Star Wars: Zero Company Hands-on Preview - I Sense The Xcom In You Young Padawan
It is very well known among my family, friends, enemies and strangers down the Pub, that I love Xcom. I am very vocal about my love, and while I will never profess to actually being good at Xcom, I adore it. The mix of strategy, tension, puzzling, frustration and success feeds me in a way few games ever have. I also have a deep love for Star Wars. Even with Disney doing everything in their power to over-saturate my beloved space opera, it still holds a firm place in my heart. So when I heard that these two icons of my personal entertainment history were getting together, I knew I just had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. Thanks to EA, I have done just that and let me tell you, Star Wars Zero Company is shaping up to be the tactical title that Xcom fans have been looking for.
Set during the Clone Wars era, Zero Company sees players take on the titular group of mercenaries, who are deep in debt to the Hutts. Out of the blue, the Republic drops by and offers a big pay cheque to investigate a mysterious cult that is popping up everywhere and supporting the Separatist army. So, as you can imagine, spying needs to be carried out, investigations need to occur, and turn-based battles need to be fought. As far as stories go, in my 10 or so hours with the game, this one feels like it is going to work out nicely. There is a range of characters that have a wonderful interplay between each other, and even when a random character is added to the team, there are some nice dialogue moments in between missions. It feels like the developers have spent a lot of time making sure that Zero Company feels like they have been together for a long time and have built a great rapport with each other. From the outside, this may not seem like much, but I have a feeling that when I am into my (expected) 80th hour with the game, that family feeling will make the stakes higher and only increase my engagement.
Combat is going to be pretty familiar for anyone who has played Xcom before, and that is no surprise; a lot of the team that built Zero Company used to be over at Firaxis. There are, however, bits and pieces from other turn-based games, including Midnight Suns, and some nice new innovations of their own. The familiar things, like shot percentages, half and full cover, overwatch and multiple class types, are there. There are explosive and damaging objects littered around the levels which players can knock enemies into ala Midnight Suns, and there are enemy reinforcement points which, if you can get there in time, make for great ambush locations. There is nothing quite like wiping out a whole group of enemies just as they enter the battlefield thanks to a well-set-up overwatch ambush.
Perhaps the biggest difference between Xcom and Zero Company is the special abilities and the sheer number of classes. Eight different classes of trooper, each of which can be customised and upgraded as they gain experience, and they all have their own moves and special moves that players will want to learn and utilise to be successful. For example, the heavy trooper has access to a rocket attack that is great for damaging a large group of enemies, or the medic has a heal-over-time effect that can be placed on all teammates within their vicinity. These special moves require a separate resource that is built up by causing damage to the enemy, so they are limited in use, but their judicious deployment was the difference between victory and failure on more than one occasion as I was playing.
The combination of all these things results in wonderfully approachable battles that are immensely satisfying to plan out and execute. I played on normal difficulty, and I think that is the perfect way to start out. I would say, on the whole, it is a shade easier than Xcom at normal, which makes sense as there are going to be a host of Star Wars fans who may be interested in Zero Company yet have no experience with the genre. There is a challenge at this difficulty, and I hit a few little bumps early on, but once I sussed out my characters and their skills, I found I was able to plan my way through pretty effectively with minimal damage or loss. If you are a hardcore Turn-based player, then you may want to start off at a higher difficulty, but for most it seems like normal will be the sweet spot.
It wouldn’t be a great strategy game without an interesting meta outside of combat, and Zero Company is shaping up nicely in this area. The team’s HQ serves as the base for these activities, and players have a range of things that they can do. Upgrade their mercs, chat with cohorts (which may lead to new missions), improve facilities or weapons and hire new recruits. When all that is done, players can then engage in intel-related missions that will bring in resources and possibly open up new combat scenarios or even story beats. There is a lot of choice available, and different choices seem to have real impact on how things play out. Finally, every activity seems to contribute to Zero Company’s standing throughout the galaxy. If you gain enough influence in the many different zones, there are rewards and bonuses to be had. There is nothing here that is truly surprising or new to the genre, but it has all been put together with a sure hand and a deft touch, making it engaging and worthwhile, not just filler in between the combat.
After my time with the game, I have no hesitation in saying that this really could be the game that Xcom fans have been looking for since Xcom 2 came out all those years ago. It is building on and evolving Xcom’s format in interesting ways, and it adds a boatload of appeal by using the Star Wars licence in clever ways. Speaking of, the Star Wars licence could be the door-opening on the tactics genre that many players needed to give it a try. I expect a host of tactics newbies to check this out, so it has real potential to bring a horde of new fans into the genre, which I would love to see. If you have bounced off Xcom in the past, then I can’t see Zero Company winning you over, but if you are a tactics fan, or just a Star Wars nut who is keen to dip their toes in, Zero Company has the potential to be one of the games of the year. I know it has skyrocketed to the top of my personal wishlist, and I can’t wait for the full release on August 27.
