Star Wars Zero Company released late last month, and it became one of my favorite games of the year almost instantly. I recently finished it, and while I was very satisfied with how it all wrapped up, there was one thing–a certain achievement–that was missing, and it filled me with a rage I can only satiate by complaining about it online.
You see, like the XCOM series it took so much inspiration from, Star Wars Zero Company features a permadeath mechanic. With the exception of main protagonist Hawks, any of the allies you take into battle will permanently disappear if they’re killed in battle.
Aside from accidentally knocking someone off the side of the map because I was still going through the tutorial segments in the first hour or so (I restarted the mission in this case), I managed to get through the entire game without losing anyone. Well, except for the poor fellow who automatically dies in the opening segment. The credits rolled and I waited for the achievement to pop up on my Xbox.
Indeed. There are achievements for everyone from making an almost-impossible shot to changing some cosmetic items, but there is no achievement for making it through the game without losing a squad member. There is, however, an achievement for having a squad member die on your watch. If you’re on PlayStation, it’s a literal participation trophy.
I’m not actually a big achievement guy, and this isn’t that big of a deal–I’m much more interested in making sure the team at Bit Reactor gets paid so it can continue making amazing turn-based tactics games like Zero Company. But if you make a sequel, please give me my reward.