But on top of that, the game is also angling to become a top-tier Star Wars story, albeit one that changes in the details from player to player.
Zero Company is set in the prequel era, during the war between the Republicβs clone army and the Separatistβs droids. Players take the role of Hawks β a former soldier now running a mercenary company β tapped by the galactic government to stop a shady cult called the Infinite Coil, which worships an infectious disease and has been invading planets to soften them up for Separatist control.
But while the wider story is one of galactic intrigue and mysterious power, the game is also about more intimate narratives. Hawks is joined by many colleagues who could have been taken out of any Star Wars film or TV show β aliens, astromechs, clones, even a Mandalorian β who all have their own personalities and agendas, as well as their own abilities in battle.
Star Wars in live action has had success branching out to narratives beyond the Skywalkers and Palpatines, including with Rogue One and Andor. Animated series have delved into more mystical aspects of The Force, which seems to be where the Coil is headed.
But in games, the franchise has recently been better recognised for its gameplay and spectacle than its story, as in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Lucasfilm Games executive producer Orion Kellogg, who supervises external development of Star Wars games, said the brand didnβt set out to tell certain stories in certain ways. It looks to find creators with a distinct vision and match their story with the interactive medium that fits it best.
βOur measuring stick here is our storyteller,β Kellog said. βDo they have something to say? Is there a reason why theyβre poking into new territory?β
βWe always want to tell the next great Star Wars story, and that could be a TV show, it could be a movie, it could be a comic, or it could be a game. And if we want to tell that story in the game space, we want to tell it in a way that makes for an awesome game.β
Finding a sweet spot between hard-nosed strategy and broad-appeal storytelling requires a team that understands the genre inside out. Zero Company is developed by a new studio called Bit Reactor, composed of many staff formerly of Firaxis Games, which is known for its tactical expertise.
Game director Greg Foertsch worked on X-COM 2, Civilization IV, Marvelβs Midnight Suns and many other tactics games before founding Bit Reactor. He said Zero Company was designed to bring out the best of tactics and of Star Wars by having the two elements lean on each other. Unlike Midnight Suns, which some players criticised for lacking the risk of permanent death found in X-COM, the new game strikes a balance between character-building and peril.
Thatβs why you wonβt spend your time playing as Yoda or Obi-Wan.
βChoice and consequence is very important to us, and I think in order for your decisions to have weight, the characters do need to be new,β Foertsch said.
βThey need to be characters that you could lose. If youβre playing with only characters that are iconic, and have a storyline after the game, it takes the teeth out of everything.β
So instead of playing as iconic characters, you get iconic Star Wars elements constantly orbiting original authored characters, recruits you design yourself, and a complex tactical game with a constellation of interlocking systems. As you progress, the characters grow, specialise in the areas of combat you chose, reveal more about themselves and develop relationships with each other. Which also strengthens them on the field, and raises the stakes.
Skirmishes take place from a top-down perspective, with the player managing what each unit does with their pool of action points each turn. In my testing of an early version of the game, my Hawks was a sniper (the character is fully customisable in appearance and skills) with a special ability to take a shot that never misses, so I would generally put him up high to support as others rushed in. But a pistol-focused Hawks might have an ability that refunds ability points when you defeat an enemy, so youβd want them to brazenly rush into danger so they can take out many units consecutively without missing.
Itβs a blast taking on familiar droids and ruffians, but acolytes of the Coil add an extra wrinkle as they tend to strengthen or mutate their teammates when they die. Players are basically omniscient, though, in their ability to see exactly what will happen in response to each action they take (or, in some cases, a percentage chance), and you can take all the time you want to get it right.
X-COM fans will click with the cover system right away and start calculating the best order of operations for their team, but thereβs a bonding system that also extends the strategic play into the narrative. As two characters work together, they not only grow to like each other more, but they unlock upgrades that make each one more capable.
Lead designer James Brawley, who also worked on X-COM 2, said he referred to the bonding system as the sewing needle of the game. It brings players who are here for the tactics, and players who are here for the Star Wars story, onto the same thread.
β[For a tactics player], as you maximise one of your favourite operators, you get kind of invested in their fate and their relationships with everyone else,β Brawley said.
βBut if youβre approaching this from the narrative side, you really like Telβs story, you really like Lucoβs story, you want to use those characters. And as you do, then they get stronger.β
Hawks can also build bonds in the gameβs hub area, where missions are planned. Players can talk to other characters, help solve their problems, and even unlock missions and stories to resolve. Occasionally, a dilemma occurs during an operation and the player has to decide which way to go. Each solution will show how in favour or opposed each squad member is, and the decision will affect their relationship.
On the battlefield, synergy between teammates is always vital in these kinds of games. If, for example, you put an operator in overwatch (meaning they will fire on an enemy that crosses their path), you could use another to blast or lure a bad guy into danger.
The bonding makes for an additional incentive, which also feeds into the story. In my game I noticed characters who had a better bond were more likely to shout out during combat, to congratulate their friend on a smart play.
According to narrative director Aaron Contreras, these dynamic relationships were designed to reflect organic military banter directly onto the battlefield, ensuring the story evolves naturally through gameplay rather than just cutscenes. Each player will get different story beats, different dialogue at different times, depending on who gets along with whom, and which characters stay alive.
βWhen operators really dislike each other or really like each other, youβll unlock different reactions. Youβll see nicknames forming, or theyβre really mean to each other β¦ when somebody misses an easy shot,β he said.
βThe fantasy here is one of leadership and management. Whether youβre in a mission or in the hub, we want to make that an immersive world where narrative and tactics are constantly bouncing off each other.β
For Star Wars fans who have never touched a turn-based grid in their lives, the jump into tactical strategy might sound daunting. But the team insists the game has been designed with an easy ramp-up, offering a dedicated story difficulty mode that gives players massive margins for error so they can enjoy the narrative without high-pressure stress.
Having only played the opening few hours, I donβt have a full idea of where the story will go or how the semi-randomised permutations will mesh with my choices in a satisfying way. But there are heaps of potential in both the tactical gameplay and the relationship system, which could become one of the most engrossing Star Wars narratives in recent years if it delivers.
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Tim Biggs is a writer covering consumer technology, gadgets and video games.Connect via X or email.