Zenless Zone Zero is HoYoverse's unique twist on combat-focused roguelikes: Why you should get excited for this game after its second closed beta test

It’s been a month since the second closed beta test of HoYoverse’s upcoming action-adventure game, Zenless Zone Zero (ZZZ), has concluded. And although the holidays have kept me busy for a while, the game still left a big impression on me and definitely has me excited for when it releases some time later this year.

In fact, I felt a bit bad that they had to conclude the closed beta before Christmas because I was planning to binge on it some more over the holiday break.

ZZZ is made to keep adrenaline junkies like me hooked, all while maintaining focus on the story and adding a bit of variety to the world with mini-games for the player to enjoy throughout New Eridu.

An action game with a few rogue-lite elements

ZZZ was teased as HoYoverse’s first crack at a roguelike, but roguelike fans should prepare themselves: it isn’t one.

Instead, it seems more accurate to call it an adventure game with a few rogue-lite elements to it. The game's roguelike vibes kick in during exploration within the Hollows.

Here, you step into the shoes of the Proxy, guiding a remote-controlled Bangboo through a series of TVs, each representing a tile. Your goal is to move between these tiles, battling enemies and snagging buffs to advance. If your team gets wiped in a Hollow, you restart the whole section.

However, unlike a roguelike where you restart the level and improve on your playthrough, you are taken back to New Eridu. Once you've returned, you control the Proxy and navigate through the town to get a few upgrades or buffs from different shops here and there, like Ramen that boosts some your character’s stats on your next run. All these play into how strong your Agents become.

Familiar HoYoverse elements

Like HoYoverse's other games, the pity system for the gacha system where players can acquire new characters and equipment remains consistent, encompassing the notorious 50/50 scenario for limited S-ranks.

The upcoming game seems to adhere to this established formula, a trend more evident in the beta. After all, if it's not broken, why fix it, right?

Another familiar element is the use of a stamina system called Battery Charge. This is similar to Genshin Impact’s Resin and Honkai: Star Rail’s Trailblaze Power, which are needed to reap rewards from bosses and domain challenges to empower your characters.

However, unlike the games mentioned above, ZZZ’s story mode and side missions will also consume Battery Charge — so it’s a bit of bad news for those who like to complete the main quest as soon as possible.

Impressively fluid combat system

Perhaps one of the biggest strengths of ZZZ so far is its combat system. When dealing with enigmatic foes known as "Ethereal," players can switch between characters, utilizing various abilities and Quick Time Event (QTE) combos.

The dodging mechanics have been refined for more effectiveness, allowing perfect dodges that set the stage for counter-attacks.

Although combat is pretty similar to Honkai Impact 3rd, the system is very user and beginner friendly. In fact, it’s so user-friendly that button-mashing is acceptable (for now) and can pull off some of the coolest character combinations with party members fluidly transitioning to complete a combo.

However, players on mobile might find it a bit difficult to use the controls, which are simple enough but too close together.

While testing, my fingers started cramping after less than 10 minutes of gameplay (and this, coming from a regular mobile phone gamer). Thankfully, it’s still the closed beta, so I am hoping this is something that gets fixed before release or I will stick to PC.

Some players might be disappointed with the difficulty level, but a whole new difficulty level called Hollow Zero was also added to the second closed beta to cater to the more seasoned action game enthusiasts. Unfortunately, I was planning to try that over the holiday break, but the closed beta ended already before then.

A vibrant, bustling community in New Eridu

There’s a lot of potential for ZZZ to show off an interpretation of a post-apocalyptic world, however, world exploration isn’t its focus.

And although the game is not open-world like Genshin Impact, it still keeps the players busy with New Eridu, with its late 90s to early 2000s vibe. Think video game rental shops, arcade games, and more.

For example, the very animated ramen guy was already known to most people because of some previews from Gamescom and Tokyo Games Show. There’s also a coffee shop for those who want some caffeine for their Proxy, and gain more buffs for the team’s next run.

But have you met this good boi? Doesn’t he remind you of the Dog helping a small store in Japan? He even has side quests for your Proxy and your team too.

You’re also managing a video game rental shop, so you can recommend video games, hire help, and make sure sales go up.

And you can find an entire rabbit hole of nostalgic mobile and arcade games. You can play these games against some friends to win certain rewards. A multiplayer, championship-level game of Snake, anybody?

Overall, ZZZ shows a lot of potential and promise, especially that even in testing, it’s already quite interesting. Players can look forward to more as HoYoverse continues to fine-tune the game before its launch. For now, though, fans will have to play the waiting game, as the game does not have a confirmed release window yet.

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.

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