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- Cognosphere
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- Cognosphere
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- Cognosphere
Zenless Zone Zero
Released On: Jul 2, 2024
77
6.7
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 34 Critic Reviews
77
71% Positive
24 Reviews
24 Reviews
21% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 34 Critic Reviews
77
71% Positive
24 Reviews
24 Reviews
21% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
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 is the best base game HoYoverse has released to date: It’s a step up from its predecessors in terms of presentation, tech, systems, and starting content – and since previous titles have all massively improved over the course of their strict and impressive update cycle, I feel confident that this is going to repeat for this one...Combining charm and spectacle, mechanical satisfaction and approachability, rapid intensity, and immaculate cool vibes, Zenless Zone Zero is HoYoverse’s hat-trick.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 399 User Ratings
6.7
58% Positive
233 Ratings
233 Ratings
13% Mixed
51 Ratings
51 Ratings
29% Negative
115 Ratings
115 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 399 User Ratings
6.7
58% Positive
233 Ratings
233 Ratings
13% Mixed
51 Ratings
51 Ratings
29% Negative
115 Ratings
115 Ratings
This game is what great slasher should be. Nice tempo, nice sounds, nice flow. I kinda like gacha in it, so I can't complain it all about anything. This game is a KILLER.
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PC
I rarely play F2P/gacha games, but I downloaded this on my PS5 and now I find myself playing this more than the most recent 'paying' games that I've downloaded. I consider this a win. The UI is so good, the gameplay feels very good and deep since every character has different combos and abilities that you can even upgrade, and there's like a ton of characters already. It's not really 'hard' (at least for now), but I'm having FUN.
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PC
A new gacha game full of charm and high class characters with a fun and dynamic gameplay. But it's the mix of inspirations that makes up the universe that really catches the eye.
Obviously, if the gachas and the character and equipment obtaining system in the other Hoyoverse titles don't appeal to you, then it certainly won't be Zenless Zone Zero that will change your mind - but, beyond that, this new title is certainly a more than valid action RPG that underlines the great awareness achieved by Hoyoverse, which only moves when it is sure of hitting the mark.
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 a snappy action game that feels rewarding to master. Though the story can fall flat at times, the characters are so fun that it’s fun to see their reactions. The presentation of the plot—the comic book format and the colorful animations—keeps it entertaining and fresh. Instead of appealing to everyone, it feels like it’s striving to hit a particular audience and I personally am one of those people. Hopefully the dailies won’t be too hard to manage on top of everything else in the market.
After numerous hours bouncing between fun, if repetitive combat, and annoying characters occupying a forgettable story, Zenless Zone Zero falls well short of what it needs to be.
It's a well made, tightly playing action RPG as far as the combat is concerned and, so long as you can resist the allure of the Gacha mechanics, you have yourself a better-than-average free game. The characters and setting are clearly taking a lot of inspiration from the Persona series (Time of day cycles, missions you can do for people around a hub, shop Sim elements, and even a mission where you serve coffee in case the inspiration wasn't smacking you in the face hard enough). This is a good game to play when you want something that looks really nice and isn't too complicated.
The mechanics of combat are simple: Hammer attack until the enemy's stun Guage fills, then hammer your special to trigger a chain attack. Red flash from the enemy means dodge to get a slick slo mo counter and a yellow flash is an opportunity to swap to another party member on your squad to get a cool switch attack. Once you've gone buck wild a while, you can unleash a super attack. Simple and satisfying.
Having mentioned the gacha mechanics, the game has, so far, given me plenty of pulls and a lot of fun characters. The character design leans a little TOO heavy into weebs and furries for my personal taste (the human characters with shark tails are absolutely repulsive) but the overall design is what you'd expect from the JRPG crowd.
The cons: Menus. There are WAY to many menus in this game. There are several different menus in different areas where you claim rewards, all with more tabs to more menus. It's actually difficult to claim all the things you've earned because the game hides them all in separate menus.
Second, the currencies. I know this is a free to play model and this is how it goes, but holy cannot. You have a currency to pull normal players, a currency to pull exclusive players, a currency that can be used to purchase pulls for normal players, a currency that can be used to purchase pulls for exclusive players, a currency to buy Bangboo stuff, a currency to pull Bangboo, a slowly regenerating currency you can use to earn upgrade currencies for your characters. And again, I get what kind of game this is but the currency system is so unnecessary convoluted and the menus so dense and confusing that I genuinely had to stop and make sure I wasn't accidentally spending real money on currency rather than trading one in game currency for another. Even in a game where the idea is to get players to spend money to buy currency, I don't see why you can't just have a single premium currency to use for all your pulls. On the other hand, the team certainly aren't hiding the predatory aspects of the game; the vast number of unique currencies makes it painfully obvious to any but the most slow witted that this game is trying to use Sunk Cost Fallacy against the player.
Even if you want to sink money into the game, it's hard to know how. You have the City Fund, the battle pass, and a dozen premium currencies to choose from. As stated above for myself, who plans on spending nothing here, this is incredibly confusing. It's like the studio simultaneously wants to open all possible avenues for revenue AND ensure that players have the hardest possible time figuring out how to give away their cash. There are 36 ways into your wallet and each of them requires a detour for the detour to get there.
All in all, if you want a good looking game with a typical JRPG story and dumb-but-fun combat, you'll have a good time here. Oddly enough, ignoring the gacha elements actually leaves you with an above average game. If you actually want to spend money, good luck navigating those menus.
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PC
Pros ++ Combat is enjoyable, characters are cute and lighthearted.
Im in love with the anime style.
Cons -- The combat arenas are empty, I mean really empty, there is nothing to loot, no deviation paths, invisible walls everywhere.
I do not understand this design choice.
Things got really stale really fast when there is nothing to loot and nothing to explore.
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PC
Shockingly one dimensional. Combat is the only enjoyable gameplay but it makes up maybe 1/3 of all the gameplay. The rest is boring cutscenes and even more boring tv "puzzles". I can't believe how threadbare the game is. it's such a test of patience when you're stuck in yet another tv tile gameplay one after another after another and each time you get into combat, there's a loading out animation, loading screen, then an intro cutscene. EVERYTIME!!
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PC
There is no exploration. Enemies just stand still. really pretty, but just hoyo formula and some nice anime models
The TV level design is truly garbage. This is 30% **** at best.
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PC
Summary Zenless Zone Zero is a brand-new game IP set in a post-apocalyptic metropolitan city. It features an engaging story with a futuristic art style, distinctive characters, and an exhilarating action-orientated combat system. Players will play the role of a "Proxy" and embark on an adventure with a diverse group of partners to conquer the un...
Rated T
for Teen
Platforms:
- PC
- iOS (iPhone/iPad)
- PlayStation 5
Initial Release Date: Jul 2, 2024
Developer:
- miHoYo
Publisher: Cognosphere
Genres:
