The HOYOVERSE games are always ridiculous in the best way possible, with their over-the-top characters and stories.
The upcoming title Zenless Zone Zero is no different, with fast-paced combat and a smooth flow.
It’s absorbing and feels like starring in your favorite anime music video.
Following the Persona playbook in creating a beautiful user interface, colored indicators show the perfect time to dodge or parry, and like Bayonetta, you’ll slow down, giving yourself time for a counterattack.
You can also use this ‘witch time’ to perform an assist by asking another party member to join the field.
These rotations are key to success, as enemies can attack hard if you’re not prepared.
There’s a beauty to the animations, like the way you’re pushed meters back by powerful attacks and feel the ground ripped open by the force.
The presentation of all the HoYoverse games is incredible, but Zenless Zone Zero is probably the best looking game to date.
Not only does the combat flow well, but the animations and crisp sound design take it to the next level.
When attacking an enemy, you increase their Daze, allowing them to be stunned for a Special Attack.
You can then trigger a Chain Attack, inviting your entire party onto the field for a flashy and satisfying finale.
Each character – known as an Agent – has different damage types and roles within their party, meaning you can create devastating synergy within your team.
Agents also belong to a certain faction, and combining them can unlock secret abilities and allow you to build themed teams.
Your team will consist of three Agents and a beautiful Bangboo who can help with her own skills and bonuses.
The game will launch with 16 Agents from five factions, but there are plans to introduce more as the weeks go by.
You may find your team composition a bit restricted at first, but this will help you gain skills for more powerful teams in the future.
Zenless Zone Zero is designed to be accessible and satisfying at any skill level, and there’s plenty of room to learn and improve.
However, it’s currently not that deep mechanically, so if that’s what you’re looking for, it might not be the game for you.
Story-wise, it’s not an epic tale like Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail, and while it still dabbles in fantasy, it’s much more grounded.
It’s a slower slice-of-life story that will be a welcome change for HoYoverse fans.
In addition to combat, you can spend time exploring the city, which is currently much smaller than HoYoverse’s other games, but of course that will come with time.
There’s also a day-night cycle, meaning you’ll have reason to explore the same areas multiple times.
Interacting with Agents in the main world will build their trust, unlocking additional story missions and interactions, as well as special combat events.
There’s also Hollow Zero, randomly generated dungeons that you can explore, which was unpopular with beta testers.
It was adjusted according to feedback from the final version, connecting it more closely to the main story.
Despite the changes, the pace of combat slows down, which may seem like a bummer, but there is a strong foundation that can be built on in the future.
Dialogue and cutscenes can be ignored completely, as HoYoverse is prioritizing giving players the opportunity to play however they want.
You’ll miss out on all the best parts if you do, like fully voiced dialogue and an intriguing story, but the choice is yours.
You can always watch them later in the game archive, which is a nice touch.
Overall, the gameplay is incredibly smooth and has that perfect polish you expect from a HoYoverse game.
Although each of the HoYoverse games was developed by a different team, it’s clear that the learnings from each one have been incorporated into the next.
That being said, Zenless Zone Zero is the best HoYoverse game to date and will only get better with time.
If you want to read more game reviews, check out our Beyond Good and Evil review.
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