Star Wars Zero Company Review
The Company You Keep
I have played plenty of tactical RPGs over the years, but few have made the genre feel this enjoyable. Star Wars Zero Company understands that a great tactical RPG is about far more than combat alone; every mission feels more important when there is a cause worth fighting for. Bit Reactor has designed its entire campaign around this, giving every member of the eponymous Zero Company their own personality. In fact, the fun starts before a mission even begins, with the process of putting the right squad together often being just as rewarding as the missions themselves. The Clone Wars is an ideal setting, creating room for large-scale conflict while telling a much more personal story about a group of people trying to survive amid the chaos. The confidence with which Bit Reactor has brought these ideas together is rightly obtained.
The character customization in Star Wars Zero Company is remarkably deep, with a huge range of species, appearances, equipment, and specializations available across the roster. The main character, Hawks, can be extensively customized, while Custom Operators extend that customization across the entire roster. Most characters can have their class and appearance adjusted as the campaign progresses. Just as importantly, the roster is split between authored characters who join naturally as the story unfolds and custom characters who can be recruited directly, which gives players plenty of control over who fills out the company. The authored characters also have their own personalities and story arcs, making it worth keeping them alive whenever possible to see those arcs through. That contrast between player-created and predesigned characters works especially well, since a carefully built custom recruit can become invaluable in combat, while the story characters give the campaign much of its personality and emotional weight.
Zero Company gets down to business.
The tactical combat in Star Wars Zero Company is exceptional because it makes every decision feel important, and on the higher difficulties, encounters are essentially puzzles to be solved. The tactical combat itself is similar to XCOM, which makes sense given Bit Reactor’s pedigree, and there is plenty of freedom in how each encounter can be approached. Squad composition, positioning, abilities, equipment, and character bonds all play a role. A carefully positioned character can open an unexpected opportunity, while the right ability or specialization can completely change the course of a battle. Preparation is just as important, with building the right squad and deciding how characters complement one another becoming part of the fun.
This carries even more weight with permadeath, which is enabled by default. Characters who suffer too many injuries can be lost permanently, including authored characters, meaning a bad decision can have consequences that last well beyond a single mission. There is a real sense of tension in deciding when to take a risk, especially when keeping one character alive may mean leaving another exposed. The result is a battle system where winning is only part of the challenge; making sure the right people survive can be just as important.
The story follows Hawks, a disgraced former Republic officer blamed for a failed mission that destroyed a clone unit under their command. Now leading an unconventional team of specialists for hire, Hawks must rebuild Zero Company while taking on dangerous jobs across the galaxy. The main threat is the Coil, a Separatist cult infected with the mysterious Shadow Plague, whose members develop unusual abilities after surviving dangerous trials. The story could easily have taken a back seat to the tactical combat, but Bit Reactor puts just as much attention into its characters. Each authored member of Zero Company has their own personality and backstory, and those stories continue to unfold between missions as the campaign progresses.
Trick specializes in explosive solutions.
Operations can be undertaken on behalf of these characters, allowing those personal stories to continue alongside the main plot, while conversations in the Den carry over from one cycle to the next. Bonds can also develop or deteriorate depending on the choices made. Among the companions, Trick is a particular standout as a clone trooper, and his dynamic with one of the other members of Zero Company unfolds in a particularly satisfying way as the campaign progresses. Characters who clash can still form effective partnerships, while closer friendships can lead to powerful stat increases and synergies. This is a Star Wars story that feels uniquely personal, with the larger conflict of the Clone Wars always grounding the story in the people caught within it. Few tactical RPGs manage to make the fate of a squad feel as important as the fate of the battle itself.
The cycle system is a brilliant aspect of Star Wars Zero Company, as it gives the campaign momentum without forcing players down a single path. Each cycle presents a new set of missions and operations to choose from, and players must decide where to spend their time and which objectives to pursue. Operations can provide valuable rewards and influence relationships, while tactical missions advance the campaign and offer their own objectives and challenges. The system also gives the campaign excellent replay value, since there is never enough time to see everything in a single playthrough. Choosing different missions on another run can lead to entirely different objectives and battlefields, making a second campaign feel like a significantly different experience.
The pre-launch review build was not entirely free of technical issues, though most were relatively minor. Some missions experienced noticeable performance problems, with slowdown and occasional freezes between turns, while character creation had an early issue in which many of the available hairstyles failed to appear. Exploration could also produce the occasional oddity, including one instance where Hawks fell through the map and required a save reload. The most concerning issue came when an error occurred while attempting to autosave, although this did not become a recurring problem. None of these issues significantly detracted from the overall experience, but they were notable in the game’s pre-launch state.
The company is always looking for new talent.
The presentation in Star Wars Zero Company is excellent, with graphics that clearly reflect the game’s high production values. The environments are packed with detail, while character models look fantastic and the cinematic presentation makes the campaign feel appropriately grand. That visual ambition does push the PlayStation 5 hardware hard, however, and some textures occasionally struggle to keep up. Beyond the graphics, the sheer variety of planets is astounding, from familiar locations like Ryloth and Lothal to some deeper cuts from Star Wars lore. With so many different locations on display, it would have been nice to explore some of them more freely, especially given how much detail has gone into them. The soundtrack is also excellent, with sweeping orchestral arrangements that fit the Clone Wars era perfectly while still giving Zero Company a distinct identity. The music adds weight to the larger battles while also making the conversations and moments between missions feel like a natural part of the Star Wars experience.
Star Wars Zero Company is one of the best tactical RPGs in years, and Bit Reactor gives the genre a fresh identity while still getting the fundamentals right. The combat is deep enough to challenge longtime strategy fans, yet flexible enough to remain approachable, while the characters are well written and backed by compelling stories of their own. From building the perfect squad to watching bonds develop and seeing those choices play out on the battlefield, nearly every part of the campaign feeds into another. The impressive presentation and soundtrack only strengthen an already remarkable game. Although there are some performance and technical issues, they never detract from how amazing the experience is. RPGamers looking for their next tactical RPG should have Star Wars Zero Company at the top of their list.
Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher.
Excellent tactical combat
Deep squad customization
Memorable characters and storylines
Strong replay value
Performance and technical issues
Locations could be more explorable
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