ZENLESS ZONE ZERO
Despite the Zs, MiHoYo’s latest shouldn’t be slept on
Developer/ publisher HoYoverse
Format Android, iOS, PC, consoles TBA
Origin China
Release TBA
Still basking in the success of gacha hits Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, HoYoVerse is adding another string to its live-service bow with this ARPG. It’s only natural to be cynical about the studio spinning up another game within the same framework, but after working through its opening chapters and a slew of side-missions, Zenless Zone Zero stands out from its labelmates.
In part, that’s thanks to an art style that’s not afraid to squash, stretch, and morph. It kicks off with a frantic escape by The Cunning Hares – your archetypal thieves with hearts of gold – as a heist in a rival gang’s hideout goes wrong and they tumble into a Hollow, one of many pockets of distorted reality within the futuristic, megacorp-ruled New Eniru. That’s where you come in. Choosing one half of sibling duo Wise and Belle, as Proxies we possess the ability to guide our clients through this space, which would otherwise turn those lost within it into monsters.