Star Wars Zero Company

[Jarhead0331]

Command an elite squad through a gritty and authentic story in STAR WARS Zero Company™, a single-player turn-based tactics game developed by Bit Reactor in collaboration with Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games. Set in the twilight of the Clone Wars, you will step into the shoes of Hawks, a former Republic officer who leads Zero Company — an unconventional outfit of professionals for hire hailing from across the galaxy.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2075800/STAR_WARS_Zero_Company/

[Zulu1966]

Am not a star wars aficionado - but a fan of the earlier films - but no Stormtroopers ? 

Very disappointing

[al_infierno]

Am not a star wars aficionado - but a fan of the earlier films - but no Stormtroopers ? 

Very disappointing

It's set in the Clone Wars, where the good guys are precursors to storm troopers.

[DesertFox]

Whoa, this looks right up my alley!!

[Destraex]

Would have been a little excited if this was a clone troopers squad. A clone troopers story like republic commando.

Is it wego or just turn based again?

I have fond memories of star wars but cannot bring myself to come back to it after the newer movies and tv series.

[W8taminute]

I have fond memories of star wars but cannot bring myself to come back to it after the newer movies and tv series.

Totally agree with you on this.  In fact, the newer movies reek of "WH40K" style HERESY!

Ahem...

Nerd rage aside, this game looks promising.  I like the fact that there are no familiar characters.  All original.

[Jarhead0331]

Today is the big day...who else pre-ordered?

[Destraex]

So did we confirm if this is WEGO ?

[Destraex]

I have fond memories of star wars but cannot bring myself to come back to it after the newer movies and tv series.

Totally agree with you on this.  In fact, the newer movies reek of "WH40K" style HERESY!

Ahem...

Nerd rage aside, this game looks promising.  I like the fact that there are no familiar characters.  All original.

Oh they were heresy for damn sure. I am a little annoyed the new starfighter movie is set so far into the future actually. They really could have fixed some issues by doing a Wedge Antilles xwing movie or TV series based off the old star wars "heresy" non canon books. I read about 10 of those back in the day. Just like reading an Xwing or tie fighter game mission. This is what the "people" that Star Wars was initially for get excited about. Not the social crap they go on about these days where there is nobody with morals worthy of looking up to. Nothing that feels natural anyway. Heroes are villains and villians are heroes for no reason what so ever. Everybody is in the grey zone, star wars was never about that, it was always about the struggle between good and evil. Modern star wars distils things into grey nothingness. No baddies or goodies, just confused people in a confused universe making ya mum jokes to huge warship's captains or ironing board jokes that forget they are not the community but the movie makers (Breaking the fourth wall). It's as clumsy as it is stupid.

[Jarhead0331]

So far so good. I'm enjoying the experience. They've nailed the Star Wars look, sound and feel. Its very immersive and clearly made by people with attention to detail. I like that you can customize the appearance of your character, the leader of Zero Company. Other games have lost me where the main player avatar can't really be customized into something or someone I can identify with. Here, I've made my guy appropriate to the story, which is a discharged former Captain of a Clone trooper company. Characters that you recruit can also be heavily customized to suit your particular feel and preference. My team is, of course, mostly made up of clones. I have them outfitted in various models of clone armor and the options to paint and customize are impressive without being to crazy. There are some team members who can't be customized. These tend to be ones that are unique in some way or integral to the story. 

Combat is engrossing and action packed. It i very x-com oriented, of course. Each character has 3 points in each turn to move, shoot or take other actions. This can be using a utility item, an explosive, or a special ability or perk. Characters have different classes and specialties...so far, I have scouts, soldiers, heavies, snipers, medics. I suspect there will be more as the story unfolds (ie. Jedis!). Terrain and cover is mostly destructible and the environments to tend to transform as blaster fire and impact grenades take their toll. If there is any issue with the combat, I would say its that the maps have been on the small side so far and you are only allowed to have up to four team members in any given battle. You're usually faced with 4-6 enemies at a time, who are often reinforced as turns progress. I'd like to see bigger maps with more combatants. With respect to the number of troops, I presume this is something that modders will be able to address eventually.

Between missions you go to your little hideout where you can change and modify weapons in the armory, change appearances and outfits, work on droids, and spend points earned in battle to develop and improve your team members. There is a unique team element called bonds, which develop over time bringing your team members either close together or further apart. If bond is increased, you can select activities that increase stats or provide new perks. I'm not sure how a reduction in bond impacts the team but the mechanic is definitely there. In addition to going on missions, you can also go on "operations" which are sort of like little mini-choose your adventure tales. Depending on the path chosen or decisions made, bond can be increased or reduced and certain rewards can be earned (ie. credits, components for weapons, items, influence, etc.).

Missions are selected from a holo map and either branch out from the main story or are activated by completing certain operations. Missions are available on a time limit, so you cannot do all of them. It is important to pick and choose wisely.

In any event, I'm still pretty early in the game, but it definitely feels like it has the making of one of the better Star wars IP games released in quite some time. If you're a SW fan and like x-com style games, this one is a no brainer.   

[Jarhead0331]

I've dropped a ton of hours into this.

Battles have become larger and more challenging with a little bit larger and more complex maps. That being said, you're still limited to 4 or sometimes 5 squad members. This in and of itself tends to artificially raise the challenge. Especially when some objectives are time based, i.e. you only have 5 turns to reach and secure a target.

The main story is decent and will keep me playing...but...I will say the battles are getting a little repetitive. There is not a tremendous amount of diversity in enemy types and since you can only bring 4 squad members into the action with you, I tend to play the same 4-6 characters who use the same weapons and have the same abilities and perks that suit my play style.

Overall, I'd give the game so far a rating of 6-7 out of 10. While still a no brainer for any SW fanatic, its just good, but not great.

[Pete Dero]

https://www.gamefile.news/p/star-wars-zero-company-bit-reactor-furloughs-lawsuit


But for many developers on the game, launch has been bittersweet. Fans love it. Critics prefer it to most recent Star Wars games. Zero Company, which is out for PS5, Xbox Series consoles and PC, is the top-selling game on Steam.

Much of the team that made it, however, is currently going without pay. They were furloughed, just weeks ahead of the game's launch.

A rep for Bit Reactor confirmed to Game File today that the studio had furloughed many of its workers prior to the game's release. They said it was a difficult decision and one that had been made before it was clear how launch would go. The rep emphasized that the call to do this was Bit Reactor's alone (meaning not from publisher EA nor Star Wars license holder Disney).

While the rep declined to comment on the scale of the furloughs, a previously unreported lawsuit brought by studio co-founder Alison Kelly in 2024 noted in a filing from August 12 of this year that Bit Reactor "has furloughed most of its employees and terminated contractors..."

One source told Game File the furloughs impacted 80% of the team; another referred to there only being a skeleton crew left on Bit Reactor's active payroll, ready to address any of Zero Company's post-launch bugs.