Republic Commando: Zero Hour

**Input methods** | Keyboard / Mouse, Controller

"*Take on the galaxy's toughest foes as you command an elite squadron of Republic Commandos. Battle across several different fronts, from the lush woodland and plain terrain of Dantooine, to the scorching heat of Tatooine, to the beautiful and elegant countryside of Naboo. There is a war to be won and Separatists to be fought. Make your brothers and the Republic proud by helping the lead to victory.*"
― Game description
***Republic Commando: Zero Hour***, or simply known as ***Zero Hour***, is a fictitious first-person shooter Star Wars video game. Serving as a new installment to the *Republic Commando* novel and video game series, *Zero Hour* expands on the known canon cast of protagonists, telling the tale of another squadron of clone commandos. As brothers together, these four valiant and courageous Clone Commandos proudly serve the Galactic Republic, fighting in the Clone Wars against the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

*Zero Hour* was released in Fall 2017 for PC via Battle.net, Xbox One, and PS4. Despite having launched across multiple platforms, the console editions of the game come with less content than the PC edition.

# Background

## Synopsis / Story

The Clone Wars has begun. Vicious fighting between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems rampages all over the galaxy as both sides vie for the most control and influence over the vast amount of worlds. Ever since assuming control of a massive clone army, the Galactic Republic has been retaliating against the Confederacy’s attacks on all fronts, deploying them against all odds with Jedi commanders.

Assume the role of a Republic Commando, one of the Republic’s finest breed of soldier. Lead your squad of brothers through intense and varied battles across a multitude of worlds across the entire galaxy. Dare to look your enemy in the face. Dare to lead the Republic to victory with your brothers and comrades, no matter the cost. Dare to make a difference.

### Characters

*Main article: Republic Commando: Zero Hour/Characters*
## Setting

*Zero Hour* primarily takes place during the Clone Wars, with some prologue aspects taking place a few years prior. There are several locations that appear in the game, though the recurring main planet is Coruscant.

### List of Planets / Locations

*Main article: Republic Commando: Zero Hour/Planets*
# Gameplay

## Game Modes

### Campaign

The Campaign of *Zero Hour* takes place during all three years of the Clone Wars. The player’s squadron of clone commandos taking on all kinds of enemies on all fronts of the galaxy. While there are some story elements to the campaign, there is no set story other than the war. The Campaign is divided into four segments. Segment 0 is the prologue and tutorial phase, in which the players spend all their time on Kamino. Segment 1 is the first year of the war, including the Battle of Geonosis as the preliminary operation. Most missions from this point on are considered non-canon. Segment 2 is the second year of the war, capturing most of the hard fought and gruelling battles It is the longest segment and contains the most variety in missions. Segment 3 is the third and final year of the Clone Wars, before the ultimate execution of Order 66 and the Republic’s transition into the Galactic Empire, both of which are also included in the final missions of the game.

If the Campaign is completed on the hardest game difficulty, the player will get access to a bonus Segment 4. Segment 4 provides new gameplay as Imperial commandos and what happens following the events in Segment 3. The player and their squadron are tasked with hunting their former Jedi commander as the newly formed Vader’s Fist seeks to hunt out and eradicate the last of the Jedi. This section follows more of a linear story, as it is simply bonus content that provides some story following the main Campaign.

Cooperative Campaign in Zero Hour allows players to team up, up to 4 players both online and locally, and fight Seps together in the Campaign. There are a few differences in terms of gameplay, as the singleplayer Campaign is somewhat unique. Overall, the missions and Segments are all the same, with the exception of minor things like dialogue, enemy count, enemy difficulty, and so on.

### Multiplayer

Multiplayer in *Zero Hour* is divided into two separate categories: Competitive Multiplayer and Cooperative Multiplayer. Competitive pits players against one another while Cooperative has players team up against AI. The game mode for Competitive Multiplayer is Conquest.

In Competitive, most game modes are 4v4, as 4 is the number of a single squad of commandos. Because it is unrealistic that two commando squadrons would be fighting each other in real situations, the setting is essentially terrains and planets of the game that are simulated in training exercises on Kamino, meaning that Competitive takes place during Segment 0 and it’s like the commandos training against one another to prepare for real war later on.