Zenless Zone Zero review: Hoyoverse’s most approachable game yet

Following the major success of Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, developer Hoyoverse is back with its latest free-to-play title: Zenless Zone Zero. This game differs from both of the above with its relatively modern setting and focus on fast-paced real-time combat as opposed to Genshin’s open-world exploration or Honkai’s intricate turn-based team building.

In terms of format, Zenless Zone Zero feels like a more traditionally built mobile game, with smaller hub areas and simple yet flashy combat. For many, it’ll come across as decidedly less ambitious than Hoyoverse’s previous efforts, but I don’t believe this to be the case, and you shouldn’t be fooled into thinking Zenless doesn’t have sauce all of its own.

For one, the game’s presentation is easily Hoyoverse’s most accomplished to date, with beautiful visuals, a killer soundtrack, and animated cutscenes that wouldn’t seem out of place in a big-budget, feature-length movie. The quality of animation extends to its combat, too, which is a little style-over-substance for sure, but nonetheless provides dopamine-inducing encounters and satisfying visual feedback.

To address the elephant in the room, though, not everyone will get on with the free-to-play gacha model (which essentially locks most characters behind a probability-based chance system) here. While Zenless Zone Zero’s onboarding is generous with an abundance of resources, being at the mercy of randomness for character obtention will undoubtedly frustrate some players. Pair this with the energy system that limits the play of certain modes and the game can certainly feel restrictive once story content and other non-energy-requiring modes have dried up.

Still, if you’re after a casual-friendly game with staggering production value, Zenless Zone Zero’s presentation and combat are well worth checking out especially given the zero cost of entry.

New horizons

Zenless Zone Zero takes place in New Eridu, one of the last remaining safe havens for civilization after Hollows – localized zones that warp areas and turn those within into monstrous beings – ravage the planet. Our protagonists are Belle and Wise, siblings who take up the profession of Proxies who help guide combat-capable agents through these Hollow zones for anything from treasure hunting to search and rescue missions.

You’ll have the choice to play as Belle or Wise at the start of the game, but unlike previous Hoyoverse protagonists, both are present in the story and don’t take up combat roles. That instead goes to the aforementioned agents, some of which you’ll unlock for free in the opening chapter, and the rest becoming available via Zenless’s gacha system.

So far, each chapter of the story focuses on a particular group of agents belonging to various factions. The Cunning Hares, for example, is a ragtag, slightly unprofessional group that provides much of the game’s (genuinely very funny) comic relief. Belobog Heavy Industries, meanwhile, is a construction firm that specializes in deploying heavy-duty machinery in dangerous Hollow areas.

Sadly, in true Hoyoverse fashion, it takes a bit for the wider picture to come into play. But having played through all of the release version’s main story content, this feeling doesn’t last long – and the three chapters we have right now are exceptionally well-paced and brimming with eyebrow-raising lore tidbits.

Well-hoyoversed

Likely, whether you’ll take to Zenless Zone Zero or not lies in its combat. And compared to previous Hoyoverse games it’s a relatively simple affair. Characters typically have a basic attack combo string and one or two special abilities, along with an Ultimate attack when you’ve built up the ‘Decibel’ gauge required to unleash them. Said gauge is also shared across your team of three, as opposed to each getting their own.

Your primary aim in combat is to attack enemies to fill their Daze meter. It’s similar to Sekiro’s stagger bar or indeed Honkai Star Rail’s break gauge; once filled, enemies become temporarily stunned. You’re then prompted – rather stylishly – to switch to one of your other team members, at which point they’ll attack with their unique swap-in ability. While bog-standard grunts only let you apply this one time, larger bosses can have this effect applied up to three times, and this is where you can quickly apply buffs and deal big damage.

What it lacks in substance, at least at launch, it does make up for massively in style and somewhat in the potential for team synergy. As is the case with the beautifully animated cutscenes, Zenless Zone Zero’s combat feels lightning-quick and responsive. Dodging to briefly slow time and switching characters at the right time to perform a guard counter always feels incredibly satisfying, not least of all because of the powerful on-screen feedback. It’s great fun, especially when you’re building up the Daze meter on single-target boss encounters to stun them and then go ham.

What I’m hoping for above all else is that future content updates start introducing more complex enemy encounters and character move sets. What we have in Version 1.0 is a good starting point – and given it’s a mobile game I’m certainly not expecting Devil May Cry levels of complexity – but when combat feels as nice as it does, it’s a shame it’s currently pretty bare bones.

That same feeling extends to the playable roster of characters, which is honestly rather slim at launch. Version 1.0 brings 16 agents. One of those characters, Ellen, is locked behind the premium gacha banner. Granted, this is standard for the genre, but with six other ‘S rank’ characters available in the standard banner with significantly lower probability, that only leaves the nine ‘A rank’ agents that most will feasibly get.

That doesn’t leave much room for variety in team building right now. Doubly so, when endgame content like Shiyu Defense eventually requires you to build two teams of three. It’s a shame that Hoyoverse couldn’t squeeze in a few more characters for folks to try out. Genshin Impact launched with 22 characters, and Honkai Star Rail had 23 in its Version 1.0. More characters will certainly be added to Zenless in future patches, but as it stands, things feel relatively bare bones on this front.

Hollowed out

Thankfully, Zenless Zone Zero certainly isn’t lacking in more general content. At launch, the main story is meaty, with several lengthy chapters to play through. There are also plenty of side quests ranging from quick combat trials to more involving exploration-based affairs that make use of maps stylized as rows of CRT screens you’ll have to navigate through and solve various problems.

Beyond that, there are two major side modes in Hollow Zero and Shiyu Defense. The former is very similar to Honkai Star Rail’s Simulated Universe; you explore maps, earn passive upgrades for your agents, experience random events (that can be beneficial but also very much not), and challenge bosses at the end of each section.

Shiyu Defense, meanwhile, is 10 individual levels of pure combat, each increasing in difficulty and level requirements. Beat all 10 floors and you’ll unlock another set of Shiyu Defense missions that reset periodically. But given character level thresholds are tied to your account level, you likely won’t see this content for a good month or two. This is Zenless Zone Zero’s current form of endgame, and you’ll need some decently built teams in order to complete each level with the highest rank.

Both modes are very compelling and seriously worth doing especially if you’re a strictly free-to-play player. That’s because both offer ample rewards for building your characters and for the gacha system. Hollow Zero rewards also refresh each week, offering cyclical goodies that help make free-to-play a perfectly viable way of experiencing the game.

Unfortunately, other side modes simply exist to facilitate the game’s energy system, of which you’re limited to 240 units every 24 hours. Energy is spent on most modes outside of the main story progression, Hollow Zero and Shiyu Defense, and is used to earn resources to upgrade your characters. While not an inherently awful system – and there are ways to gain more energy in a day by drinking a daily coffee or spending battery items – it does mean you’ll have to be very patient and careful in how you go about upgrading your characters, W-Engines, and so on. That’ll no doubt be irksome to players who dislike grinds and resource management.

On the topic of actually building and improving your characters, Zenless Zone Zero follows the traditional Hoyoverse template almost to the letter. You can of course increase your character’s level, but also equip them with an item known as a W-Engine (these are also obtainable through the gacha system) affording them powerful buffs. Then, aside from improving individual skill levels, you can additionally equip six Drive Discs which offer more buffs and stat increases. It sounds like a lot, but the game does a good job of teaching you the importance of each.

Absolute cinema

Zenless Zone Zero’s small launch roster and fairly simple combat are pretty hit-or-miss as it stands, but the same can’t be said for the game’s immaculate presentation. It’s easily the nicest-looking Hoyoverse game by some margin, and the animated cutscenes are a delight to watch.

The crowning achievement here, though, might just be its incredible soundtrack. It’s a super eclectic mix, featuring entrancing lo-fi beats for its hub areas, as well as pulse-pounding breakbeat, techno, and dubstep for combat scenarios. I’ve had the soundtrack on repeat since launch and I can’t wait to hear what kinds of music and genres will be added in future updates.

The only dent in the game’s wonderful presentation is the current performance issues on PS5. One larger hub area sees the framerate slashed in half when visiting it, and more intense combat encounters often sees the game drop below its targeted 60fps on console. If you’re planning on playing Zenless Zone Zero on something other than your phone, consider trying out the PC version, which feels much better optimized than its console counterpart.

Accessibility

Zenless Zone Zero offers little in the way of accessibility options at launch, with colorblind options being the most notable absence here. You are at least able to fully customize your controller layout for the game, as well as adjust camera sensitivity to your liking.