Zenless Zone Zero’s Producer Has A Refreshing Approach To Gacha Grind

The launch of Zenless Zone Zero looms large for gacha fans and invested players within the multiple HoYoverse offerings that dominate this space. As an “urban fantasy” game that focuses heavily on its presentation – that description came up fairly often while speaking to producer Zhenyu Li – it’s taking a unique slant to the way its developer often presents its games, which feels pretty story- and character-first. While those elements are certainly present within ZZZ based on its past closed betas, its city life and its environmental design are the standouts thus far.

Something that’s not as obvious as the various streetwear, video game, and anime inspirations that litter the world of Zenless Zone Zero is what its approach will look like to the daily grind that either entices or plagues the gacha community. It’s no exaggeration to say that dailies can make or break a game – and in our roundtable interview with Zhenyu Li during a ZZZ media event, he gave a refreshing take on how the upcoming urban fantasy adventure has changed, and how it will approach such a vital element of its design:

“For daily grinding, we have a special design. Our game revolves around urban living, in contrast to
Honkai: Star Rail
for example, where players would need to do core combat [for dailies]. Our product is focused on urban living, so for example, you can have a coffee in the morning or do some urban-related activities, and you can complete daily grinding that way.”

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Zenless Zone Zero Feels Nothing Like Genshin Impact Or Honkai Star Rail (& That’s A Good Thing)

Zenless Zone Zero is soon to be the latest member of the HoYoverse family of games, and it’s also the most different. That’s a good thing.

Zenless Zone Zero’s Solution For The Daily Grind Involves Grinds

A Breath Of Fresh Air In Gacha Gaming

For those less familiar with the broader landscape of gacha games, Li’s answer might not be all that interesting. After all, it’s basically an indicator that if you need to, you can skip daily combat in favor of some urban lifestyle roleplay to receive the same rewards, and it’s often difficult to explain just why that’s so important to the people who play these games. Essentially, gacha gaming tends to necessitate daily logins to accumulate resources for free just for playing, letting people accumulate currencies and items that will help them acquire future characters in the gacha without necessarily needing to spend money.

So for many who play games like Zenless Zone Zero, logging in daily is a necessity – it’s often one of the only consistent ways to accrue resources. Having dailies that are focused on player immersion and building out the environment and world of ZZZ could be a revolutionary approach to how HoYoverse titles facilitate daily logins and player engagement. I know when I heard the answer I was immediately more likely to pick up Zenless Zone Zero as part of my daily rotation; I’d much rather have a relaxing coffee with characters I love than fight the same small mobs for the 100th time.

Zenless Zone Zero’s Release Date Will Try To Establish Proof Of Concept

Weeks After Launch, How Will Its Spin On Dailies Affect Player Engagement?

Of course, a refreshing answer isn’t always the correct one. In our interview with Li, he often referred to the urban fantasy setting as the game’s primary selling point, but it’s still an action-RPG at heart with some mechanical systems that are newer to the HoYoverse portfolio. In an ideal world, players like the dodge system, chain-swapping, and stylish attacks enough that they’re happy to do both combat and coffee for their dailies; in a less idyllic scenario, they’ll gravitate purely to one or the other because the alternative is less fun.

It remains to be seen where Zenless Zone Zero will land, but it’s certainly aiming high. This isn’t a game that’s playing it safe, but it is a game that knows its identity quite thoroughly thanks to its producer’s razor sharp focus on the principles informing its design decisions. I know I’m grabbing coffee and roaming the city as often as I can to complete dailies at launch even though I’ve generally enjoyed combat in previous beta tests – if enough people have that philosophy, ZZZ may find itself with a very dedicated core community quite quickly.

Zenless Zone Zero

Platform(s)

PC , PS5 , iOS , Android

Released

July 4, 2024

Developer(s)

HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)

Genre(s)

Action RPG

Engine

Unity

ESRB

T (Teen) – Suggestive Themes & Violence

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