Zenless Zone Zero is HoYoverse’s unreleased AAA action rogue-lite RPG. The title resembles Honkai Impact 3rd, another ARPG, but with a much more modernized action combat system. After a successful launch year with Honkai: Star Rail and its ongoing money-maker, Genshin Impact, HoYoverse is preparing to come in hot with anothertop-tier gacha game, revealing fresh gameplay at Gamescom this year. Clearly, the company aims to take the top spot in all the gacha markets, so there’s no doubt that Zenless Zone Zero will be a great mobile game to look for in 2024. Let’s see how development is shaping up.
As you can see from the cinematic above, Zenless Zone Zero is set in a metropolitan city. You play as the Proxy, someone tasked to fight against the Hollows, a supernatural disaster that curses the city and its citizens. Zenless Zone Zero brings a fresh new take on the cyberpunk genre while borrowing elements from other revolutionary action games and roguelikes.
Where is Zenless Zone Zero compared to a year ago?
It’s been over a year since we’ve laid eyes on Zenless Zone Zero’s gameplay. With Gamescom 2023 underway, we were lucky to get a preview of what HoYoverse has in store with its newest AAA project. Below is a short video recording featuring Zenless Zone Zero’s combat.
The last technical test took place in August 2022, and it featured 12 playable characters. Today, we were able to go hands-on with that same cast. This brief demo reminded us that the best part about these characters is how unique and fluid they feel in battle. Whether you want to slay some baddies with a maid using a chainsaw or get your wolf paws dirty, no two characters' combat styles feel alike.
Graphics-wise, Zenless Zone Zero has that familiar HoYoverse polish. The colors and world look extraordinarily vibrant, almost like it took a page out of an anime. Also, the world feels incredibly alive; NPCs don’t stay static and will actually roam the game’s environments. The video below exemplifies how HoYoverse effectively uses brighter color palettes to make the video store furnishings look much more lively and interactive.
Gamescom’s Zenless Zone Zero demo leaves some unanswered questions
There are still no hints on how monetization will work in Zenless Zone Zero. But if HoYoverse’s previous games give any indication, the company prefers not to stray too far from its unique gacha model. Hopefully, there won’t be too many characters locked behind a paywall — as building teams with this animated cast is undoubtedly the game’s high point.
So far, Zenless Zone Zero’s release is still unknown, but like every other HoYoverse game, expect three betas before learning the release date. However, seeing a late 2024 release window isn’t out of the question just yet. So keep your eyes peeled for any future beta tests. Zenless Zone Zero is set to release on Android, iOS and PC, with PlayStation a strong possibility despite no announcement for consoles today.
