Mobile games have been dominating the screens, and wallets, of gamers everywhere. The company who has been consistently pushing the boundary of quality and content is muHoYo. The creators of Honkai Impact 3rd, Genshin Impact, and Honkai: Star Rail have perfected the blend of gameplay, story, and characters, all for free (with optional microtransactions, of course). And the latest addition to their catalog shakes up the formula just enough to feel fresh while still delivering the quality and feel we’ve come to expect from them. Here is everything you need to know, before launch, about Zenless Zone Zero (ZZZ).
The Story of Zenless Zone Zero
The world has been overcome by a mysterious disaster called the Hollows. These giant spheres appear out of nowhere, connecting our world to an alien dimension crawling with mutated monsters, the Ethereal. The Hollows destroy anything they touch and people trapped inside are either hunted down by Ethereal or go mad and mutate. All hope is not lost, however, for one last bastion of civilization has developed a way to control the Hollows. New Eridu is a city built to combat, contain and even capitalize on the Hollow disaster. By extracting a new resource called Ether, technology and quality of life were able to advance and improve in New Eridu, making it a hotbed for competing factions and fanatics. It is here, in this urban jungle, where you, a Proxy, will stake your claim and uncover the mysteries of the Hollow, Ether technology, and new Eridu.
Gameplay and Features
Zenless Zone Zero is an urban fantasy anime-inspired action RPG with roguelike elements operating on an energy system with a gacha acquisition model. You play as a Proxy, an operator who controls agents called Hollow Raiders to explore the Hollows and defeat enemies. Story missions will generally be a blend of action stages, where a party of three will explore the map, fight enemies and collect currency, and a top-down grid-based puzzle stage, where you control an avatar to advance the mission while avoiding hazards and collecting buffs.
The combat should feel very familiar to Genshin players, with real time combat mechanics like basic attacks, specials, ultimates, staggering enemies, perfect dodges, and elemental weaknesses. In addition to standard missions, there is a roguelike mode called Area Zero. It is basically the main missions but more condensed and no story. You can freely explore a hub world with shops, NPCs, side quests (including building affection with agents) and minigames.
muHoYo seems to be experimenting with their presentation in ZZZ. Throughout the game, players will click through a blend of pre-rendered cutscenes, comic style paneling, and talking character models. The animation, specifically, is where ZZZ sets itself apart from its predecessors. It feels very bouncy and fluid. The character models will often stretch and morph to exaggerate movement. Over-the-top gestures and expressions are in stark contrast to that of, say, Honkai: Star Rail. Watch any character trailer for ZZZ, and you’ll see what I mean. As a whole, it gives off this fun bubbly carefree attitude that I expect will crash into some heavy story beats.
The action is no slouch either, with sharp clean attack animations accentuated by impressive impact frames. All in all, Zenless Zone Zero is shaping up to be another hit.
What’s Next
As of this writing, the official release date hasn’t been announced, but is expected to be this year. Meanwhile, two beta-test campaigns are currently underway. The Amplifying Test launches April 18, 2024 and will give players a chance to play on Windows, iOS, and Android. The Playstation 5 Technical Test launches April 25, 2024. This version released is a closed, limited, beta-test with no payment options and data is to be deleted when the campaigns end. Sign-ups have since closed, but you can still participate in the Volume Amplification Giveaway. Simply pre-register for the game for a chance to win prizes like Test Qualification and an iPhone 15. You can complete specific tasks like following the official social media pages to get draw chances which you then use to draw prizes. More information can be found on the official website.
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