Star Wars strategy game Zero Company has reignited a reader's love of the franchise, not just through its gameplay but its surprisingly good storytelling. Reader Tim Colman finished the game in three days, a feat he attributes to the compelling narrative rather than just the fun of playing. In a reader feature for GameCentral, Colman describes feeling invested in the story and eager to discover what happened next, a sensation he says hasn't occurred in a game for a long time.
Childhood Memories of a Devoted Star Wars Fan
Colman grew up as a devoted Star Wars kid in the 1980s, playing out intense battles in his Star Destroyer playset, which featured a central mediation chamber his characters called 'Darth's Toilet'. He wrote to his local ITV station demanding to know when The Empire Strikes Back would air on terrestrial TV, including drawings of Imperial walkers that resembled malnourished horses. He also made a lightsaber out of a snooker cue and attacked his cousin with it, noting his cousin is 'fine and hardly limps these days'.
Over the years, Colman has played numerous Star Wars games, from the wireframes of the Spectrum to the Nintendo Rogue Squadrons and the recent Jedi games featuring the actor from the last Tron film. While many had half-decent stories, none resonated with him like Zero Company, which he says has 'real heart'. He cared about how it would end, in contrast to the recent Mandalorian and Grogu film, which he felt played like a game with a series of missions: go to planet X, fight a mid-boss, get an item, then proceed to planet Y for a harder fight and a bigger item. He likened it to watching his mum write an unnecessarily complicated shopping list and accompanying her to multiple supermarkets in two hours.
Zero Company's Story and Characters Stand Out
Colman praises Zero Company's story as genuinely engaging, with proper progression and a beginning, middle, and end that naturally comes together. He notes it's not Andor levels of groundbreaking, but it's funny, sad, and surprising, qualities he believes Star Wars games and games in general need more of. The game features a strong cast of characters, including a world-weary rogue with a heart of gold, sarcastic droids, a cool Mandalorian, and a sniper with a comedy Russian accent. The voice cast is uniformly excellent, bringing life to each character, and the post-mission chats provide a pleasant pause rather than a grind.
Colman fondly remembers characters like Hawks, Tel-Rea, Jae, Bennic, astromech IM-8008-IES, Fathom, and Typhon, though he admits one of those names was made up just to see it displayed on screen. As the final scene finished, he gave the game an actual round of applause for a well-told story, realizing that his childhood wonder and love for Star Wars had returned, even if 'Darth's Toilet' didn't make an appearance.
Hopes for a Sequel and Community Engagement
Colman expresses a desire for a sequel, though he notes the development team appears to have been 'sent to the spice mines of Kessel', which doesn't bode well. He hopes their story continues because it deserves to, and he really wants to find out what happens next. The reader feature was submitted by Tim Colman, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent those of GameCentral or Metro. Readers can submit their own 500 to 600-word features via gamecentral@metro.co.uk or the Submit Stuff page.
