Developed by longtime veterans of the turn-based strategy genre as well as veterans of past Lucasfilm games, Star Wars: Zero Company looks to give audiences a unique and refreshing take on gameplay that was made popular by the XCOM games. I recently had the opportunity to play a few hours of a preview build thanks to developer Bit Reactor.

It’s always refreshing to see Star Wars eras fleshed out in ways that didn’t seem possible a month ago. The story takes place in the final year of the Clone Wars, around 19 BBY (years before the battle of Yavin). The Outer Rim sieges have put tremendous stress on the Republic military, but the end of the war is methodically approaching. To make matters worse, the Separatists led by General Grievous and Count Dooku aren’t the only faction threatening to overrun the Republic. A new cult, the Infinite Coil, has threatened to turn the war upside down, allying themselves with the Separatists. Led by the brutal Kundri Fathom, Infinite Coil uses asymmetric warfare to constantly stay a step ahead of Republic Intelligence. 

Zero Company: However You Want Them

The game follows Hawks, a former Republic officer who fought in the Clone Wars before being dismissed from service after a devastating mission. Hawks has since done odd jobs, utilizing their skill as a leader and soldier to make ends meet as the war rages on. Hawks is fully customizable, and the only character in the game that can’t be a casualty of permadeath. However, while your Hawks is safe for the run of the story, no one else will be. If you have an attachment to the discharged Clone Trick, or want your Glup Shitto character (yes, you can actually name them that if you’d like) to grow into one of your most reliable operatives, you’d be wise to be careful going into every mission, however easy it seems. 

In 99% of the galaxy’s conflicts, it’s Clones versus Droids, but Zero Company is an exception – they aren’t necessarily fully aligned with the Republic. In fact, many of them don’t come from Republic backgrounds at all. You’ll find out over time how diverse the backgrounds, species, and personalities of Zero Company are. In an early mission, there were squads made up entirely of former Separatists. On other missions, Separatist deserters teamed up with Trick. Seeing how criminals, soldiers, Separatists and astromechs get along (or don’t) is shaping up to be one of the most exciting aspects.

Customization is a highlight. It was surprising how in depth everything was. Main operative Kabb Uppercut can be customized within certain limits, but Hawks or anyone recruitable can be changed completely whenever the player wants. The recruitable operatives in particular can even have personal biographies written for them if the player wants to embrace the role-playing the game offers.

Gameplay 

As an XCOM veteran with countless hours under my belt, I found Zero Company to be a bit more difficult. In general, gameplay is more or less what you’d expect from a turn based tactics game. If you’ve played the XCOM series, Gears Tactics, or Aliens: Dark Descent you’ll know that one wrong move, at any point of the engagement, could mean the loss of your entire squad. So save your shots carefully, place your operatives in safe positions, and most importantly, stay in cover. 

Another welcome change is being able to upgrade the weapons and capabilities of your operatives. Do this as soon as you’re able. Take it from someone who learned the hard way: upgrading perks and adding damage boosts when you have points to spare could mean the difference between advantage and doom. It would also be wise to keep the relationships your teammates have with each other in mind. Consider every decision brought before you carefully before deciding.

Helping out a teammate on a side mission can go a long way toward ensuring he’s next to you when it counts. The choices will always be yours, but understand that they matter in this game. It’s clear with most other tactics games, but it’s no different in the case of Zero Company: Be patient. This game rewards patience. It’s like chess, except the rook is a giant alien who can uppercut battle droids 10 feet into the air.

It’s Your Story, So Make It Yours 

Zero Company stands out as something Star Wars has never done before despite the genre being around for decades. The unforgiving aspect of tactic games that punish you for missing a 99% chance success shot has been around longer than many have lived. But in Zero Company exists a sharpened and honed game that has nearly perfected the style that has proved to be so popular. As someone who has put hundreds of hours into XCOM 2, and used every Star Wars overhaul mod possible, Zero Company is begging you to play the game how you want. Experience the story that crafted by the developers at Bit Reactor however you see fit. And however you choose to do it, it will make for a memorable adventure. 

Star Wars: Zero Company launches August 27 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.