VIDEO GAME REVIEW: STAR WARS ZERO COMPANY
Updated: 2 hours ago
Zero Company scratches that itch that XCOM players love. From the very opening, we’re reunited with that familiar movement, cover system, AND that dreaded (but beloved) shot percentage system. After the first mission, we’re introduced to the rest of the early crew and how Zero Company operates under your custom protagonist, Hawks. Hawks leads Zero Company who is a type of mercenary group that covers odd jobs all throughout each of the rings in the core Star Wars galaxy. The group is made of clones, astromechs, people of the republic, and separatists. Now in order to operate efficiently, Hawks (the player) has to form and maintain bonds between them all. We get a taste of this relationship system, and the strategic gameplay all in the opening hours.
FIELD | VIDEO GAME |
TITLE & MEDIUM | STAR WARS ZERO COMPANY (Action/Turn-Based Strategy) |
QUICK VERDICT | 8/10 |
THE HOOK | A rag tag group of mercenaries attempt to take down a space infected crew terrorizing the Star Wars galaxy. |
BEST FOR | Those wanting a new, fresh XCOM type of game. |
World & Narrative:
This game takes place towards the end of the Clone Wars and many references are often made towards it. One of the best parts is that with people you can recruit to Zero Company, they often have their stances on either side of the war which is interesting. The relationships can go quite deep if you allow them too and keep your team members alive.
The big bad of the game is a faction called The Coil, led by Fathom. She carries some type of space, force infection that basically allows her to create a hive mind of minions. Her goal of course is to infect the entire galaxy with this sickness. Unfortunately for Fathom, Zero Company stands in her way. Throughout the story, your followers also have their own storylines going on that Hawks can intervene in. These storylines are played out through missions and cutscenes that not only give you insight into each of your operators’ lives, but slowly makes you care about each member as well. They also serve another purpose as in playing through them, you’re not only rewarded with some solid boss battles, but also AMAZING cameos as well. All were very unexpected, but all were greatly appreciated and became highlights of the game for me.
Craft & Execution:
I don’t have many issues with the game. The ones I do have are decently minor, but they're hevaily felt. One, WHO THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO INSTALL REINFORCEMENTS IN EVERY MISSION? Seriously! Sometimes I want to feel like I decimated the battlefield by leaving nothing alive. But instead, I’m made to feel like I needed to escape every encounter by the skin of my teeth. It’s like BitReactor was nervous that they didn’t make the game hard enough. Which leads me to issue number two.
The game is too easy on the recommended difficulty. I didn’t lose a single operative my first playthrough. The encounters made me think, yes, but I never felt like I was in danger of losing anyone after the fourth mission or so. In XCOM, it always felt like I might lose a soldier and it often felt like I was choosing between the best of two bad moves. This game never made me feel like that. I’m going to go back and play a second time on a harder difficulty for sure, but for me, I didn’t feel the uncertainty or fear of sending my best soldiers on a mission, then something goes wrong, or a new enemy shows up that shreds through my squad. Like I said, It’s not a big issue, but it’s something that I felt the need to bring up.
On the other hand, the customization in the game is magnifique. I couldn’t ask for better customization for my Star Wars game, and all of the voice acting is top notch. As you play, it feels like real effort was put into each of these characters and the story. It was refreshing and you can feel the love from everyone involved.
Personal Opinion + Rating + Recommendation:
I can’t recommend this game enough. In the back of my mind, I was waiting for XCOM 3. This is the next best thing. If you’ve been looking for something to stimulate your itch for a turn-based strategy game, this is it. Simply, if you love Star Wars, get this game! The story, world, and characters are more than enough to push you through to the end. If we’re all lucky, we’ll get some DLC, and if we’re luckier than that, we’ll get a sequel. 8/10. Please sir, I would like some more.
The Highs & Lows
The Highs:
Star Wars Character Cameos.
Solid Character Customization.
Graphics are Amazing.
Cly is a squad of her own.
Worthy XCOM Three Placeholder.
The Lows:
Reinforcements.
No Good Endgame.
Sometimes Turn Actions Don’t Work the Way You Think They Should.
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