Zenless Zone Zero

“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.”

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

“Zenless Zone Zero, like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, is here to stay. It is very certain that miHoYo is already working on future updates with more content and new characters. With three different games, the Chinese studio has extended its reach to new territories, and perhaps those who are not fans of open world games or turn-based RPGs can find their new obsession in this hack and slash.”

“Smaller in scale than HoYo's other gacha games, Zenless Zone Zero is off to a good start. While the game suffers from pacing issues and a lack of variety, the combat is excellent in ZZZ. It helps it's backed up by an intriguing story and solid gameplay.”

“Zenless Zone Zero is an immediate and fun game, which manages to capture the user with an apt aesthetic profile and its combats full of spectacularity. Of course, someone will not appreciate the presence of puzzles or the absence of a component related to the exploration of more open maps, but we are talking about a solid production in any case, perfect to combine with free to play that require much more perseverance and commitment such as Genshin Impact.”

“Zenless Zone Zero excels at everything advertised - combat, visuals and music - while offering a surprisingly well-developed narrative. How it develops remains to be seen, but for now, this "Apocalyptic Neverland" is worth diving into.”

“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”

“Zenless Zone Zero is a stylish and incredible-looking blast of anime goodness, and even when it's deliberately slowing the pace down, another frantic bout of the stellar combat won't be too far away.”

“Zenless Zone Zero is just an incredibly good time presented with supreme confidence and verve by a developer that knows exactly what its doing.”

“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.”

“Zenless Zone Zero is without doubt the new best gacha action RPG out there, beating Wuthering Waves, Genshin, Tower of Fantasy, and the like by a mile. Its immersive world, unique mechanics, engaging gameplay, and compelling story have set a new standard of what a good ARPG should look like and are bound to appeal to almost everyone.”

“Zenless Zone Zero sets slick, responsive combat against a backdrop of cassette futurism and '90s nostalgia, but it strains against the yoke of HoYoverse's built-in gacha system.”

“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.”

“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.”