It’s Over, Star Wars Games. Zero Company Has The High Ground! Star Wars Zero

What the report says

When it comes to the Star Wars franchise, there exists a weird split, as many franchises have. For every good movie, there seem to be two or three bad ones; for every great show, two or three stinkers show up. The Star Wars games are no exception to this rule. In fact, they probably follow this rule to a T, as there are many more bad games in this franchise than there are good ones. To this day, I still consider Knights of the Old Republic to be the pinnacle of Star Wars games, and since then I have yet to find one that resonates with me as much as Knights of the Old Republic did.

Even its sequel felt ho-hum, like it missed that Star Wars magic. For many, the pinnacle of Star Wars shows is probably The Clone Wars: a fantastic animated show that delves deep into what happens between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. There is so much to explore during this timeframe, and Star Wars Zero Company has the amazing opportunity to expand it even further. But can this mash-up of XCOM and Star Wars: The Clone Wars pull off the impossible?Thanks to EA and Star Wars Zero Company’s developers, Bit Reactor, I had the opportunity to play the first few hours of the game.

I was immediately drawn into what Bit Reactor was selling. Strategy games like XCOM are beloved by their player base, but for many people, they seem off-putting and not their cup of tea. How do you try to lure in those outside the strategy game fan base? Pair it with one of the best-selling franchises of all time and set it in (maybe) the fandom’s favorite time period, The Clone Wars. This creates the opportunity to make an amazing strategy game and make a canon story set in the Star Wars Universe.There is a lot to love about Zero Company, so I will try to keep this spoiler-free as best as possible.

Key details

Still, I can tease that if you are a big fan of The Clone Wars, you will be drawn to Zero Company‘s story, and it is definitely worth getting your feet wet in the strategy genre. Let’s go over the basic story premises here to hopefully get you interested, then hop into its gameplay systems after.Story BasicsSo, Zero Company is a canon story set within The Clone Wars timeline. Bit Reactor worked closely with Lucasfilm Games to deliver an authentic Star Wars experience that feels and plays like it fits this time period.

You play as Hawks, a former Republic Commanding Officer who has left the Republic Army but has not joined the Separatists. Instead, they run a small special forces operation, Zero Company, which takes jobs from just about anyone.At the start of the game, Hawks joins with a few loyal friends who make up Zero Company. First up is the playable character Tricks, a former Republic clone trooper who was medically discharged after being heavily wounded while saving Hawks’ life during a mission. Tricks still is pretty loyal to the Republic and wants to help out where he can, but understands that money makes the galaxy go round.

Next up is another playable character, Kabb Uppercut (yes, that’s his name), a former prizefighter boxer who joined Hawks after having a few too many run-ins with the law. The group also includes three more non-playable characters. Runa Blask was a Separatist financial advisor who was forced out due to political issues and now manages all finances for Zero Company while serving as the group’s strategy advisor. There is also M-3VO, a medical droid who also doubles as the group’s star pilot. And finally, Neesh, who runs the armory and hooks Zero Company up through his black market connections.Rounding out the initial group after the tutorial missions are Jae Mordant, an ore baroness who has requested Zero Company’s help through her connections with Republic intelligence officer Bennic Halloren.

More from the announcement

Jae is playable as a character, while Bennic helps Runa advise you on which strategy and which missions to take. There are a few more that join Zero Company throughout the game, including the Jedi Padawan Tal-Rea Vokoss and Mandalorian bounty hunter Cly Kullervo. I mean, come on, there is no way there wasn’t going to be a Star Wars game without a Jedi or a Mandalorian somewhere in the mix.The story revolves around tracking down a group called the Infinite Coil. They’re a cult that “blesses” its members with a disease that makes them fiercely loyal to its leader.