Zenless Zone Zero

With a striking style and kinetic combat, Zenless Zone Zero’s riveting world makes up for its momentum-killing moments thanks to a satisfying feedback loop and a rogues' gallery of lovable characters.

Zenless Zone Zero is easily the most stylish entry in HoYoverse's fast-growing catalog of free-to-play RPGs.

There's a deceptive depth to Zenless Zone Zero, even with its smaller scale, thanks to this dual focus on pleasing both casual players and those looking for a deeper challenge, mirroring its dedication to both chilled exploration and fast-paced combat. Instead of feeling like a game warring with itself, however, these wildly different vibes weave together to make Zenless Zone Zero what it really is: a successful fusion of ultracool action with slice-of-life goofiness.

ZZZ is a shallow, polished front for a relentless online store.

In this free-to-play gacha game, Earth is invaded and survivors living in a neo-city balance dystopian alien battles with cute, fluffy moments such as helping locals find love and taking photos of local cats

Sleek and stylish art direction won't make up for shallow combat and a tiring gacha treadmill.

Ultimately, ZZZ delights with guiding design principles—remembering what so many adore about other Hoyoverse characters while breaking those moments up into short, snappier pieces. It’s rather easy to pick up and put down, and for something on the go, it’s certainly the preferable Hoyo title. For now, I’m all on board with New Eridu, and eager to watch the cast and world grow in many of the ways Honkai and Genshin have, too.

With out-of-this-world anime production values and a revamped structure that brings a better pace to the overall experience, Zenless Zone Zero is only going from strength to strength. With the introduction of its new district – featuring a pretty fun tycoon management-style minigame – and ever-increasing stakes, the coming year looks bright for HoYoverse’s hyper-cool urban outing.

After 40 or so hours, Zenless Zone Zero stands out as a visually distinct, streamlined mobile game that also plays well on PC and console. It has a lot going for it stylistically, but its combat lacks depth compared to competitors and feels like a chore after long stretches of time. I still see it succeeding with regular updates, its character-driven story, and intuitive gameplay, but I wish HoYoverse spent more time pushing the game in a direction with higher stakes and complexity rather than convenience.

For those who want to dip their toes into the expansive world of Gacha games but are deterred by the other games currently on the market, Zenless Zone Zero is one I would genuinely recommend, despite only being able to play it in short bursts. Additionally, you'll love every second of this game if you're a fan of wild theatrics and flashy cutscenes.