Zenless Zone Zero by Hoyoverse captures the perfect action game flow

The best character action games let me enter the combat flow state. I love dashing towards my target, peppering them with attacks, skillfully dodging, hurling them in the air and juggling their body until they finally give up – or in the case of Zenless Zone Zeroexplode in a kaleidoscope of neon reminiscent of a ’90s TV. Hoyoverse’s latest free-to-play offering features frenetic combat that is instantly gratifying. If anything, I sometimes wished I could get back to the action quicker while playing, but the rest of the game has a lot more to offer as well.

Zenless Zone Zero, or ZZZ, is my first Hoyoverse title. I haven’t tried it yet Genshin Influence or Honkai: Star Trailbut this is mainly due to the environment and the play style of ZZZ I liked it much better. Since my playthrough was a beta with everything unlocked, I can’t speak to how the free-to-play gacha mechanics will affect my live playthrough.

Image: Hoyoverse

ZZZ puts me in the shoes of Belle, a teenage girl living in a future, technology-centric metropolis populated by normal people, augmented humans, cat people, shark maids, robot espresso machines, and every other combination of personality ever dreamed up on an anime poster. That’s not a derogatory opinion, by the way; everything and everyone in ZZZ feels like part of the same chaotic, fashionable universe, and I love it. There are robot rabbits called Bangboo to help with any kind of task. By day, Belle runs a video store with her brother, but her main job is being a highly trained guide through interdimensional rifts (called Hollows) that keep appearing in her town. I never fight anyone just as Belle; for action sequences, I switch to the combat-oriented crew of playable characters. Belle is present, but observes and guides the party members through her own Bangboo robot, which she controls remotely.

While ZZZWhen it comes to battles, I can switch between up to three characters at will. While they all have different weapons and playstyles, the entire fight revolves around chaining together light and heavy attacks, dodging, and a meter-based super move. Billy, a cyborg, uses firearms and ranged attacks, while Corin, a maid whose main personality trait is “always deeply worried,” uses a staff that is also a chainsaw to shred the faceless ethereal enemies. I can quickly switch between my party members at will, but there are special points where I can turn on an assist for more damage. No matter which character I choose, the overall combat system is intuitive and fluid. It offers the perfect video game feel of making the player suddenly feel powerful without boring them with overly simplistic mechanics.

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

The other aspect of exploring Hollow is a bit surprising: puzzles. Instead of sending a squad through an endless maze of corridors that all look like a technological wasteland, I navigate a grid of TVs projected onto a 2D plane. Sometimes I push weights to open a door; other times I jump between floors to get to different points on a map. It’s a unique mechanic that, like any good puzzle, gets more complex after the introductory phases. Solving these puzzles is tied to story objectives, but they’re also an important way to collect resources as the game progresses. ZZZ. Their design is a novel approach that I haven’t seen much in a game, and they’re a nice change of pace after the action sequences.

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

There’s also a fair amount to do when I’m not in the Hollow. As Belle, I can explore my neighborhood, manage the video store’s display to attract customers, play arcade games, take cat photos, chat with friends, or grab coffee or pasta to boost my stats for the next Hollow run. (If you’ve ever wanted to see the tantalizing refueling scene before battling for an espresso machine, ZZZ has everything you need.) I can even scroll through forum posts on my phone before bed.

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

There are plenty of in-game activities to spice up the experience, along with a fully voiced story told through comic stills or conversations. I often just wanted to fight, and sometimes the litany of things – and the endless amount of menus to upgrade my characters and weapons – felt like barriers to the nitty-gritty of combat and puzzles. When Belle was assigned a daily list of tasks to complete for in-game loot, I realized how much of ZZZThe scope went beyond the fast-paced combat that I had come to love.

Since I played with a Hoyoverse beta account, all my progress will be deleted if ZZZ goes live. But I am curious to play the real experience, including its gacha elements, to see how that affects the flow. I look forward to experiencing the Zen of ZZZ‘s action sequences again.

Zenless Zone Zero will be released on July 4th for Android, iOS, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC. The game was tested on PC with a beta download code provided by Hoyoverse prior to release. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, however Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased through affiliate links. You can find For more information about Polygon’s ethics policy, please click here.