Zenless Zone Zero is an exciting blend of Persona 5 and Street Fighter, but I worry whether it'll be able to sustain itself in miHoYo's modern mold

GamesActionZenless Zone ZeroZenless Zone Zero is an exciting blend of Persona 5 and Street Fighter, but I worry whether it’ll be able to sustain itself in miHoYo’s modern moldWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Hoyoverse)

Koleda swinging at an enemy in Zenless Zone Zero.

Being plonked straight into New Eridu, Zenless Zone Zero’s main city hub, and I can’t help but notice how everything oozes coolness. It’s got those ultra-stylish vibes I feel traversing through games like Hi-Fi Rush and Persona 5, the kind that make me question my own trendiness. The landscape is vibrant, the roster is impeccably dressed, and I feel ready to fumble my way through parry after parry.

The action RPG is miHoYo’s latest endeavour, one I admittedly haven’t paid much attention to up until recently. It’s a surprise considering I’m well-versed with the rest of Hoyo’s catalogue at this point, and Zenless Zone Zero looks especially up my alley despite my lack of experience with parry-heavy action combat.

I checked out a variety of the game’s characters while I played: Wolf butler Lycaon and his colleagues Rina and Ellen (who’s a freakin’shark maid), briefcase-wielding Nicole, fiery hammer user Koleda and her electric pal Grace. I managed to squeeze a quick battle or two in with the majority of the other 15 agents, but these folk were definitely my favourite of the bunch.

(Image credit: Hoyoverse)

Zenless Zone Zero.

Like I said, I’m not one for parry combat at all, which left me a little worried when I realised I would have to be engaging in some well-timed button presses against the game’s foes. I’ve always favoured being able to mindlessly slice through my enemies, or taking my time carefully deliberating my next move in a turn-based format. Having my brain constantly switched on for those deflections is a feat, but I was having an absolute blast with it in Zenless Zone Zero.

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(Image credit: Hoyoverse)

Zenless Zone Zero.

It almost reminds me of old tag-based fighting games in a way. Maybe that’s because I played a lot of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 earlier this year, but something about having one character wrap up their attack while I switch another one in to continue the flurry of attacks was sparking the same satisfactory feelings. Considering producer Zhenyu Li is a huge Street Fighter fan and drew inspiration from it for Zenless Zone Zero, I suppose it makes sense that I’m getting some fighting game vibes from the combat. As a lifelong enjoyer of the genre, it’s a huge bonus for me, one that has helped me enjoy a style of brawling I don’t traditionally engage in.

Despite having a great time discovering my hidden Sekiro player, my biggest worry comes from how much staying power Zenless Zone Zero will have. It’s doing away with the more open exploration-focused open worlds that miHoYo has been pushing with the likes of Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, opting more for instanced combat through modes such as the roguelite-esque Hollow Zero. It had me hopping through different television screens, each one holding some risk, reward or challenge within.

It’s very reminiscent of Honkai: Star Rail’s Simulated Universe, a mode I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with already. I’m not super into roguelite elements and having to slog through different scenarios to reach a boss fight at the end, but I’m an impatient girlie, so your mileage may vary. Most other combat modes will likely have a Genshin or Honkai equivalent people can attach them to, like Expert Shadow sharing similarities with Honkai’s Stagnant Shadow.

(Image credit: Hoyoverse)

Zenless Zone Zero.

Instanced content isn’t bad, don’t get me wrong. In fact, it’s all fine and dandy—it served Honkai Impact 3rd just fine for like, eight years—but I can imagine hopping through television screens and having to go out of my way to set up exploration-based missions won’t hold my attention forever. I found its menu-heavy formula was detracting from how slick the game’s world was, a world I would be very happy to spend more time in away from UIs and option selects.

Of course, I could be totally wrong, and Zenless Zone Zero could be brimming with replayability that inevitably pulls me away from a gacha game I’ve been fixated on since September. For how much fun I had jamming out to the game’s excellent electronic soundtrack while marvelling at how snazzy each agent’s combat animations were, I don’t know how long that could hold me over when I’m having to spend much of my playtime buried deep in menus.

Part of why I love Genshin and Honkai so much comes from the way those games balance exploration with all the boring admin-y bits that come with playing a gacha game, and I fear Zenless Zone Zero’s attempt to break away from the modern miHoYo formula might end up being its undoing.

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