Summary
- ZZZ is more than a button-masher, featuring hidden combat mechanics that players can master for a deeper gameplay experience.
- Pay attention to squad cohesion and skill descriptions for optimal damage output in ZZZ.
- Some hidden game mechanics can only be found through experience, adding rewarding effects for invested players.
HoYoverse's newest street-punk action gacha, Zenless Zone Zero, has taken the live-service gaming world by storm with its colorful cast of playable characters, dynamic environs chock-full of cozy, well-designed assets, and addictive gameplay loop. In much the same way HoYo's previous titles have shocked and awed fans and newcomers alike with their engaging narratives and flashy combat sequences that complement each title respectively, Zenless Zone Zero has managed to match the stride of its siblings in full form and fashion.
Despite its recent popularity, claims are circulating on the internet that Zenless Zone Zero is nothing more than a depthless, button-mashing hack n' slash with a few mini-games thrown in to break up the monotony (including, of course, a gacha game, as is a HoYoverse staple). To a degree, the argument does ring true. ZZZ, like HoYo's other popular titles, includes a lite tutorial section and keeps the information within reach through accessible means at nearly any point during gameplay. Like the other games, however, ZZZ omits a lot of useful mechanical gameplay tips. Between the surplus of fast-paced combat sequences and sometimes overwhelming libraries of textual information the game gives the player, there are still a good handful of mechanics that can only be found through unfiltered experience.
6 Best Games To Play If You Like Zenless Zone Zero
From more anime games to action RPGs, Zenless Zone Zero will love these recommendations.
Zenless Zone Zero is No Mere Button Masher
The most notable hidden mechanics typically involve the primary appeal of the game: the combat. Thankfully, ZZZ is more than a button-mashing bonanza for those with the motivation to explore the plethora of unique Zenless Zone Zero characters and their movesets. While ZZZ is fully capable of being a satisfying experience from beginning to end while operating on the surface mechanics that the game teaches, making use of some of the more complex strategies embedded into the game's files can give a much-needed boost at the worst of times.
One of the simplest things every player should know is that there actually is a target lock-on mechanic. For consoles, just press the right thumbstick, and the player character will hard-set their sights on the target most appropriate to the relational camera angle. This button can, of course, be mapped to another through the game's menu as well.
ZZZ Fans Should Pay Extra Attention to Squad Cohesiveness
Most of the offensive abilities in ZZZ have to deal with skills taught but not expanded on, such as with assists. Certain ZZZ characters can provide buffs to teammates only after utilizing very specific abilities or situational circumstances. For example, the in-game tutorial teaches the player that a quick assist is triggered by counterattacking with the assist button after taking damage from an enemy attack. However, due to their special skills, Lucy is able to tag in Ellen for a pressing assault without the condition of having to take damage (and from Ellen to Nicole, and from Nicole back to Ellen for a psuedo-endless loop).
Switching from a support character to a character that isn't DPS also capsizes the potential damage output, yet ZZZ does not inform the player that it's fully possible to control which character can be swapped to during an assist by pressing the respective back bumpers (L2/LB or R2/RB). HoYo does a fantastic job at giving its characters spectacularly accommodating skills, but it is up to the player to find what combinations of those skills work best for them. Optimal use of Zenless Zone Zero's support characters and their skills is the loudest secret of the game, much like almost every HoYoverse gacha title to date.
Visual cues are just as important, and while the game does initially clue the player into the red-orange star flash that indicates a boss is about to do a parryable move, it doesn't inform that later bosses build a punish gauge for overuse of parries, nor does it list anywhere that a monochromatic flash of the screen indicates that a boss's follow-up attack is imminent and a parryable move is soon to come within that sequence of attacks.
ZZZ Skill Descriptions Are The Secret Ingredient to Success
These things all have to be learned through the noble but harsh teacher of experience (or a friend, or the internet). ZZZ prides itself on allowing the player to uncover how flexible the combat mechanics are on their own, rather than throwing all the information at them. That tactic has been noticed and is itself receiving a fair amount of scrutiny, for better or worse. The beginner tips Zenless Zone Zero fires off in its early stages truly are just that: beginner.
All in all, Zenless Zone Zero has garnered itself a bit of a surprisingly notorious reputation in a short amount of time for being a game that doesn't handhold when it comes to mastering its mechanics, an accolade typically reserved for such starkly different titles as Soulsborne games or the like. With as much as is hidden from plain view from the average player, it could also be argued that HoYoverse intended for that very occurrence. HoYoverse games tend to crafted for broader audiences and hardcore gamers alike. Some gamers invest in a title like ZZZ for an easy hack n' slash casual experience, while others, seeking a more hardcore experience, take the time to discover and hone the game's more intricate but unspoken designs.
In any case, players are bound to encounter some of the game's hidden mechanics throughout their playthroughs, adding (intentionally or otherwise) a kick of rewarding flavor for the time invested. If nothing else, the topic has certainly given Zenless Zone Zero more foot traffic as a game that is much more than meets the eye.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 75 /100 Critics Rec: 72%
- Released
- July 4, 2024
- ESRB
- T (Teen) - Suggestive Themes & Violence
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Publisher(s)
- HoYoverse
- Engine
- Unity
WHERE TO PLAY
Don't go into the Hollows.
I know, I know, there's Ether in the Hollows, bizarre creations, even heritage of the old civilization, all precious treasures. But don't forget, there's also spatial disorder, monsters and mutants running rampant, and ultimately, a disaster that could swallow the world. They are not a place where ordinary people should go.
So don't go into Hollows.
Or at least, don't go in alone.
If you insist on getting into danger, go to New Eridu first.
This city where the good and the bad mix has many people who need the Hollows: Powerful wealthy tycoons, gangs that stalk the streets, conspiracy nuts, and ruthless officials.
Make your preparations there, find strong allies, and most importantly—
Find a "Proxy".
Only they can guide people out of the maze-like Hollows.
Good luck!
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC, Android, iOS
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
