Hoyoverse (MiHoYo) is one of the hottest publishers in the mobile gaming space right now. While its titles like Honkai Impact 3rd and Guns Girl Z were popular in Southeast Asia and China, they never quite broke into the global market like the publisher’s more recent titles. Genshin Impact continues to be a global phenomenon, and Honkai: Star Rail is also reaching similar levels of success and recognition. Star Rail has reportedly crossed USD 1 Billion already. Zenless Zone Zero (ZZZ) is Hoyoverse’s third major player in the global market, and it is set to release in 2024.
Note: We will not talk about the game’s story at all. All of the opinions listed below are based on the second Closed Beta Test, and things like progression and monetization are subject to change at release.
ZZZ’s Progression Systems Explained
ZZZ has a stamina system (Battery Charge) that restricts how much you can play per day. You get 1 Battery Charge per six minutes with a cap of 180 Stamina. You can spend Battery Charge when completing various activities for rewards. During the Closed Beta Test, I was forced to stop playing several times. Story progression being capped by Battery Charge is something I did not expect and I was disappointed by the fact that narrative-driven Commions are locked behind the time-gated resource.
The content of ZZZ can be divided into three categories:
- VR Training: You can earn level-up materials for your characters from this special game mode.
- Hollow Zero: A rogue-lite mode with difficult enemies. Weekly rewards are up for grabs.
- Rally Commission: A mix of exploration and combat sequences for rewards.
All of the content is accessible
Combat System: Arguably Hoyoverse’s Finest Work So Far
The combat system in Zenless Zone Zero is the most fun in my personal experience. It improves upon Honkai Impact 3rd’s fast-paced combat system and introduces cleaner animations and a better combo system.
ZZZ’s combat system featured perfect dodge, perfect assist, and chain attack mechanics that enable a lot of skill expression. The perfect assist mechanic is an extension of the perfect dodge mechanic seen in games. It involves switching your character at the perfect time to initiate a counterattack.
The combat is by far the most engaging thing about the game. Mastering the combat system will take some time, and with the introduction of new characters that potentially play into these mechanics, ZZZ’s gameplay is stellar for a mobile game. The developers made the dodges fairly forgiving, and you don’t need to have frame-perfect inputs to pull off some fancy moves, which is understandable considering the game is designed to be played on mobile devices primarily.
Endgame Content, Finally?
One of the biggest complaints about Hoyoverse’s other titles is the lack of endgame content. While Honkai: Star Rail tried to introduce its rogue-lite modes (Simulated Universe and Simulated Universe: Swarm), there is very little incentive to play them. Zenless Zone Zero might be the first game from the publisher to offer true replayability. ZZZ has Hollow Exploration, which is a rogue-lite mode that mixes puzzle-solving, exploration, and combat all in one palace.
The game mixes 2D mini-games and combat. This is a solid change of pace from the combat-only endgame activities that Hoyoverse’s other titles have. Hollow Exploration is where I spent most of my time in ZZZ, and I hope Hoyoverse introduces updates to keep the mode fresh.
The combat difficulty was hotly discussed during the CBT, and I feel that a lot of the complaints about the difficulty are invalid. Players participating in the CBT commented that the difficulty level of the game is too low, and while that is true during the early game, you need to understand the gameplay mechanics well. The Hollow Exploration content can be challenging if you do not understand the game’s combat systems and considering that it is a gacha game, the mode will very likely be tuned to favor the newest characters.
Monetization: Same Old Gacha Mechanics
Zenless Zone Zero is likely to have the same gacha mechanics that are seen in Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact. It has become increasingly difficult to give a clear answer when someone asks me if they should check out Hoyoverse’s games. Their offerings are genuinely good if you look strictly at the gameplay side of things. There is a lot of love and effort put into everything ranging from the main story quests to side events. However, monetization will always be an axe hanging above your head.
Hoyoverse’s offerings are by no means “pay-to-win”. The story content and events are easily clearable with low rarity units as some players are beating the Spiral Abyss (Genshin Impact) and Memory of Chaos (Star Rail) without using any premium units. But that being said, the publisher is known to drive FOMO (fear of missing out) through its characters. The story quests are designed to make you interested in the latest characters and if you don’t get them during their debut, you could be waiting for months before they make a return.
“Pay-to-win” would be the wrong term to stick to the game. But the gacha mechanics can most definitely feel predatory. With ZZZ expected to have an additional banner for companions (Bagboos), it might be even more expensive than Genshin Impact if you are a completionist.
Should You Try Zenless Zone Zero?
Zenless Zone Zero is in a weird spot where it is trying to cater to both casual and hardcore players. Forcing puzzles and combat into the same game modes is something that will upset a lot of players. A lot of the mini-games can get repetitive, and you should try the game out and see for yourself if it is worth jumping into.
In its current state, it can be very hit-or-miss for players, and your mileage with the game may vary. While I enjoyed the game, I don’t think most players would want to sit through the game for around 30 hours to get to the endgame to get to the “good stuff.” If ZZZ finds its identity before its release, it could very well become the third mobile game of the year winner for Hoyoverse in a short five years.
