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Zenless Zone Zero | Review Thread

Thick Thighs Save Lives

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
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Developer: miHoYo
Publisher: HoYoverse
Release Date: 4 July, 2024
Platforms: PlayStation 5 | PC (Epic Games, HoYoPlay) | iOS | Android
Genre: Free-to-play action role-playing game
Trailer: Zenless Zone Zero Official Release Teaser
Metacritic - 82 based on 14 Critic Reviews

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Reviews:

Twinfinite - 100
Zenless Zone Zero is without doubt the new best gacha action RPG out there, beating Wuthering Waves, Genshin, Tower of Fantasy, and the like by a mile. Its immersive world, unique mechanics, engaging gameplay, and compelling story have set a new standard of what a good ARPG should look like and are bound to appeal to almost everyone.
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GLHF on Sports Illustrated - 90
Zenless Zone Zero is the best base game HoYoverse has released to date: It’s a step up from its predecessors in terms of presentation, tech, systems, and starting content – and since previous titles have all massively improved over the course of their strict and impressive update cycle, I feel confident that this is going to repeat for this one...Combining charm and spectacle, mechanical satisfaction and approachability, rapid intensity, and immaculate cool vibes, Zenless Zone Zero is HoYoverse’s hat-trick.
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Voxel - 90
Zenless Zone Zero is a reflection of HoYoverse's excellent momentum, which once again demonstrates its potential in creating immersive worlds. The title pleases not only aesthetically, but also in its gameplay, the most satisfying ever designed by the developer.
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Gfinity - 90
Brimming with style and boasting slick combat, Zenless Zone Zero’s few stumbles are easy to look past. While it’s much smaller than the massive open world of Genshin Impact or the galaxy-spanning tales of Honkai, it's all the better for it.
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Jeuxvideo.com - 85
With Zenless Zone Zero, HoYoverse proves that it knows how to renew itself to remain the king of gacha. With its urban universe teeming with details, its original characters and its impressive cinematics, ZZZ benefits from a production value worthy of an AAA, even more than the previous productions of the Chinese studio. Besides that, the title does not forget the essentials with simple to access but high-level technical gameplay, with satisfactory endgame content even if the main plot is for the moment quite classic. With this solid foundation, we now look forward to seeing the evolution of Zenless Zone Zero in the long term, hoping that the follow-up will be as exemplary as that of Honkai Star Rail.
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INVEN - 85
This game adheres to the 'easy to learn, hard to master' formula, showcasing systematic and simple action. While it creates a new style for anime games by utilizing various media formats in its narrative, the key challenge seems to be overcoming the standardized content, intermittent growth curve, and narrative hurdles.
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Malditos Nerds - 80
Zenless Zone Zero is style and is substance, a game with hypnotic action not only because of its visual accomplishments, but also because of how addictive is its gameplay. If HoYoverse properly supports it in the future, then this will be the studio's third victory.
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Eurogamer - 80
There's a deceptive depth to Zenless Zone Zero, even with its smaller scale, thanks to this dual focus on pleasing both casual players and those looking for a deeper challenge, mirroring its dedication to both chilled exploration and fast-paced combat. Instead of feeling like a game warring with itself, however, these wildly different vibes weave together to make Zenless Zone Zero what it really is: a successful fusion of ultracool action with slice-of-life goofiness.
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IGN - 80
By leaning into early 2000s nostalgia and then blending it with a stylish vision for the future, Zenless Zone Zero crafts an inimitable world that is easy to get invested in. Exploring New Eridu and getting to know this charming cast both in and out of combat was a thrilling ride I was keen to keep at for hours on end. It’s not necessarily as deep as many of its gameplay inspirations, and momentum-killing hacking puzzles can sometimes sour the mood slightly – but with exhilarating, approachable combat and so many extracurricular activities to take care of, it was always easy to turn a corner and get swept back up in the captivating culture of Zenless Zone Zero.
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Destructoid - 80
Ultimately, ZZZ delights with guiding design principles—remembering what so many adore about other Hoyoverse characters while breaking those moments up into short, snappier pieces. It’s rather easy to pick up and put down, and for something on the go, it’s certainly the preferable Hoyo title. For now, I’m all on board with New Eridu, and eager to watch the cast and world grow in many of the ways Honkai and Genshin have, too.
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PCGamesN - 80
Zenless Zone Zero sets slick, responsive combat against a backdrop of cassette futurism and ‘90s nostalgia, but it strains against the yoke of HoYoverse’s built-in gacha system.
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God is a Geek - 80
Zenless Zone Zero is just an incredibly good time presented with supreme confidence and verve by a developer that knows exactly what its doing.
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GameSpot - 70
Despite that gripe, Zenless Zone Zero is yet another solid entry in the HoYoverse portfolio as of Version 1.0, and it's easy to see the potential as new Agents get added alongside Story commissions. It's a shame that the bright spots are dimmed by a complete lack of meaningful challenges when it comes to nearly all commissions--for both puzzles and combat--in the early chapters of the game. But the current experience still shines thanks to how fun and vibrant the direction is in all facets of the game.
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Siliconera - 70
Zenless Zone Zero is a snappy action game that feels rewarding to master. Though the story can fall flat at times, the characters are so fun that it’s fun to see their reactions. The presentation of the plot—the comic book format and the colorful animations—keeps it entertaining and fresh. Instead of appealing to everyone, it feels like it’s striving to hit a particular audience and I personally am one of those people. Hopefully the dailies won’t be too hard to manage on top of everything else in the market.
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Thick Thighs Save Lives

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
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Sakura

Sakura

Member
Not really sure how I feel about it yet.
I don't really care for the story so far as it is mostly just gibberish that doesn't make any sense to me, and I am not really feeling any of the characters yet.
I also don't really like the way the game controls that much, from queueing actions to just general character movement.
 
Nankatsu

Nankatsu

Member
I know it's not the place, but you guys should check out Wuthering Waves.

For a gacha open world game, it's extremely generous in terms of rewards, and combat is really good and fast.

Surprisingly global market is the one carrying the game , not China :messenger_tears_of_joy:.
 
Thick Thighs Save Lives

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
Nankatsu said:
I know it's not the place, but you guys should check out Wuthering Waves.

For a gacha open world game, it's extremely generous in terms of rewards, and combat is really good and fast.

Surprisingly global market is the one carrying the game , not China :messenger_tears_of_joy:.
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Yep, I just saw the latest Sensor Tower PvP gacha report and I was surprised as well about that. 😳

Will def give it a shot once it launches on PS5 cuz my PC is getting long in the tooth and I don't like play demanding games on it anymore. I've basically relegated it to a Nikke, VN and Football Manager machine. :messenger_grinning_sweat:
 
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Nankatsu

Nankatsu

Member
Thick Thighs Save Lives said:
Yep, I just saw the latest Sensor Tower PvP gacha report and I was surprised as well about that. 😳

Will def give it a shot once it launches on PS5 cuz my PC is getting long in the tooth and I don't like play demanding games on it anymore. I've basically relegated it to a Nikke, VN and Football Manager machine. :messenger_grinning_sweat:
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Yeah, Kuro Games missed on that regard. But I get them, game was not very well optimized on launch.

If they launched a PS5 version at the same it would have backfired even more for them.

On that regard Mihoyo is miles away, their cross platform output is really good.
 
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Angry_Megalodon

Angry_Megalodon

Banned
I didn't like WuWa being so similar to Genshin (just better combat and a slightly darker tone). The game would have been more interesting if they did their own thing but revenue is proving them right. (so far) I was expecting an open-world PGR, with hardcore combat though I understand that's not good for the mainstream.
 
Thick Thighs Save Lives

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
C

ClanOfNone

Member
Angry_Megalodon said:
The monetization is pulling for character/weapon banners that are renewed periodically. None of them is necessary to play the full game, though. Still, it triggers a lot of folks who pay for remasters, season passes, and cosmetic packs at 45 USD.
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So the actual game is free, gacha is just the nomenclature used for the monetization of the cosmetics and such.
Is Path of Exile and the like considered a gacha?
 
poppabk

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
ClanOfNone said:
Someone explain what gacha means for this doddering old fool.
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It's basically paying coins or other in game currency to spin a wheel and win in game prizes. Usually you can buy in game currency with real currency. To reach the highest levels in game you will usually need to win the top 'prize' at a maybe 1% chance multiple times.
 
C

ClanOfNone

Member
poppabk said:
It's basically paying coins or other in game currency to spin a wheel and win in game prizes. Usually you can buy in game currency with real currency. To reach the highest levels in game you will usually need to win the top 'prize' at a maybe 1% chance multiple times.
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It’s lootboxes, I thought people hated lootboxes. I’d say it’s a titanic waste of money, but as a smoker that pays a soulless corporation for a product that is actively killing me I ain’t got a leg to stand on here.

Game definitely ain’t for me, but play on folks!
 
chlorate

chlorate

Member
In a world of Sweet Baby-dominated character designs, ZZZ is bringing attractive anime waifus in revealing outfits to the table. It is said that all the code in this game was written with one hand.
 
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Angry_Megalodon

Angry_Megalodon

Banned
ClanOfNone said:
So the actual game is free, gacha is just the nomenclature used for the monetization of the cosmetics and such.
Is Path of Exile and the like considered a gacha?
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It's not the same. In gachas everything's a lottery. On an exceptional basis, You can buy some cosmetics directly from the shop but the core gacha system revolves around getting new characters and weapons that add variety to your squad. Throughout the story, you get a lot of new ones for free, but still, it is very tempting to add more. And then, you will need materials to upgrade them, because it's not cool getting a level 1 character when you have a team at level 50.

With this system devs are forced to make interesting characters or else people won't pay for them. It's a system that ensures a minimum of quality and that's why I'm ok with it.
 
poppabk

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
Angry_Megalodon said:
This is not true.
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Most of the true gacha I have played have tiered characters, with only the top tier being part of the high level meta. Then usually top tiered characters can be merged into themselves to give stat boosts meaning you need to pull multiple versions of the same top tiered character. In the real nasty ones like Destiny Child for example, you could then advance them even further by sacrificing other top tiered characters for even further boosts.
 
Doom85

Doom85

Member
Just started the game, once you gain control your MC which I just did, check your in-game mail in the menu. While I can’t access different characters yet, apparently claiming the contents of the one letter I got gave me a free character, so don’t miss it!
 
tmlDan

tmlDan

Member
Spyxos said:
The story presentation is absolutely terrible. They just babble some nonsense for minutes on end. It's a shame really, the fighting is fun, even if the areas are a bit too small for my taste.
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they do a terrible job of explaining the story and the world, what are hollows? are they a virus? aliens? why are we in a tv? is it a fake or real world? is it a section of the city? its very confusing.
 
DonF

DonF

Member
ClanOfNone said:
Someone explain what gacha means for this doddering old fool.
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if its f2p, its a FOMO based on characters, mainly waifus. The game might be good, but it heavily monetized. And tipically the monetization is not direct, you have to buy tickets for a chance to get a good character or item. The basis of gacha is that everything is a bet.
 
Aenima

Aenima

Member
Game is alot better than i expected, got some Persona 4 vibes.

But coming from Nikke and Brown Dust 2, i already forgot how bad and stingy are the drop rates for the gacha banners in hoyoverse games. ( in Nikke i just pulled and got the 3 summer characters from the 3 diferent banners, without using the pitty system, in ZZZ will be very hard to get a banner character without reaching the pitty and thats still a 50-50 chance.)

The good thing in hoyoverse games is that you dont really need meta characters to finish the single player content. And some times they even have low rating characters that are considered top tier characters by the players.
 
Aenima

Aenima

Member
DonF said:
if its f2p, its a FOMO based on characters, mainly waifus. The game might be good, but it heavily monetized. And tipically the monetization is not direct, you have to buy tickets for a chance to get a good character or item. The basis of gacha is that everything is a bet.
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Most gacha games have pitty systems that garantee to give you the character from the banner, so its more a resorces saving game to F2P players. ZZZ also have a pitty system that garantee the banner characters. So once you have enough resorces saved and a good character appear as the banner, you know you have 100% chance to get it.

They do make money based on ppl FOMO, cuz if you feel the need to own every character that appear in the banner, you'r pretty much screwed. Gotta skip some of them to save enough resorces to get the ones you really want.
 
March Climber

March Climber

Member
So far from what I've seen, ZZZ is reminding me of Scarlet Nexus while being a bit more lighthearted in tone.

Nankatsu said:
I know it's not the place, but you guys should check out Wuthering Waves.

For a gacha open world game, it's extremely generous in terms of rewards, and combat is really good and fast.
Click to expand...
tom-tomhardy.gif


When it hits PS5 I'll be there.
 
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Angry_Megalodon

Angry_Megalodon

Banned
poppabk said:
Most of the true gacha I have played have tiered characters, with only the top tier being part of the high level meta. Then usually top tiered characters can be merged into themselves to give stat boosts meaning you need to pull multiple versions of the same top tiered character. In the real nasty ones like Destiny Child for example, you could then advance them even further by sacrificing other top tiered characters for even further boosts.
Click to expand...


What I mean is that in a game without PVP, there is no need for the strongest characters. You just pull for the ones you like cos of appearance or gameplay.

In gachas with well-balanced RPG elements, even weak characters become strong with the right combination of equipment and squadmates. Precisely in Destiny Child a low-tier team may beat a stronger one. I was a F2P and beat "dolphins" sometimes. Not that I cared that much, because the focus wasn't the PVP.

In the case of Mihoyo's games the main problem is power creep.
 
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Aenima

Aenima

Member
How good is Grace? Shes the 1st S-Rank Characeter i got from pulling in the normal banner, and was exactly the girl i most wanted for her looks.

BTW did you guys already found the "this is fine" meme easter egg inside the videostore shop? :messenger_grinning_squinting:
 
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lughnasadh123

lughnasadh123

Member
Really does seem like the "predatory monetization" from others games just to get a cosmetic get hand-waved away with gacha games where's you're gambling just to get a character. No judgement, just...weird.
 
LegendOfKage

LegendOfKage

Member
ClanOfNone said:
Someone explain what gacha means for this doddering old fool.
Click to expand...

ClanOfNone said:
So the actual game is free, gacha is just the nomenclature used for the monetization of the cosmetics and such.
Is Path of Exile and the like considered a gacha?
Click to expand...

ClanOfNone said:
It’s lootboxes, I thought people hated lootboxes. I’d say it’s a titanic waste of money, but as a smoker that pays a soulless corporation for a product that is actively killing me I ain’t got a leg to stand on here.

Game definitely ain’t for me, but play on folks!
Click to expand...

If it's like their other game Genshin Impact, you'll be able to easily play the entire story mode and all timed events without ever paying any money, just by playing the game. But there will also be a completely optional area with difficult content, generally in the form of a wave-based arena mode. That too will be able to be completed without ever paying money, but the fastest clear times will be generally be from whales who have spent a small fortune on the game.

I'd suggest reading this to understand how the systems work in these games: https://www.neogaf.com/threads/gens...e-mappelle-la-baleine.1568699/#post-260377313 The first post in the thread can also help with your understanding of the game.


It's worth noting that Genshin Impact was my first Gacha game. I played it for over a year, I never felt underpowered, and I never spent any money on it.
 
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Revolutionary

Revolutionary

Member
Played for about 30 minutes yesterday. Seems ok, but I doubt I'll be playing it in a few weeks. Not because it's bad or anything - I just won't allow myself to get caught up in the "I have to log in everyday" mindset of gacha gaming again
 
existensmaximum

existensmaximum

Member
poppabk said:
It's basically paying coins or other in game currency to spin a wheel and win in game prizes. Usually you can buy in game currency with real currency. To reach the highest levels in game you will usually need to win the top 'prize' at a maybe 1% chance multiple times.
Click to expand...
Wow. Sounds completely retarded.
 
poppabk

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
existensmaximum said:
Wow. Sounds completely retarded.
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It's enjoyable when you are in the game playing each day, grinding currency and then getting that gamblers high when you get something you want. Then getting a better unit or whatever usually allows you to grind faster.
But step away for a week or two and you realize you are grinding to be able to grind better.
 
Thick Thighs Save Lives

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
Played it a fair bit till inter-knot lvl 9, but man I had some bad RNG with my free pulls so I only got 2 A tier agents, Ben and Luci. :lollipop_pensive:

I gotta say that the window on those perfect parry assists is pretty tight, but I got used them and am able to hit them consistently now. :messenger_smirking:

Anyway, I see that more reviews have dropped since I've last visited the thread so I'm gonna go ahead an update the OP.
 
Moochi

Moochi

Member
Combat is smooth and fun. I've only played an hour but it seems like it might be a little too easy, as the mechanical depth isn't very high. I like the music, the characters, and the world though. It's very anime, but high budget animations, good voice actors, and UI style give it a unique identity.
 
begotten

begotten

Member
Combat is fun.

Have Piper & Nicole doing AoE DMG with CC then switch to Anton for fat Crits.

Only con is this terminal TV bullshit or whatever. Just let me brawl. The arcade is actually fun too.

This game and it's systems seem better presented than HSR, World HUB definitely better.
 
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