Zenless Zone Zero: A New Era in Urban Gacha Games

Style and substance combine in HoYoverse’s urban gacha brawler.

Embracing nostalgia from the early 2000s, Zenless Zone Zero marks HoYoverse’s smooth shift from the fantastical worlds of Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail to an engaging urban dystopia. This universe pits you in dazzling real-time combat as a trio of stylish agents, solving puzzles between battles to navigate a maze of encounters. Additionally, social side activities add layers to this experience. While its stylish execution sometimes lacks depth, Zenless Zone Zero captivated me; its persistent charm drove me to keep fighting, one combat puzzle or bowl of ramen at a time.

Zenless Zone Zero unfolds in a world where monster-filled dimensions known as Hollows have shattered civilization. While much of humanity has been eradicated, the cyberpunk stronghold of New Eridu endures through a precarious relationship with the Hollows and the valuable resources within. You play as Belle or Wise, a sibling hacker duo adept at maneuvering through this dangerous realm, taking on jobs from a roster of quirky characters looking for their next big break. This unique and gritty setup, though complex at times, kept me engaged by challenging my strategic thinking across a range of missions I was eager to conquer.

Your combat adventures start from the retro-tech backroom of the siblings’ video rental store, where you choose from a diverse roster of unlockable agents to form a three-person team and venture into the perilous Hollows, earning XP and upgrade resources. The review build provided by HoYoverse before launch gave me access to all currently available agents, and I quickly developed a liking for those from the Victoria Housekeeping faction, thanks to their charming British accents and battle maid outfits. My favorite, the shark-tailed Ellen Joe, wields an icy blade, applying elemental debuffs to enemies while delivering witty remarks. Although character selection depends largely on the randomness of Gacha pulls, story missions allow you to try out characters without needing to pull them first.

Despite its intensity, Zenless Zone Zero’s combat is approachable and forgiving. You have basic attacks and dodges for timely escapes from marked attacks, and you can switch between agents to avoid damage, parry, or extend combos. Building an enemy’s daze meter triggers a satisfying chain attack, a slow-motion quick-time event where a colleague swoops in to deliver the final blow. Basic and ultimate abilities enhance each character’s combat options, providing variety through a combination of timely button presses and passive skills.

Boss battles tested my reflexes, though I rarely felt overwhelmed as long as I could strategize and manage attack patterns to handle different enemy types. Detailed build systems, difficulty options, and endgame content elevate the skill ceiling for challenge-seekers, but Zenless Zone Zero also caters to those who simply want to enjoy flashy combat. Elegant animations highlight most attacks, adding to the immersive experience. Ultimately, the focus is on the fantasy of fighting with Zenless Zone Zero’s well-designed, voice-acted characters rather than matching the combat depth of games like Devil May Cry – a tradeoff I’m comfortable with, even if it means less mechanical complexity.

Unfortunately, the brilliant combat is hindered by numerous hacker puzzles intended to symbolize the connection between your team and the proxy guiding them through the Hollow from afar. You’ll navigate a labyrinth of CRT monitors between combat sections, triggering mechanisms to reach the next checkpoint or encounter. While visually appealing, this process disrupts the game’s momentum. After navigating these screens, I hurried to the next combat sequence to regain my enthusiasm. The loop of taking on missions and then entering the Hollow to complete them could be the entire game and still be engaging, yet surprisingly, it only constitutes half of the experience. The other half is a life simulator where you explore cozy suburbs, manage your heroes’ business, and maintain relationships with locals through dialogue-driven side stories across a day-to-night cycle. Zenless Zone Zero’s stunning districts, filled with environmental details, make exploration enjoyable. From rusty riverside rides to cluttered rooms and graffiti-covered backstreets, every detail immerses you in this stylish sci-fi world.

As the initial excitement of exploring Hollows faded, I became drawn to the extracurricular activities. Stocking my video store became the center of my daily routine, pairing eclectic tapes from my collection with public demand. I’d then venture outside for better merchandise, completing tasks for locals to earn rewards. This process directed my attention toward social activities, and the money from running my business funded my story missions.

This aspect of Zenless Zone Zero isn’t as focused as the Persona series, which it clearly draws inspiration from, but it provides engaging daily tasks. All activities are integrated through a submenu called the Inter-Knot, which helped me manage my options. This in-game app became essential, acting as a job finder, social media platform, and scheduler, preventing me from feeling overwhelmed by the game’s many activities.

I enjoyed escaping my responsibilities by playing at the Godfinger Arcade, where addictive minigames consumed much of my time. However, the humorous and sometimes profound sub-stories left the biggest impression, reminding me of the human stakes in this world. One side quest features a homeless robot whose ghostly appearance scares a local, leading to a moving resolution. Amidst adorable shopkeepers and in-game currencies, the fragility of Zenless Zone Zero’s post-apocalypse remains evident. Themes of displacement and corruption are reflected in the cinematic story and city design, from dilapidated areas to gentrified districts.

Given the generous nature of HoYoverse’s review build, it was hard to gauge Zenless Zone Zero’s long-term progression systems, but nothing seemed out of line with the developer’s other gacha games. Starting anew at launch will clarify the grind in a live service setting, and we’ll update this review if needed. Nonetheless, I formed a strong attachment to this rich world and its characters by the end of the main story, which spans dozens of hours, feeling that this ambitious game meets the high standards set by Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail.

Verdict

By embracing early 2000s nostalgia and blending it with a stylish vision of the future, Zenless Zone Zero creates a unique world that’s easy to immerse in. Exploring New Eridu and engaging with its charming cast in and out of combat was a thrilling experience. While not as deep as some gameplay inspirations and occasionally hampered by hacking puzzles, the exhilarating combat and numerous activities kept me engaged in the vibrant world of Zenless Zone Zero.