MeinMMO editor Marie Friske played the new action game “Zenless Zone Zero” from HoYoverse during gamescom 2023. She particularly enjoyed the spectacular battles.
What is Zenless Zone Zero? After Honkai Star Rail, Zenless Zone Zero will be the new game from HoYoverse, which is also behind the successful action role-playing game Genshin Impact.
Zenless Zone Zero will be another action RPG set in a futuristic fantasy city called New Eridu. It is the last metropolis left after an apocalyptic catastrophe.
Because “Hollows”, dimensional portals, open up in mid-air and consume everything they touch. Through them, the valuable but dangerous resource “Ether” can be harvested. However, the Hollows also host nasty monsters called “Ethereals”.
When will Zenless Zone Zero be released? Zenless Zone Zero does not yet have a release date and is expected to be released on PS4, PS5, iOS, Android, and PC. However, a beta test for the game has already been conducted.
As I am already a huge fan of Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, I was very eager to learn more about HoYoverse’s new game during gamescom 2023 and take a closer look at the world of New Eridu.
Keep in mind that this is not the final version of the game, but rather a current beta version. Therefore, certain details may still change before Zenless Zone Zero is released.
Here you can see a trailer for Zenless Zone Zero:
Colorful characters are ready as fighters
I was able to take a closer look at three different game modes of Zenless Zone Zero: Story, City Exploration, and Challenge.
In Story mode, I play through the tutorial, while in City Exploration, I get to know the surroundings and the residents of New Eridu better.
However, I had the most fun during my short gaming session with the Challenge mode of Zenless Zone Zero.
At the beginning, I assemble a team. I have access to all 12 characters for the test, which are already presented on the official website and each have different melee and ranged weapons.
In addition to a cyborg who wildly shoots with pistols, there is also a cool fox lady with a flying spirit companion, as well as a bear with a rocket launcher – I like the selection of some quirky characters that emphasize “coolness” even more than the previous games.
Unlike Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, I have only three characters in my team instead of four, between which I can quickly switch during battles.
After I have chosen my fighters from the colorful roster, I am already facing an Ethereal.
Devastating special attacks and good timing
In Genshin Impact, the focus in battles is primarily on exploiting the weaknesses of enemies using the various elements and triggering certain elemental reactions to deal significant damage.
In Zenless Zone Zero, this is different. The focus is more on action-packed gameplay, where you execute your attacks and combos quickly until the buttons smoke.
In doing so, I try to fill the stagger bar of the opponent until he is “stunned”, meaning temporarily incapacitated, allowing me to deal even greater damage.
In addition, timing is everything in battles. You need to dodge at the right moment when the opponent is about to deliver a heavy blow with his massive axe to then start a counter-attack.
Furthermore, by correctly timing the switching of characters, you perform a so-called “Switch Attack”, where you switch between team members based on a prompt to execute a devastating combo.
If you want to see combat gameplay, check out the trailer here and jump to 3:40. You will get a glimpse.
Similar to the characters in Genshin Impact, the characters in Zenless Zone Zero have a special and an ultimate attack, with the latter, as usual, presented in a cool animation.
During the battle, you will see the so-called “Decibel Rating” on the left side of the screen, which evaluates the combat skills live and summarizes them into a final result at the end. This motivates me to surpass my own record next time.
Once you understand how the combat mechanics work, every successful dodge-counter and switch attack feels immensely rewarding, and you get into a fun flow where you stylishly take down the enemy.
While the difficulty is challenging enough not to bore old action veterans, it is also easy enough that newcomers do not get completely frustrated and can quickly get into the game.
Zenless Zone Zero as a cool action alternative to Genshin Impact
In addition to the action, Zenless Zone Zero also offers an exciting new world with various activities such as mini-games and quests, just waiting to be explored and fulfilled by me.
I haven’t seen much of the story yet, but the little I experienced during gameplay was enough to pique my interest.
Above all, the combat system has convinced me that Zenless Zone Zero will be a new game from HoYoverse that offers plenty of action for both newcomers and fans of the genre.
So if you want to think less about which elements combine well and are more excited about quickly hitting the keys and rewarding combos, you should definitely keep an eye on Zenless Zone Zero.
If you are a Genshin Impact fan considering starting with Honkai: Star Rail, you can find a detailed opinion article about the game here:
Honkai: Star Rail takes itself less seriously than Genshin Impact – but is just as endearing
