Star Wars Zero Company Turns Star Wars Into an XCOM-Style Strategy

Star Wars has always had the ingredients for a great tactical game. Blasters make positioning important, Jedi can manipulate the battlefield with the Force, Mandalorians have specialized equipment, and droids provide plenty of unusual abilities.

Star Wars Zero Company finally puts those elements into an XCOM-style structure. Instead of controlling another nearly unstoppable hero, players command a squad where positioning, ability combinations and the relationships between characters can decide how a mission ends.

Every Soldier Brings Something Different

Zero Company gives each squad member a distinct role on the battlefield. Some characters specialize in ranged attacks, others work better at close range, while Jedi, Mandalorians and other specialists bring abilities that can completely change the situation.

The action-point system gives players freedom to combine movement, attacks and special abilities during a turn. Characters can also support each other with assists and follow-up attacks, making it possible to build longer combinations instead of treating every squad member separately.

This is where the Star Wars setting becomes particularly useful. A Force ability can reposition an enemy before another character attacks, while mobile fighters can quickly reach positions that would take ordinary soldiers much longer to access.

Positioning Matters as Much as Damage

Finding cover is only the beginning. Many encounters reward players for thinking about where enemies will be after an ability is used and which squad member can take advantage of the result.

Knockback attacks can remove enemies from advantageous positions, while Force abilities can move targets into dangerous areas or directly into another character's line of fire. Players can switch between squad members before finishing a turn, allowing several abilities to become part of the same plan.

Mission objectives also prevent every battle from becoming a simple elimination exercise. Some operations require reaching extraction while reinforcements continue arriving, forcing the squad to abandon comfortable positions and decide when it's time to stop fighting.

Relationships Have a Tactical Purpose

Zero Company also turns relationships between squad members into part of progression. Characters who regularly fight together can strengthen their bonds, eventually receiving advantages from those connections.

That makes squad selection more interesting than simply choosing the characters with the strongest individual abilities. A familiar pair that works particularly well together may be more useful than two individually powerful specialists with little synergy.

It's also a mechanic that fits Star Wars naturally. The series has always been filled with unlikely groups learning to trust each other, and Zero Company gives that idea an actual effect on combat.

Star Wars Works Surprisingly Well as XCOM

The influence of XCOM is obvious in Zero Company, from turn-based encounters and cover to squad development and the possibility of permanent consequences on harder settings. The important part is that Star Wars gives this familiar structure its own collection of tactical possibilities.

Force powers, jetpacks, droids and specialized equipment aren't simply visual references to the franchise. They create additional ways to move around maps, control enemies and combine the abilities of several characters.

Star Wars games usually make the lightsaber the most exciting thing on the battlefield. Zero Company shows that carefully pushing an enemy into exactly the wrong position can be just as satisfying.