Zenless Zone Zero shows off its flashy combat and other metagame systems in a new trailer revealed at Gamescom 2023.
Zenless Zone Zero Shows Off Extended Gameplay in Gamescom 2023 Trailer
Hoyoverse has been on fire lately, especially in the opening hours of Gamescom 2023. While they did touch upon Honkai Star Rail’supcoming 1.3 Updateand Genshin Impact’s underwater areas inupdate 4.0, we haven’t heard much from their other project,Zenless Zone Zero.
This has changed now that they showed off their “Special Participation Video” on the show and some exclusive extended footage with IGN. Let’s see what the ARPG has been up to.
Style is My Middle Name
The thing that pops out the most in Zenless Zone Zero’s presentation is that it is oozing with style. It has an aesthetic that is clearly inspired by downtown Tokyo, but overall it takes on a futuristic cyberpunk feel as well. The developers are also going all-out with the character designs, as they are extremely varied. We’ve seen some of the more basic humanoids such as Anby and Koleda, but we also know of Von Lycaon, the dapper werewolf with cybernetically-enhanced legs he uses to kick anything and everything.
Care and style also radiate from everything else, from the in-game menus to many of the side activities that we’ll discuss later.
Zenless Zone Persona
It also looks like Zenless Zone Zero is taking some pages from another beloved JRPG, Persona. Some eagle-eyed viewers noticed that some of the trailer footage contained a Persona-styled calendar widget on the top right, noting the time of day as well as the actual date itself. Yes, there is a day and night cycle in Zenless Zone Zero, and it changes the look of areas quite dramatically.
The player is also presented with the riveting choice of whether or not they should spend time hanging out with a character named Anby. After what we assume is a fun-filled afternoon, the time shifts into the evening, showing us Von Lycaon instead. Perhaps only certain companions are available at specific times of the day? You can also chat with your friends with your in-game phone, as well as participate in group discussions. Perhaps you can share all the dank memes.
Players will also have many options to waste their precious hours. There will be many minigames inspired by actual video games that you can get lost in. It also looks like you can heavily customize your soundtrack, as there’s an NPC that offers that kind of service.
Flash and Combat in Zenless Zone Zero
The Special Participation Video also did showcase a ton of combat, which is hopefully the majority of what we’ll do in Zenless Zone Zero. We learned we’re getting a new “Evasive Assist” feature in combat, which is basically an extremely flashy parry system. Characters performing perfect parries look exceptionally good, as there is a meaty animation and sound effect that plays, sort of congratulating you on a job well done.
Those perfect assists will also translate into offensive moves, as you can immediately perform painful counterattacks on your foes. As with most Hoyoverse games, fighting is quite a spectacle with great animations, larger-than-life enemies, as well as tons of particle effects flying in every direction.
Zenless Zone Zero is also an action RPG at its heart, but initial reports say that the game is going in a more roguelike direction. That could very well be possibly true, as creating too many games in the same specific genre could cause Hoyoverse to compete with Hoyoverse itself.
Zeroing In
There have been no other announcements in recent months for Zenless Zone Zero, so it’s refreshing to see it being mentioned again at Gamescom 2023. While we may not have a release date announcement or even a Closed Beta Test 2 announcement, any info is good info. Overall, it was an excellent trailer that showed players something to look forward to, especially those who haven’t been following the Hoyoverse scene. The game has also been able to secure a staggering 10 million pre-registrations via the official site.
Players take on the role of a “Proxy” as they enter twisted worlds called Hollows and battle fearsome enemies. It is an entirely new IP created by the minds of Hoyoverse, set in a post-apocalyptic dystopian world. New Eridu is one of the last bastions of civilization, and it is hanging on by a thread.
In other news, check outSea of Stars Launch Trailer Reveals Fourth Character, andCyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty Shows ‘New Ways to Play’ in Gamescom 2023 Trailer.
