Zenless Zone Zero (PlayStation 5, Android, IOS, PC)

Zenless Zone Zero is the newest title added to HoYoverse’s category of games. Despite coming from the make of Honkai Impact 3rd and Genshin Impact, this title is starkly different from the two. This can be seen in both gameplay and storytelling. With such a different tone, it can be hard to know what exactly you are getting into with Zenless Zone Zero. Below, we take a look at the game, what makes it tick, and whether or not you should download it on your device.

Booting Up

Zenless Zone Zero has a very different tone than the rest of HoYovere’s category, and this is the first thing that may surprise players. In contrast, other stories tend to range on the darker side from the developer. Zenless Zone Zero has a lot of comedy and starts out by introducing you to a character called Billy Kid. Billy Kid will remind you of a watered-down Deadpool at first, with his quick quips and joking nature. While this may seem like a happy-go-lucky world, the game is actually set in a post-apocalyptic setting. New Eridu is the only city left and is accessing the Hollows in order to obtain new technology. The government of the city has monopolized the Hollows, making the city unstable.

Now, corporations, hackers, and gangs are at a loss for technology. This leads to the main character, a proxy who can guide players through the Hollow’s help. The Proxy doesn’t enter themselves but acts as a navigator for the team. Like with most of HoYoverse’s titles, the story of the game is nowhere near finished. New content will come out with every patch and is expected to be drip-fed to players for years to come. The new story will be free, and all players, whether paying or free-to-play, will be able to enjoy it. Keep in mind that there is a stamina meter that you will need to manage while playing the game, leading to a lot of time gating as you progress.

There are plenty of characters in the game already, but there isn’t enough lore yet to determine who will be a fan favorite. HoYoverse traditionally loves to invest new story content into all their characters, so they will become more fleshed out over time. We have already seen some glimpses of the core cast’s personalities, and the company is trying a lot of new things with Zenless Zone Zero.

Cyber Attacks

The combat of Zenless Zone Zero is still real-time action, like many of their other games. You rack up points as you hit enemies and operate a team of three to help you beat down baddies. Special and ultimate attacks will activate while you fight to help you deal more damage. This is the part of the game I’m a bit divided on. While the characters are stylish, and their attacks certainly feel good, the enemies feel a bit spongey. While this may change as I get a good arsenal, some early players could get turned away. Of course, there are buffs, debuffs, and all types of fun combinations you can try out, a staple of the developer.

Of course, you also have to worry about leveling up and equipping your characters with the right gear. This is where things are a bit time-locked, as you can only run so many missions a day. This means that collecting these materials is a bit staggered, as is the case with HoYoverse’s other titles. If you want to spend a bit of money, you can get around this, but for many players, this may be a bit of a hurdle. Zenless Zone Zero is going to attract fans of other HoYoverse titles, and convincing the dev’s fans to drop money in yet another gacha-type game may be challenging. If you invest in pulls, then you will get better characters, S-ranked characters are the best, but you can get an A every ten pulls. Every 90 pulls, you are guaranteed to get an S-rank character, and there is a standard banner you can pull on to get an S-rank faster.

The combat feels good, and the stages are a bit drab, but if you like the characters and see points go up as you play, you will probably enjoy this game. We highly recommend that players check out trials to see if they like the feel of the available characters before pulling on them. HoYoverse has a talent for making a wide range of characters, with each of them feeling a bit different. If you can find characters that feel smooth to use, then you will have a lot more fun during the combat.

Exploring The Web

Exploring the Hollow is done using a mini-game-esque movement sequence. When you enter any type of mission, a map of TV screens will pop up. You will need to move across these screens one by one. Some of them are blank, while others have treasure or enemies. Running into an enemy will open up a 3D environment for you to fight in. If you move to an item or money screen, then you will collect that reward. Along with this, there are small puzzles you will need to solve to progress. Some of the first ones you run into involve moving a box on top of a button. These puzzles, for the most part, are pretty simple.

This is another area that players may find a bit strange. While there are different routes and ways you can play through the missions, this section may not be for everyone. There is an option to speed through dialogue, but you will need to actually select your routes and win the fights yourself. You will need to get to the finish line on each map to finish the mission; of course, there are always things like boss fights to keep you busy at the end. The game does have fantastic music to listen to while playing it, and the graphics aren’t too shabby, either. These segments didn’t feel all that hard, but you can choose between two difficulties if you feel like you are racing through story missions too quickly.

Real Life

You are not always going to be surfing the web. Sometimes, you get to play as the main character offline. During these segments, you can visit various shops and take in the vibrant neighborhood around you. There are colorful characters to meet and shopping to be done. Here, you can also access the many game menus. These menus help you to do everything from building your character to pulling for new ones. The menus are a bit hard to navigate, though, especially if you have chosen to play on a console. On computers and mobile devices, the menus fare better thanks to the touch screen and mouse controls. While quality-of-life changes will likely iron this out, it may be a bit of a nuisance for console players at first.

There is very little of  New Eridu that you can currently explore, but the neighborhood does give you a good impression of what the city is like. With that being said, it’s a bit hard to know which direction HoYoverse will take. You likely won’t spend most of your time in the overworld anyway, so having a smaller area makes sense for now. With other games the developer has made, the direction is a bit clearer and the start, but Zenless Zone Zero feels like it just might be a slower burn.

Using a Proxy

Zenless Zone Zero didn’t come in with a bang like the likes of Genshin Impact or Honkia. Instead, it feels a lot different; it leans on comedy and stylish animations to pull the player in from the start. It also incorporates foul language to try and bolster its more humorous dialogue, which may remove it as an option for some of the younger players that enjoy HoYoverse titles. The menus are hard to navigate, making it less enjoyable for console players, and with many great gachas from the company, it’s hard to see players opening their wallets for another new title, especially one that feels like there’s a lot of fleshing out left to do. Luckily, you still have the option of being completely free-to-play and getting the full story.

We don’t dislike Zenless Zone Zero, although the TV mini-game could use some tweaks, but it’s not a smash hit either. It’s a decent game that will likely be largely improved over time, but early players may find themselves playing for a short while and then waiting to come back after improvements are made. The character models are beautiful, and the personalties feel unique, even with the large rosters of characters from other titles by the developer. If you like beating enemies up and love the art style, then go ahead and try it out; it’s free anyway. If you like a meaty game, then try another HoYoverse title while they work on beefing up the story and hopefully improving the game’s core systems.