Star Wars Zero Company review – joyfully absurd heroics with a tight-knit team of misfits

PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, PC; Bit Reactor Split priorities between scripted and emergent story moments hamper an otherwise brilliant Star Wars-themed successor to XCOM Even if you’re unfamiliar with the term “emergent storytelling”, you’ve likely experienced some of the unscripted tales that can bubble up out of a game’s systems.

Perhaps you’ve led a scheming dynasty in Crusader Kings, or watched a favourite hero succumb to madness in Darkest Dungeon .

Maybe you’ve surrendered yourself to the infinite yarn-spinner that is Dwarf Fortress – or read about it from the mid-00s forums where users helped popularise the term “Let’s Play” by chronicling their games in descriptive posts.

Or perhaps you’ve played Firaxis’ XCOM , the alien invasion tactics hit that several key members of Zero Company studio Bit Reactor had a hand in.

Zero Company hinges on a concept as simple as it is perfect: take the complementary class abilities, tough dice rolls, and permanent character deaths of XCOM, and house them in a sci-fi setting known for spaghetti western blaster duels, last stands and heroic sacrifices.

As creative director Greg Foertsch puts it , “Star Wars is about loss.” Which losses you end up mourning in Zero Company depends on you.

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