MeinMMO editor Marie Friske played HoYoverse’s new action game “Zenless Zone Zero” as part of gamescom 2023. They particularly liked the spectacular fights.
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 midair and devour everything they touch. Through them, the valuable but dangerous resource “Ether” can be obtained. However, the Hollows are also home to nasty monsters, the “Ethereals”.
When is Zenless Zone Zero coming out? Zenless Zone Zero has no release date yet and is scheduled to appear on PS4, PS5, iOs, Android and PC. However, a beta test for the game was already running.
Already a huge fan of Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, I was excited to learn more about HoYoverse’s new game and peek into the world of New Eridu at gamescom 2023.
Keep in mind that this is not the finished version of the game, but a current beta version. Until Zenless Zone Zero appears, one or the other detail may change.
Here’s a trailer for Zenless Zone Zero:
The creators of Genshin Impact show their new action RPG Zenless Zone Zero in the trailer
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Colorful figures are ready as fighters
I was allowed to take a closer look at three different game modes of Zenless Zone Zero: Story, Urban Exploration and Challenge.
In the story mode, I play my way through the tutorial while I get to know the surroundings and the inhabitants of New Eridu better in the city exploration.
But I have the most fun during my little gaming session with Zenless Zone Zero’s Challenge mode.
First, I put a team together. I can choose from all 12 characters that are already presented on the official website and each have different close-range and ranged weapons.
In addition to a cyborg that shoots guns wildly around, there is also a cool fox lady with a flying spirit as a companion and a bear with a rocket launcher – I like the selection of the sometimes unusual characters, which are a bit more ” Coolness” than the previous games.
Unlike Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, I only have three characters in my squad instead of four that I can quickly switch between during combat.
After I have selected my fighters from the colorful roster, I am already faced with an Ethereal.
Devastating special attacks and good timing
In Genshin Impact, combat is all about using the different elements to exploit enemy weaknesses and evoke specific elemental reactions to deal decent damage.
It’s different in Zenless Zone Zero. Here the focus is more on action-packed gameplay, where you quickly execute your attacks and combos until the keys smoke.
I try to fill the opponent’s stagger bar until he is stunned, i.e. put out of action for a short time, and I can distribute even greater damage.
In addition, timing is the alpha and omega in the fights. So you have to dodge at the right moment if the opponent wants to hit you with his huge axe, for example, in order to then start a counter attack.
In addition, by changing the characters at the right time, you perform a so-called “switch attack”, in which you switch between team members at a prompt to perform a devastating combo.
If you want to see combat gameplay, check out the trailer here and skip to 3:40. You’ll get an insight there.
Zenless Zone Zero New Gameplay Showcase – gamescom 2023
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Similar to the characters in Genshin Impact, the characters in Zenless Zone Zero also have a special attack and an ultimate attack, with the latter being showcased in a cool animation as usual.
During the fight you can see the so-called “Decibel Rating” on the left of the screen, which evaluates the martial arts live and summarizes them in a final result. That gives me an incentive to trump my own record next time.
Once you understand how the combat mechanics work, every successful dodge counter and switch attack feels hugely rewarding, and you get into a fun flow of taking down the enemy in style.
The level of difficulty is indeed demanding enough not to be boring for old hands in action, but also easy enough so that beginners do not completely despair and quickly get into the game.
Zenless Zone Zero as a cool action alternative to Genshin Imact
In addition to the action, Zenless Zone Zero also provides an exciting new world with various activities such as mini-games and quests that are just waiting for me to explore and fulfill them.
I haven’t seen much of the story yet, but just a little bit of allusion was enough to pique my interest.
Above all, the combat system convinced me that a new game from HoYoverse will be released with Zenless Zone Zero, in which a lot of action is offered for beginners as well as fans of the genre.
So if you want to think less about which elements combine well and be more excited about fast key smashes and rewarding combos, then Zenless Zone Zero is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
If you’re a Genshin Impact fan thinking about getting into Honkai: Star Rail too, here’s an in-depth review article on the game:
Honkai: Star Rail takes itself less seriously than Genshin Impact – but is just as lovable