## Introduction
Star Wars Zero Company brings the Star Wars universe into a tactical strategy experience that immediately gives off a strong XCOM-style feel. Instead of focusing on fast-paced lightsaber battles or traditional action gameplay, the game puts strategy, positioning, and making the right decisions at the center of the experience.
The story is one of the game's early highlights, supported by a great cast of characters that makes you want to see what happens next. The excellent audio also helps capture the atmosphere of Star Wars and makes battles and story moments feel much more immersive.
The controls are smooth and work extremely well with the tactical gameplay, making it easy to command your squad and plan your next move. Overall, Star Wars Zero Company makes a great first impression by combining an engaging story, memorable characters, excellent audio, and satisfying strategy gameplay into an experience that feels like XCOM set within the Star Wars universe.
Graphics 9.0
The graphics in Star Wars Zero Company are sharp and polished, with a visual presentation that once again gives the game a strong XCOM-style feel. The environments are easily one of the biggest highlights, with the different planets featuring excellent detail and plenty of variety that helps make each location feel unique.
The environments do an especially good job of capturing the Star Wars atmosphere. From the landscapes to the smaller details scattered throughout each battlefield, there is plenty to admire while moving your squad through the different locations.
Character models also look great overall, although we would have liked to see a little more detail put into them, especially when compared to the quality of the environments surrounding them.
Overall, Star Wars Zero Company is a great-looking game. The sharp presentation, detailed planets, and impressive environments are fantastic, with only some additional character detail needed to make the visuals even better.
Gameplay 8.9
The gameplay in Star Wars Zero Company is fantastic and delivers the XCOM-style tactical experience extremely well. You control a squad of four operatives, with each character receiving three Action Points per turn that can be used for movement, attacks, equipment, and special abilities. Being able to spend those points in different ways gives you plenty of freedom when deciding how to approach each encounter.
Positioning and cover are extremely important. Finding the right angle can improve your chances of landing an attack, while proper cover helps protect your squad. Overwatch is another great tactical option, allowing you to prepare reaction attacks against enemies that move during their turn. Damaging enemies also builds Advantage Points, which can then be spent on powerful abilities without using your character's normal Action Points.
There is plenty to do outside of combat as well. Between missions, you return to The Den, where you can manage your squad, purchase equipment, upgrade weapon talents, develop relationships, and prepare for upcoming missions. The different specializations, including Assault, Heavy, Medic, Scout, and Sharpshooter, provide plenty of options when building your squad.
Permadeath adds another layer of tension, particularly on the higher difficulty settings. Knowing that a mistake could potentially cost you one of your developed squad members makes every tactical decision feel much more important.
The only noticeable issue we encountered was that the gameplay could occasionally feel sluggish on Xbox Series X. It was never enough to ruin the experience, but there were moments where we would have liked the game to feel a little quicker and more responsive.
Overall, the gameplay is excellent. The combination of tactical combat, squad customization, cover mechanics, character progression, and base management creates a deep strategy experience that feels perfectly suited to the Star Wars universe.
Audio 9.2
The audio in Star Wars Zero Company is fantastic and does an excellent job of capturing the unmistakable sound and atmosphere of the Star Wars universe. From the music during missions to the sound effects in combat, everything feels like it belongs within Star Wars.
One of my favourite touches is hearing Hawks play his guitar. These moments are surprisingly soothing and provide a nice change of pace between the more intense battles and story sequences. Small details like this give the characters additional personality and make the quieter moments just as memorable.
The voice acting is also fantastic, particularly during the cutscenes, and helps make the story and characters much more immersive. Combined with the excellent Star Wars-style soundtrack and sound effects, the audio presentation is easily one of the game's strongest areas.
Overall, the audio is excellent. The fantastic voice performances, cinematic cutscenes, familiar Star Wars atmosphere, and memorable moments like Hawks playing his guitar make the sound design a major highlight of the experience.
Value 8.8
The value in Star Wars Zero Company is excellent, especially when you consider the quality of the story and the different choices you can make throughout the campaign. The main story takes roughly 22 hours to complete, which already provides a substantial strategy experience.
Players who spend time completing side missions and companion quests can expect closer to 30 hours, while those looking to experience everything can spend around 40 to 42 hours with the game.
The ability to make different choices throughout the adventure also adds value. Being able to approach situations differently, develop your squad, and spend additional time with the companion characters makes the campaign feel more personal and gives you more reasons to explore everything available.
Overall, Star Wars Zero Company provides plenty of value. The fantastic story combined with a lengthy campaign, companion quests, optional content, and meaningful choices makes the time spent with Zero Company feel worthwhile rather than unnecessarily stretched out.
Pros
- Excellent XCOM-style tactical combat that fits the Star Wars universe extremely well.
- Great story that keeps the campaign interesting throughout.
- Fantastic Star Wars-style soundtrack and overall audio presentation.
- Excellent voice acting and cinematic cutscenes.
- Hawks playing his guitar is a memorable and surprisingly soothing touch.
- Sharp graphics with fantastic planets and highly detailed environments.
- Strong cast of characters with plenty of personality.
- Action Point system gives you plenty of tactical freedom during battles.
- Cover, positioning, Overwatch, and Advantage Points add considerable strategy to combat.
- Excellent squad customization with multiple classes and specializations.
- The Den provides plenty of options for upgrading equipment, developing characters, and preparing for missions.
- Companion quests and different choices add more depth and value to the campaign.
- Strong amount of content with roughly 30–40 hours available for players exploring beyond the main story.
- Permadeath adds additional tension and importance to your decisions.
Cons
- Character models could use a little more detail compared to the excellent environments.
- Gameplay can occasionally feel sluggish on Xbox Series X.
- Some tactical encounters could move at a slightly quicker pace.
- Players who do not enjoy slower, turn-based XCOM-style strategy may find the combat less appealing.
Verdict
Star Wars Zero Company is a fantastic tactical strategy game that successfully brings the XCOM formula into the Star Wars universe. The turn-based combat is deep and rewarding, with positioning, cover, Action Points, Overwatch, squad abilities, and character customization giving you plenty to think about during every encounter.
The story is another major highlight. A great cast of characters, excellent voice acting, and cinematic cutscenes make the campaign incredibly enjoyable. Even the quieter moments stand out, such as listening to Hawks play his guitar between missions. Combined with the fantastic Star Wars-style soundtrack and sound effects, the audio presentation is easily one of the strongest aspects of the game.
There is also plenty of value, with the main story, companion quests, different choices, squad development, and optional content providing dozens of hours of gameplay. The Den adds another layer to the experience by giving you a place to improve your squad, purchase equipment, develop relationships, and prepare for the next mission.
There are only a few areas that could have been improved. Character models could use a little more detail, and we occasionally experienced sluggish gameplay on Xbox Series X. However, these issues are relatively minor compared to everything the game does well.
Overall, Star Wars Zero Company is an excellent strategy game with a great story, memorable characters, fantastic audio, beautiful environments, and deep tactical gameplay. For anyone who enjoys XCOM-style strategy and Star Wars, Zero Company combines the two extremely well and delivers one of the most enjoyable tactical Star Wars experiences.