The Hoyoverse has been growing larger and larger with each passing month, as this once small indie dev team has grown into a worldwide sensation with various projects under their belt. From their humble beginnings with Gun Girls Z and Honkai Impact 3rd, to their massive success with Genshin Impact, and their expansion in new territories with their upcoming turn-based RPG adventure, Honkai Star Rail. Now Hoyoverse is looking to expand into the realm of action and roguelike gameplay with their latest project, Zenless Zone Zero (or ZZZ for short).
Zenless Zone Zero is set in a fictional anime world with a futuristic urban setting. The premier trailer has set the stage with a very intriguing world filled with unique characters and a dark mystery to uncover within the city known as Ediru. There are very few details that have been explained in order to make sense of it all and thus, many newcomers and Hoyoverse fans have been running wild with discussions and speculation.
While some things are certain, many elements of Zenless Zone Zero are still a mystery, so in this article, we'll be listing many known details for the game and some details that we're still waiting on more information.
Zenless Zone Zero: Everything we know so far
For starters, it has been confirmed from their press releases and announcement on Twitter, that the Zenless Zone Zero will be an action-hack & slash while featuring roguelike elements. Players will be exploring several urban locations, battling against various monsters and enemies while looking as cool and stylish as possible. As with most roguelikes, many players are expecting elements such as randomized dungeons, enemy spawns, and loot. How these elements will be portrayed in Zenless Zone Zero is currently anyone's guess, as there are so many different and popular roguelikes that Hoyoverse can pull inspiration from.
Players in the game world are known as “Proxies” who work as mercenaries, accepting various contracts and missions within the city of New Eridu. Most missions will have players traversing environments known as “The Hallows”, which are described to be dangerous and ever-changing labyrinths, which confirms the roguelike element of randomized dungeons. These proxies are also a part of a “dual identity” aspect within ZZZ, where players will make use of two distinct and opposing character personas while progressing through the game.
There are various different factions within Zenless Zone Zero. At the time of this article, one faction has been fully revealed (Gentle House AKA Cunning Hares), while the other three factions (Belobo(?) Industries, Victoria House Keeping, and one mystery faction featuring a kemonomimi fox and a horned blue demon) have not yet had their details revealed. While it is currently unknown how much of an impact all of these factions will have on the overall story, it is certain that players will have to interact with them in order to receive new missions or to learn more about the characters themselves.
Zenless Zone Zero will be playable on PC as well as mobile devices (iOS and Android), with a possible console version release down the line. There will also be a closed beta (or Tuning Test) for the game in the near future, but unfortunately, Android users will not be able to participate in the closed beta, as only iOS will be available for their first round of testing.
Zenless Zone Zero: Everything we don't know so far
What will the core gameplay be like? While we have only seen small glimpses of combat within the reveal trailer, many fans are still left wondering how deep the combat system will be. While the press release adds mentions of “Unlimited QTEs”, many fans speculate that the core gameplay of ZZZ will be an evolution of Hoyoverse's previous action-based game, Honkai Impact 3rd, as it also offers fast-paced action as well as featuring various QTE attacks. While adding roguelike elements on top of that, there are many different ways that Hoyoverse can expand on their gameplay formula while creating an experience that stands out from their previous titles.
Will Zenless Zone Zero be a single-player experience or a multiplayer experience? While the game does mention “explore hallows with your squad”, it could either imply that players will form a solo team of characters that players can switch between, or it could mean that players can team up with other players. Also in a gaming sense, a squad generally means forming up a group of up to four units or more. So far, all of Hoyoverse's titles have been mostly single-player focused games, with multiplayer being available as somewhat of an afterthought, but as the reveal trailer mentions ZZZ is “Something brand new”, and this could very well be their first multiplayer-focused game.
What does it mean to live “dual identities” in Zenless Zone Zero? As the main website mentions: players will live two different lives, with two opposing personas, as proxies operate in a “warped reality”. Many players have speculated that ZZZ may have taken influence from popular JRPGs such as Atlus' Persona series, as the game is split between two aspects: A daily life where the protag engages in activities such as going to school or socializing with friends, and their nightlife where they must battle against enemies and solve mysteries. As many players tend to grow some form of attachment to the characters they obtain in Hoyoverse games, adding a social life element could be an interesting way to add more to the game besides non-stop action.
What is the purpose of retro technology in the game? Despite the game being set in a futuristic setting, Zenless Zone Zero places a lot of emphasis on old, outdated technology such as vinyl records, vintage UHF/VHF televisions, and VHS tapes. These kinds of devices/items have been seen throughout the reveal trailer and promotional material, suggesting that they hold some kind of importance to the lore of ZZZ in general. Perhaps some kind of connection with the past holds the key to saving the future of Eridu?
Zenless Zone Zero has so much going for it with its energetic style and visuals, unique characters, an intriguing world, that it's very hard to keep one's mind off of what's in store for players once Hoyoverse finally pulls the lid off of this game. While a release date is still unknown, you can bet that curious folk and Hoyoverse fans will be waiting day and night to get their chance to visit New Eridu for the first time.
Zenless Zone Zero will be available on mobile devices (iOS/Android) and PC. For more information on the upcoming closed beta, visit our closed beta guide here.
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