Chinese developer miHoYo, now known as HoYoverse, has recently become a big name in the gaming industry since the release of its breakout hit, Genshin Impact. It is an online gacha RPG that is a contentious but still widely discussed topic across the Internet, where it has also accrued critical and commercial acclaim in the past few years. This comes to a head with the company expanding its reach beyond Genshin Impact to other games such as the recently announced Zenless Zone Zero.
This is a brand-new IP from HoYoverse, not connected to any prior franchises that the company has produced. Zenless Zone Zero was teased earlier this month, with a website that fans could interact with that promised more news the following week. It set up the game's premise, taking place after a doomsday event, along with a news report that detailed this event being known as a "sub-hollow" complete with a purple dome swallowing a city. The developers have finally unveiled what kind of game it is, including its playable characters and tone.
This trailer shows off that unlike Genshin Impact, this game will be taking place inside a more modern and urban cityscape. The characters shown in the game all are wearing various fashionable streetwear, mixed with cybernetic weaponry and accessories. This ranges from human characters wielding swords, guns, and hammers to even a bear who are taking on a threat that is invading the city.
Zenless Zone Zero seems to be a mix of a hack-and-slash action-RPG with a third-person shooter, with each character providing a unique playstyle that tailors to a wide variety of players. The game's official website notes that the player is living a "dual-life" of sorts, with one identity in the streets with the other as a "proxy" to fight these enemies. It states that players will team up with each other in a squad, conquering these hollows in labyrinth-like levels. Moreover, players will be "uncovering a conspiracy" as the game progresses with the factions they have teamed up with.
Players who are looking to see what this new IP from HoYoverse is about can sign up for Zenless Zone Zero's closed beta "tuning test" on its official website. It notes that this beta will be smaller-scale, as the game is still being developed. This beta will only be available for PC and iOS at this time, with other platforms being expanded upon later. More details about this game and its beta test can be found on the official website.
Zenless Zone Zero is currently in development for PC and iOS.
Source: HoYoverse
