A Polygon writer explains why Star Wars: Zero Company, a new tactics game from developer Bit Reactor, has become one of their favourite games of 2026 despite only casual interest in the Star Wars franchise. The article argues the game succeeds not primarily through its XCOM-inspired strategy gameplay, but through its focus on small, everyday characters struggling to get by amid a galaxy-spanning conflict, offering the kind of grounded storytelling the writer previously valued in the TV series Andor.

Set during the Clone Wars, Zero Company follows a down-on-their-luck mercenary squad led by Hawks, tasked with stopping a Separatist cult spreading a mysterious plague. The writer says this main plot is fairly conventional, but the real appeal lies in the crew's financial struggles and mundane concerns, such as debts owed to the Hutts, drawing comparisons to Cowboy Bebop's portrayal of gig-economy-style hardship. This "economic space opera" angle, focused on ordinary people affected by war rather than Jedi heroics, is presented as a fresh and unexpectedly compelling addition to the Star Wars universe.