Star Wars Zero Company is slick, satisfying, and a surprisingly earnest exploration of how fascism thrives in apathy.

Every member of Zero Company is disposable. The Clone Trooper who saved your life, the old fella you affectionately refer to as ‘pops’, even the young padawan who tags along. Or, at least, the galaxy sees them as disposable. Much like you, they have nowhere else to go. Whether it’s the Republic, the Jedi Order, the Separatists, or any of the other Star Wars factions, everyone has been used and spat back out. You’re all still standing. Until you’re not.

This is to say, the cast of Star Wars Zero Company are as disposable as you allow them to be. This roleplaying XCOM-like is the closest a Star Wars game has come to making me truly feel like a down-on-their-luck merc with their back against the wall, and it was beautiful. It moves effortlessly between moreish combat and narrative beats so affecting that, at times, I wanted to put the controller down in the hope that everyone would be safe when I picked it back up. Star Wars Zero Company is the breath of life the series desperately needs.

Star Wars Zero Company kicks off at the tail end of The Clone Wars between the Republic and the Separatists. We are Hawks, a former Republic soldier turned mercenary who runs their own outfit and believes in very little aside from being able to pay rent.

Hawks is semi-customisable. You can choose from a range of origins, looks, and their first name.

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