Star Wars Zero Company review - joyfully absurd heroics with a tight-knit team of misfits

PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, PC; Bit ReactorSplit priorities between scripted and emergent story moments hamper an otherwise brilliant Star Wars-themed successor to XCOMEven if you’re unfamiliar with the term “emergent storytelling”, you’ve likely experienced some of the unscripted tales that can bubble up out of a game’s systems. Perhaps you’ve led a scheming dynasty in Crusader Kings, or watched a favourite hero succumb to madness in Darkest Dungeon. Maybe you’ve surrendered yourself to the infinite yarn-spinner that is Dwarf Fortress – or read about it from the mid-00s forums where users helped popularise the term “Let’s Play” by chronicling their games in descriptive posts. Or perhaps you’ve played Firaxis’ XCOM, the alien invasion tactics hit that several key members of Zero Compan…