New gameplay: Star Wars Zero Company is the XCOM revival we’ve been looking for
Check out brand-new gameplay from the upcoming Star Wars tactics game
VGC recently got the chance to play the first few hours of Star Wars: Zero Company, the upcoming top-down strategy game from Bit Reactor.
The game sees players take on the role of Hawks, a former Republic officer, who can be fully customised by the player (including their first name) and commands an elite squad of operatives from across the galaxy. Members of this squad are also highly customisable.
The game features races from across the Star Wars canon, as well as extensive customisation when it comes to Clone Troopers and Stormtroopers.
You can watch some new gameplay of the game’s opening hours below.
Developer Bit Reactor is made up of Firaxis Games veterans, and that’s clear from the first moment you play the game. It’s no secret that XCOM fans have been desperate for a return of the franchise for some time, and from what we’ve played of Star Wars Zero Company, it appears that Bit Reactor is living up to the expectation.
The game was written by Aaron Contreras, who previously served on the Star Wars Jedi games. In an era where Star Wars fans are hugely divided about the quality of the storytelling across the various franchise iterations, both Jedi games have been well regarded by fans.
Dee Bradley Baker, who famously portrayed almost every Clone Trooper in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, returns to his iconic role. Recent viral breakout Vic Michaelis, known for Dropout and internet show Very Important People, also appears in the game as Runa Blask, one of the members of Hawk’s team.
The chemistry between characters present in those games is already on full show from the limited time we’ve spent with Star Wars Zero Company, which adds to the stakes of the missions.
Speaking of stakes, permadeath is included in the game. Fans of the genre will have plenty of stories of their beloved soldiers dying bravely in battle, or an unexpected RNG roll causing your favourite squadmate to be permanently wiped from a great XCOM run. Bit Reactor says that the inclusion of permadeath was based on loss being a key theme in the Star Wars franchise.
Star Wars Zero Company is due to be released on August 27 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
At Summer Game Fest, a new trailer for the game confirmed that Anakin Skywalker will appear in the game. Star Wars Zero Company is set before Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith.
