The XCOM reboot helped move isometric tactics games into the mainstream, and it seems Star Wars Zero Company aims to take it even further. It aims to be a strategy title with all kinds of depth, yes, but the devs are hoping to make it more palatable by doing things like letting you explore the world in third-person in between the turn-based battles. It's reminding me of Baldur's Gate 3's big emphasis on AAA production values – which was certainly a major factor in helping that game break out beyond the hardcore RPG fans.
Details about that third-person exploration come courtesy of a new preview in PC Gamer magazine. Essentially, when you're outside of battle, you'll have full control of your customizable protagonist Hawks. Combining these two elements was apparently a major priority for the studio, but balancing them was a challenge.
"We pick our battles," animation lead Hector Antunez tells PC Gamer. "The heart of the game is in the tactical combat. But we really wanted to add an element that allows players to spend even more time in the Star Wars environments and not have those spaces be limited by what would make for fun combat."
The devs themselves reckon that some of the fiddly genres that were once the exclusive domain of PC gamers have been making comebacks in large part because they've been able to present themselves in a more attractive light. Certainly, even Larian has been keen to emphasize just how much of a factor Baldur's Gate 3's production values were in the game's success, which broke out well beyond the typical audience for old-school CRPGs.
But Baldur's Gate 3 gave us AAA production values without sacrificing any gameplay depth, and the Zero Company devs are hoping to do the same. "The gameplay is what it is about," according to Greg Foertsch, founder of developer Bit Reactor. "But depth doesn’t cost you elegance. You can absolutely have [graphics and storytelling], and not to mention, this genre in particular, you should have those things."
Here are all the upcoming Star Wars games you need to know about.
