Say Hello to Starfinder: Afterlight's Companions

When charged with creating a game adaptation of Paizo's iconic TTRPG setting, Starfinder: Afterlight developer Epictellers Entertainment knew that the characters had to come first. The heart of a good tabletop gaming session is its players and the characters they create. When tabletop games are adapted to video game format, recruitable companions fill the role of one's fellow players. Inspired by titles such as Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and Baldur's Gate 3, the team behind Starfinder: Afterlight worked to create a memorable cast of characters for players to adventure with.

Leading up to the launch of Starfinder: Afterlight's highly successful Kickstarter, the team showed off reveal trailers for several of the game's companions. Four companions were revealed in this manner: Kole Stryker, Tycho, Lu-323, and Sterling. In addition, the daring spacefarer Captain Khali (Carolina Ravassa) was shown off to celebrate the Kickstarter's debut. Epictellers Entertainment co-founder Ricard Pillosu spoke to The Best War Games about the process of creating each companion, the inspiration behind them, and the themes focused on in their story.

Kole And Lu Were Inspired By Film And Manga

Pillosu revealed that Kole (Fred Tatasciore) and Lu (Melissa Medina) were some of the earliest characters created for the game. Kole was developed by writer Isabel Perez, who was inspired to give him an aspiring action star personality after watching the film American Ninja. Perez approached him, saying, "This is so cheesy. I love it. We need to put it into Starfinder." The result was Kole, a Vesk soldier with dreams of being a 1980s action star. Fans have already compared the character to Guardians of the Galaxy, which, Pillosu admits, wasn't what the team was initially going for, but they were thrilled to hear.

Epictellers Entertainment's other writer, Felix Rios, was inspired to create the android Lu-323 by the manga Battle Angel Alita. Lu is a character, Pillosu explained, whose story centers around the theme of free willingness — she constantly questions how much of her personality and actions are truly herself, and how much is her programming. Describing Lu, Pillosu said:

"Every time [Lu] does something, she's second-guessing herself: "Am I doing that because this is my programming?" Even romance. If she approaches you, she thinks, no, maybe that's my programming trying to get me to seduce you. She thinks "I want to know if that's me or not." She asks, how does our background define us?"

Sterling And Tycho Have Become Early Fan Favorites

Two other recruitable companions have been shown off via reveal trailers: Tycho (Inel Tomlinson), a Ysoki Operative, and Sterling (James Alexander), a Human Borai Solarian. Pillosu revealed that Tycho has become an unexpected fan favorite since his debut. "People really like Tycho," he laughed. "We think he's very cool, but people think he's even cooler than we take him for." Fans have already approached Pillosu and his fellow Epictellers co-founder Albert Jane, suggesting that they should make an animated series following the adventures of Kole and Tycho. The fans feel that the two have excellent comedic chemistry, and many are eager to see their interactions in the game.

Sterling, meanwhile, has gained popularity because of his suave, gentlemanly nature, with some fans immediately pegging him as their romance option of choice. Sterling was a character that Pillosu and the team struggled with in development, because they were concerned that a traditionally gentlemanly character — described as "Kingsman in space" — would not resonate with a modern audience. The character went through many different iterations and designs before the Epictellers Entertainment team found something they liked. However, Pillosu's worry seems unfounded, as reaction to Sterling has been generally positive, with many already drawn to his looks.

There is at least one more recruitable companion who has yet to be revealed, as well as several important NPCs and other characters. The team will hopefully reveal more in the future as the game's Kickstarter progresses, and it enters Early Access in 2026.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image