You should prepare to be emotionally destroyed by Star Wars: Zero Company. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, when you’re sobbing with controller in hand.
If you’re unfamiliar with the very concept of what I’m talking about, Star Wars: Zero Company is a soon-to-be-launching strategy game. It’s releasing on 27 August, and I recently sampled a lengthy PC demo of the game’s opening hours.
Zero Company comes to us from a lot of the same people as Marvel’s Midnight Suns (which I loved), who are also former XCOM developers, meaning they have a lot of experience bringing epic turn-based action to life.
But, whereas Marvel characters are all basically immortal, meaning that Midnight Suns didn’t allow you to un-alive any of Marvel’s main superheroes, this new game is set during the brutal Clone Wars with a cast of unknowns at its core.
None of these rag-tag recruits are safe, and the game strongly encourages you to keep its ‘permadeath’ mechanics switched on. This reminded me of Alien Isolation and how it encouraged you to play the game on hard, in order to make its horror moments even scarier and more intense.
In Zero Company, with the game played on its intended settings, most of your recruited characters can perish in any mission that you're tasked with (some of them, however, are projected by unfailable objectives). And as I rattled towards the end of my five hours of play-time, I lost a character who I really liked, and it properly struck me in the gut.
I wanted to see what else was coming for this jolly chonky alien, but they are permanently removed now and their death knocked me for six. If a character falls three times in the same battle, they’re gone for good, and I fell foul of that in a tricky battle involving multiple waves of droid reinforcements.
There's even a little tribute area in the base, where you can go and look at all the characters that you lost along the way, which is so sad, and it was actually really emotional.
Speaking of the base, now that I’ve dried my eyes, allow me to explain the actual structure of the game and what you’re doing at any given point.
View Green Video on the source websiteThe overall structure of the game sees you leading a motley crew of guns for hire, veterans of the galactic conflict who are now looking to make a quick buck while generally attempting to stay on the side of the angels.
In between missions, you’ll return to your base on the Ring of Kafrene, a sketchy trading post that you might remember from the first scene of Rogue One and/or the final episode of Andor.
At the base, you’re able to do a number of different things. You can chat to your crewmates, recruit new ones, and send any injured party members for treatment. You can tinker with your arsenal, change your characters’ costumes, and upgrade the base itself to add new tools like a droid repair bay.
While Midnight Suns arguably try to do too much in between missions, with a mini open-world filled with puzzles and gift-giving opportunities, Zero Company keeps it a lot more focused. It’s more like the ship segments of Mass Effect or Knights of the Old Republic. Functional, but not too distracting from the main action of your missions.
In the five hours that I spent with Zero Company, I was able to complete a number of in-game days, with each one throwing up new challenges both in and out of battle.
As the leader of this band of blaster-wielders, you have to deal with both the ‘good guys’ of the Republic and criminals like the Hutts. You’ll be worrying about the debts you owe at any given point, as well as trying to keep your rotating roster of employees happy. They’re not all politically aligned, so have fun with that!
Of course, a game like this will live and die on how fun its actual battles are. And on that front, I’m pleased to report that I had a great time trying to navigate the battlegrounds of the Clone Wars era.
In classic XCOM fashion, you have to pick every move carefully. Your characters only have a certain number of action points per move, and you pick how to divvy them out across movements, attacks and other helpful things like healing your comrades. It feels like Baldur's Gate 3 fans will be right at home with this, too.
Some of the characters you'll recruit are light on backstory and personality, but others feel like more core characters with lots to say about the conflict around them – there are emotional ties to your player character, too, although there hasn't been any romance confirmed. Some characters don't go on missions, either, so at least those ones are safe!
Again, this feels like just the right amount of detail, compared to the stuffed natured of Midnight Suns. And we're looking forward to experiencing some cameos from famous characters, hopefully.
The objectives in battle were nicely varied and the maps were well designed, with the difficulty curve not seeming too steep to me. Well, other than the fact I got my favourite character killed in the first five hours. Damn, now I’m crying again.
Tragedies aside, this is shaping up to be a really cool game. I was a bit gutted when I ran out of time with the demo, which is a really good sign. And, to be honest, you can always do some save-scumming if you really let yourself down on the field of battle.
If you like Star Wars, if you like tactics games, and if you enjoyed Marvel’s Midnight Suns, you should very much be looking forward to Star Wars: Zero Company. I know I am.
Star Wars: Zero Company launches 27 August for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. You can order your copy now.
Read more on upcoming games:
Star Wars: Galactic Racer preview – You’ll find it’s full of surprisesThe Blood of Dawnwalker blew my mind twice, with just its prologueRemedy is "staying weird" – how Control Resonant's world evolved beyond the Oldest HouseCheck out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Hence then, the article about star wars zero company preview prepare to be emotionally destroyed was published today ( ) and is available on Radio Times ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Star Wars: Zero Company preview - Prepare to be emotionally destroyed )
Also on site :
- Philips Television Expands Ambilight TV Lineup with New QLED Series Featuring Enhanced Color, Brightness, and Picture Performance
- Hilary Duff’s Favorite Budget-Friendly Jewelry Brand Is on Sale — Shop ‘Elegant’ Bestsellers From $13
- Rochester nonprofit Operation Caring Hearts delivers pizzas to homeless shelters, encampments amid city sweeps