IT NEEDS WORK - Zenless Zone Zero Initial Impressions - Combat, Story, Characters, World Design more

[@LostWallet]

they could have let us countrol the bangboo and explore the hollow and do mini game and puzzle, and hiding deom enemies and encounter combat and get advantage/disadvantage combat engagement, and many other ways, but no, they make us look at the tv monitors for 80% of the mission

[@justnoct]

That's such a better idea instead of the monitors actually doing the exploration as the Bangboo!

[@spdlmt307]

Yeah the monitor is annoying

[@justnoct]

Doing the Cat mission I stopped playing it was 15min straight of monitors and unlocking paths for the train so boring

[@keisukesakamori]

are the people hating on the game ever made it to hollow exploration mode? or just the 1st story and thats it my problem with the game are the TV is getting boring why not make it running from map to map like dragon nest type of stuff and the challenge mode is just dumb, literally dumb. make it harder please

[@justnoct]

I'm pretty much done with the story, but I didn't want to spoil too much so I used early game footage.

[@assil555]

man i dislike how easy it is and they just make the gameplay seem complex and deep but its just left click eye catchy spammer, and the cheer amount of lolies and fan service, i kind of wanted it to be the visually pleasing version of honkai impact type of game but the story too is mid, i expected it kinda but damn what a massive let down. And also slight edit, why the f are the boss SOOOOO passive, like try and hit me bro, give me a reason to focus on the fighting they hyped that much right when im supposed to be hooked, not bore me until i drop it like i did now, and the music of the gacha is too bothersome, i mute it everytime i had to pull Great video by the way, keep up the good work

[@justnoct]

Those are all great points. The bosses are very passive. I'm not the biggest fan of instance based games but when they are executed correctly they're a blast. But after doing the Cats quest and spending 15min on the monitors I got annoyed 😂 Also thank you for the kind words!

[@xav2584]

Yeah i saw all the furry bullshit they had going on and was like yeah fuck that, but then i tuned into a couple of streams and the combat seemed very fun. I wont even lie i have been smashing the skip button for the story since i just finished WuWa's recently and was taking my time LMAO. I definitely think the TV stuff is what's pissing a lotttttt of people of rn and is making their opinion of the game 2x worse than what it would have been tbh, but overall im having a good time.

[@justnoct]

I usually give the story a chance. I've skipped almost everything in ZZZ. The monitors take too long. I agree it's a huge detractor to the overall experience.

[@Ellie-dj3kr]

thank you for this review. i really wasnt interested in the game and this totally solidified this. ESPECIALLY after Wuthering Waves. Do you think they rushed this because of WuWa?

[@justnoct]

I actually think it's the opposite WuWa rushed to beat ZZZ to release. Kuro leadership was smart. They made a serious impact on ZZZs player base. But different games after all ZZZ is instance based more like PGR and HI3 and WuWa was going after Genshin anyway. ZZZ seems like they couldn't figure out a unified vision for the game. It's casual combat but has so much filler the casuals probably won't play it much. Idk. What do you think?

[@Ellie-dj3kr]

@@justnoct So i havent played the game but I've been following it cause its a Hoyo game. :0 but it just hasnt really grabbed me. I feel like it looks like a fun casual game if i am just going to "define" it, you know? and i think thats great too. but there needs to be more than one hub where you spend a lot of time and some combat to grab me. its weird cause not even the characters helped this... :[[ I really like that tall maid girl with the friends that float around her but not enough to pull me into the game to play. I think WuWa has a lot of what I've been looking for. And besides the energy costs for things and some co op aspects, its a near perfect game imo.

[@KamiGemaGaming]

i love everything except for the combat feeling lack luster. Maybe it was just me, but i was expecting more flashy combos and variety

[@justnoct]

I can say the combos go get a bit more flashy with some of the other 5 stars and team combos, but definitely missing some depth to the combat for sure.

[@YumiSumire]

This game doesn't know what it wants to be, and it's being marketed towards the wrong people.

[@justnoct]

Exactly this!

[@garethcf1016]

Ive seen ppl say its just a worse version of HI3rd. I think there are a few differences that makes it not just a worse reskin (being able to sorta parry everything in the form of the perfect assists for example). But it does seem to be, for the most part, a somewhat dumbed down version of HI3rd or PGR thats marketed at new players who find entering the other action games more challenging for whatever reason. Most likely, HSR players, given that the walking around, and breaking system is pretty similar. Imo tho, if hsr players wanted to play and action game, they should just go play HI3rd, since its more relevant

[@justnoct]

That's a fair comparison. Instance Games usually have less interest. I think the way they marketed the game people were expecting more combat and exploration, less monitors and street walking.

[@garethcf1016]

@@justnoct Tbh, if they just add more combat, give the mobs more hyper armour, and add unique mechanics to bosses like HI3rd does, I think itll be ok

[@naggl3s]

I think its perfectly fine to dislike the tv exploration system, but I think its a bit disingenuous to just call it "filler." You're not the characters on the field, you're the Proxy, someone looking at screens trying to lead the group through the hollows. It is a simplified dungeon exploration system, but you're able to explore and the exploration segments are detailed (I'd honestly want to see it expanded since as of now its very simple, but I think there's a good amount of potential). We do have a selector at 300 standard banner pulls. It kind of sounds like you are just interested in the gameplay and don't care for the theming of the game? There are a lot of callbacks to movies and television and the reason we have so much in the main area is because it is meant to be a living, thiving neighborhood Wise and Belle live in. Simply turning those to menus and taking away the TVs takes away its aesthetic identity. At that point, what would make ZZZ different from WuWa or even HI3? They're both anime Action RPGs. Don't get me wrong, I don't think ZZZ is flawless. I wish there were more area variety in combats and I haven't really struggled yet despite playing on the game's "hard mode." But, I think just saying a mexhanic is shit without saying why does not do much.

[@justnoct]

I can respect your opinion, but I disagree. I don't think its disingenuous to say the monitor and street walking is filler. I guess if someone is looking at the game as a life simulator as a Proxy then sure if that's what you're looking for, but many of us are looking for the combat and the story. If you're here for those aspects, then yeah, scrolling endless monitors for 15min on a mission is straight filler. I honestly think the theme is great retro Japan brought back nostalgia for sure, I just think they could of executed it better. I understand its an Instance Game, but I think outside of combat it could have been done differently. The game combat has no depth. Sorry not sorry. Sure maybe its a bit more complex than the color matching combat of Genshin, but a game that is collaborating with actual fighting games, id expect some more to it. Now a selector at 300 is stupid. That's typical Hoyo bullshit. Give everyone a 5 star selector at the start and see how people invest more. Hoyo missed an awesome opportunity here, but I don't think anyone expects them to change.

[@LeftyPencil]

It feels like PGR-lite, but with actual Android controller support

[@justnoct]

Accurate 🤣

[@justkubz]

I feel like they don't have an identity for ZZZ, we have big booba waifus next to young characters that are weirdly sexualized, and 75% of the characters are using some combination of white, black, and red which is just boring and repetitive. The Belobog faction could have used orange or neon yellow/green, but instead, it's red, white, and black. I think Soukaku is the only character with a unique color palette. The TV nonsense is awful! Boring, slow, and it's complete filler, just take us to the gameplay. If they were targeting the casual gamer base, then all this filler is exactly what will lead to players dropping the game after a few hours. The combat is fun, but personally, I don't see much mechanical depth. Completely agree with many of your points, I think a 5 star selector for the beginner banner could have gone a long way for keeping players engaged, I got Koleda and have zero interest in playing/building her. If I could pick a 5 star that I like, maybe I would be more willing to continue playing because at least I find the character interesting or nice to look at lol

[@justnoct]

Yeah you nailed it on the head. The Identity is all over the place just a cyber punk throw back style but no consistency. The combat is simple, but it's definitely fluid. I think they could have added more of a skill floor. I agree though it feels like it's built for casuals, but then all the filler will push away the casuals. Weird way to do it for sure. I'm in the same spot with my 5* I got the weirdly sexualized car girl and honestly don't really want to play her. Would of rather Von or Soldier 11 tbh.

[@chinchilla505]

game is very asexual, not sexualized. just pretty costumes. Not any worse than real life where you can find 13-17 year old girls in skin suits at a commercial gym. stop hinting for more censorship in waifu games

[@justkubz]

@chinchilla505 Nobody is hinting at more censorship in gacha games. Your opinion is mad weird, and you should just keep it to yourself. Characters like Nekomata and Corin are sexualized simply by the poses the devs decided to put them in. Corin is literally bending over, and you can see up her skirt, but she acts like a child and looks like a child. Why don't you take a seat over here 🤡

[@justnoct]

Relax Dr Disrespect, no one is going after your digital waifus...

[@chinchilla505]

@@justnoct see his coming for our waifus.

[@Locoplayz523]

Personally i agree with it needs work but i dont think the combat needs to be elden ring level hard. Challenging but not purgatory. People complain every time on how the battles arent hard but some games are for the casual audience.

[@justnoct]

No, not even Wuthering Waves hologram hard. Just some more depth to the combat would be nice and some bosses that felt present, not just damage sponge meters.

[@Locoplayz523]

​@justnoct I completely understand where your coming from. Also side track why does it feel much harder to get pulls in this game compared to other hoyo games?

[@justnoct]

Idk why tbh, but I definitely agree it feels like they're being extra stingy. Hoyo definitely isn't Kuro 😆

[@mrchubzdathird5449]

Yo I found out wuwa mailmen give Astirite + exp materials + cash + 200 union exp and NOBODY has made a video on all their locations

[@justnoct]

Yeah I was going to add it as part of my tips vid, but tracking them all down for a vid is alot of work for little views lol

[@mrchubzdathird5449]

@@justnoct damn…..

[@darksplat8605]

I like the game but yes mostly i find the most boring part are the tv movement and the other thing that are not combat i get there trying something different. But the most annoying parts of hoyo games are just the talking that what people dont want i get there trying to give character development but sometimes it just random npc that are barely part of the story. I want more action i dont want a lot of words in my face but we will see if the game can wow me. Plus im Hsr player so npc dialog is very boring except for Firefly cause she is adorable

[@justnoct]

Usually I give the story a fair chance, but I just never felt invested outside of the first few missions.

[@herrcemacu]

idk, i really dont like the aesthetics of the game. the game is clearly made for a younger audience, but they went for the japanese 2000s retro style. like all the people who are remotely interested in that kind of nostalgia have to throw up after playing the story, cuz of all the cringe stuff. like the story has a very childish vibe overall. It feels like the game was made for no one. no clear audience in mind. no nothing.

[@IYUB30]

Very well written thought provoking response. 😅

[@exgenesis4457]

​@@IYUB30It's true though. They really didn't hook much of the Genshin players because it isn't an open world. They didn't hook much of the HSR and HI3 players too. It hooked almost half the Wuwa community but they got bored because it isn't too engaging... It's literally marketing no one in the Top gacha space.

[@justnoct]

Literally the entire game feels like an oxymoron. It's casual combat, but there's so much filter that casuals won't play it. The comedy is obvious and dumb though I had a couple laughs. But there's nothing deep about the game. It's instance based so really it's more towards HI3 and PGR and those games have lower player base anyway. Like you said retro vibes (Jet Set Radio) but the older crowd won't play it because nostalgia isn't more important than game substance. Honestly the combat is fun enough to engage people who don't want to think in WuWa but also don't like the basic match the element color "combat" from Genshin.

[@JoieKoeck]

i guess i have been bored about mihoyo game,zzz is fking disappointing

[@justnoct]

Nah I'm bored too, but I can't just trash the game the first day it's out 😂