Star Wars Zero Company Review: Midnight Suns Meets XCOM in the Best Possible Way

Please note: This review contains major spoilers for the game’s story, characters, and key gameplay moments. If you’re planning to play the game yourself, we recommend returning once you’ve finished your playthrough.

Review Information

Platform: PlayStation 5
Edition: Standard
Display: Lenovo Legion 27inch
Audio: Sony Pulse Elite
Release Date: August 27th, 2026
Hours Played: 15

Introduction

I’ve been longing for a turn-based tactics game since Marvel’s Midnight Suns back in 2022. There’s just something quite special about these games. They require you to truly think ahead about every single decision, especially when you play on the tougher difficulties.

We’ve now got a Star Wars version, developed by Bit Reactor and published by EA. Of course, I had high expectations going into the game. These are the types of games I can sink multiple hours into, across multiple different playthroughs, and not have a care in the world. Thankfully, Zero Company makes an immediate impact and quickly proves that Star Wars is a perfect fit for this type of game.

Story & Characters

The story begins with your playable character, Hawks. You can change their first name, and the whole setup is very reminiscent of Hunter in Midnight Suns. Hawks has their own company and is essentially just trying to stay afloat during the height of the Clone Wars. We quickly learn that they owe 80,000 credits to the Hutts, meaning they’ll need to take almost any contract that comes their way.

It’s a fairly basic start and nothing particularly special. It’s not the worst setup I’ve seen, but in the hours I’ve played so far, I haven’t really cared all that much for the main story. Anakin Skywalker showing up was obviously a major highlight, but outside of moments like that, the overarching narrative hasn’t completely grabbed me yet. I do suspect this will get better, though, because it certainly has the foundations to become something great.

Where the story does begin to shine is with the supporting cast around Hawks. We have Trick, a clone who has been severely injured; Zabb, who has some of the best dialogue I’ve seen in the game; and Tel-Rea, a Jedi who wants to complete her mission rather than return to the Order, even with Anakin’s blessing. The supporting cast does a good job of adding layers to the overall story, with each of these characters having their own side stories and missions that you can assist with. I’ve found myself becoming far more invested in them than the main narrative so far.

The main villain is Kundri Fathom, who leads the Infinite Coil. So far, they haven’t overly impressed me. It almost feels like an Iron Man 3 situation with the abilities and the 50/50 chance of obtaining the abilities or dying. There’s also this much bigger conflict happening in the background, yet we’re being pulled away to deal with another threat. In the middle of a Separatist/Republic war, I’m not completely sold on deviating from that conflict, especially when many of the contracts still lead us towards Separatist forces anyway. I know there’s crossover between the groups, but so far, the Infinite Coil hasn’t done enough to make me care about them as much as the wider Clone Wars conflict.

That being said, the Infinite Coil does have the potential to become a major threat. There have been moments where they genuinely feel dangerous, and Kundri Fathom even manages to cause some concern for Anakin. That alone shows they’re nothing to be trifled with, and I expect their threat to grow as the game progresses, or at least, I hope it does. I’m clearly not at the end of the story at the point of writing, so there’s still plenty of time for my opinion on both the Infinite Coil and the wider narrative to change.

Gameplay

You can control a team of up to 4 operators (sometimes more depending on the mission). You can often choose your team, giving you complete freedom in how you play. You can add a Jedi, astromechs, and different types of ranged fighters, including scoundrels and Mandalorians. It gives that satisfying feeling of knowing that every single time you load into a mission, you have no idea what to expect because it can play so differently each time.

Each of these different options has its own skills and unlocks. You can enhance these further as characters bond with each other the more they go out on missions together. From what I’ve seen so far, I can’t see many situations where you can become ridiculously overpowered in the same way you usually can in these types of games. However, I haven’t completed the game yet or fully understood every mechanic on offer. That’s another plus point for the game, though, as it feels like it’s continuously expanding.

I also like that the game allows you to move around outside of combat and freely explore the ship without turning it into an entirely separate section of the game. Midnight Suns is an example of where this perhaps didn’t work as well as they thought. It became tedious quite quickly, so I am happy that Zero Company has minimised this and kept it simple.

As always with strategy games, the combat can provide some incredibly satisfying moments. I’ve been surrounded by around 12 droids and, between 4 operators, I’ve been able to take all of them down in a single turn. Of course, they were mostly B1 droids, but it’s still super satisfying picking them off one by one. I’ve also found that I love discovering a new mechanic or ability. Seeing Anakin literally throw his lightsaber like he’s peak Darth Vader was fantastic.

During each turn, your operators have action points to use, with each getting 3. Some actions cost more or less, which is why I chose the Gunslinger specialisation right off the bat because you get the Quick Draw ability. This ability basically gives you a free action if you kill the target. There are still those classic XCOM moments where you miss a 95% shot, or the amazing times when you somehow hit a 5% shot. It’s very XCOM-esque in terms of those wild percentages, but it’s satisfying nonetheless.

The game can punish you hard if you make a mistake. There are different difficulties, ranging from Story all the way up to Expert-Beskar, so you can play how you want to. For my first playthrough, I started on Normal, which still feels tough in parts. Like the above-mentioned percentages, if you miss a 95% kill shot, the tide can turn instantly. It’s what makes these games special. You have to truly think about every single move you make to be successful in that mission.

Customisation & Content

I was blown away by the customisation options very early on. Once you gain access to customise Hawks, you quickly realise just how much freedom the game gives you. You can have them dressed in bounty hunter gear or even as a clone trooper, including gear inspired by the 501st. It makes an immediate impact on the experience when you realise just how much you can change the appearance of your characters.

The game also follows in the footsteps of XCOM by allowing you to hire soldiers and customise them to your heart’s content. You can change their appearance, name and even biography, allowing you to make each member of your company feel like your own. Considering these are characters you’re potentially going to spend hours taking into missions and developing, having that level of control is a fantastic addition.

I also noticed pretty early on that you continue unlocking further customisation options as you play, which makes me wonder just how far the system eventually goes. I’m hoping there’s some Mandalorian gear and maybe even Jedi-inspired gear waiting for me later on. Oh, and you can customise astromechs as well, which is just utterly brilliant.

Like any tactics-style game, Zero Company is also filled with side content in the form of missions. You can choose to focus on the main campaign or go off and do your own thing for a while. It’s very similar to what we’ve seen from XCOM and Midnight Suns in that regard. In the early game, I’ve found the side content rewarding enough that I actually want to complete it rather than feeling like I’m simply clearing icons from a map.

There’s plenty of replayability here as well. Between the different operators, specialisations, squad combinations and customisation options, there’s already a lot I’d want to experiment with differently on another playthrough. That makes the lack of New Game+ even more frustrating because this feels like exactly the type of game that could benefit from it.

For £50 for the Standard Edition? You can tell from a mile away that the game is worth every single penny.

Presentation & Performance

Tactics games aren’t often known for their graphics, in fairness. We’ve seen the likes of XCOM, Midnight Suns, Halo Wars and more. These games tend to focus more on strategy and mechanics, and that’s okay. However, Zero Company does have some pretty good graphics. The game feels immersive, the environments look great, and the overall designs are on point.

It’s a Star Wars game, so the sounds immediately feel familiar. The music, the blasters, the lightsabers — they all sound amazing, so audio is a straight 10/10. I don’t think there’s been a Star Wars game in the last 10 years that hasn’t excelled when it comes to audio, and Zero Company is no different.

In regards to performance, I played the game on Performance Mode on the base PS5. You do see some frame rate drops and occasional temporary freezes which fix themselves after a few seconds, but overall, I find the game runs well. I haven’t suffered any hard crashes that have put me back to the console dashboard. Considering the amount that can sometimes be happening on screen at once, I’m impressed in all honesty.

What I love about the game is how much the environment matters. I can’t tell you how much I love using a Jedi when we’re on a rooftop somewhere. Having the ability to Force Push an enemy off the roof and instantly kill them is incredible. During the final section with Anakin Skywalker, that’s basically all I found myself doing, and I loved every single second of it.

The era provides a lot of familiarity as well. The Clone Wars is an era most people know, especially because of the Prequel movies. When you hear about the war, you know exactly what’s going on and what the galaxy looks and feels like during this period. It’s even better for people who watched The Clone Wars animated series. There’s a real sense of familiarity, especially when you see characters you know so well like Anakin Skywalker appear alongside your own company.

Highlights

1. When I first loaded up the game, I saw the amount of customisation options available and it immediately got me excited. It’s not just the amount of gear you can choose from either; you can change the colour palettes, giving you even more freedom in how you want your characters to look.
2. The Jedi elements. First Tel-Rea, and then getting to control an overpowered General Skywalker just hit differently. I really do hope that Anakin can become a fully playable character at some point.
3. The tactical combat is incredibly satisfying when everything goes to plan. Taking down around 12 droids in a single turn with only 4 operators was one of those moments where everything just clicked. The game constantly rewards you for thinking ahead, and pulling off the perfect turn never gets old.
4. The supporting characters have been a major highlight. Trick, Tel-Rea and especially Zabb have added so much personality to the company, and I love that sending characters out together can develop their bonds even further. The main story hasn’t completely grabbed me yet, but the characters absolutely have.

What Didn’t Work

1. I will be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Overwatch system. I liked the way they handled it in XCOM, whereas in Zero Company, you set a cone and anyone who walks through it will be fired upon. I preferred the older system where you pressed triangle and it was automatic. It felt snappier and quicker.
2. Only having 4 characters in your squad felt a bit limiting. I would’ve liked to see 5, maybe even 6 operators out in the field on certain missions.
3. In between rounds can sometimes be a slog. It takes too long, and it’s even worse when you take down an enemy only for their “life force” to hit another living enemy. Don’t get me wrong, I am nitpicking, but I sometimes find myself just picking up my phone while it’s happening.
4. No New Game+ hurts. It worked wonders for Midnight Suns, and with how much replayability Zero Company already has, I feel like this is a huge missed opportunity.

Buy, rent, wait for a sale or avoid?

Personally, I didn’t even hesitate on this. The moment the game became available to preorder, I did so. If you’re even a slight fan of tactics and strategy games, and you’re also a Star Wars fan, this is an instant buy without question.

It’s not perfect. The story hasn’t completely won me over yet, there are a few gameplay mechanics I’d like to see improved, and the lack of New Game+ is a huge missed opportunity. Despite that, I’ve already found myself completely hooked by the combat, customisation and sheer amount of freedom the game gives you. For £50, there’s already more than enough here for me to feel like I’ve got my money’s worth.

Star Wars: Zero Company takes so much of what I loved about XCOM and Midnight Suns and puts it into a galaxy far, far away. It’s a combination I’ve wanted for years, and thankfully, it delivers.