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Star Wars Zero Company is more XCOM than RPG, as dev confirms there’s no branching story or romances: “This is still a turn-based tactics game at its heart”
The developers behind Star Wars Zero Company have clarified that the upcoming strategy title will play more like XCOM than a traditional role-playing game, with no branching storylines or romance options for players to pursue. Respawn Entertainment and Bit Reactor, the teams working on the game, want to manage expectations ahead of release by stressing that it remains fundamentally a turn-based tactics experience rather than a narrative-driven RPG in the vein of BioWare's Star Wars titles.
Speaking about the game, the developers confirmed that while it will feature squad-based tactical combat and character progression, the story will follow a fixed path without the dialogue-driven choices or relationship mechanics found in games like Mass Effect or Knights of the Old Republic. The focus instead remains on building and commanding a customisable squad through turn-based missions set in the Star Wars universe, keeping the emphasis firmly on tactical gameplay over player-driven narrative branching.
In short
- Star Wars Zero Company confirmed as pure tactics, not an RPG
- No branching story paths or romance options included
- Developers compare it directly to XCOM's turn-based combat style
Explained simply
The Star Wars franchise has featured several narrative-driven video games, most notably Knights of the Old Republic, which was developed by BioWare and featured branching storylines where player choices affected the plot and allowed romantic relationships with characters. This style of story-focused gameplay has become associated with Star Wars games.
Star Wars Zero Company is a new game being developed by Respawn Entertainment and Bit Reactor, and takes a markedly different approach. It is a turn-based tactics game, similar in structure to XCOM, where players command a squad through strategic combat missions rather than navigating a narrative-driven campaign.
The developers have made clear that Zero Company will not include branching storylines, dialogue-based choices, or romance mechanics. Instead, the game prioritises tactical gameplay and squad combat, with the story following a fixed path that cannot be altered by player decisions.
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