Zenless Zone Zero furthers miHoYo's desire to create a game for every type of player
ZZZ's TV-based dungeon system makes perfect sense for miHoYo's grand gacha plans
- Zenless Zone Zero's TV grid has been a contentious topic for players
- I suggest this system makes perfect sense for action-oriented gameplay
- Zenless Zone Zero is a sensical addition to miHoYo's genre-spanning catalogue
In the past two weeks or so, miHoYo’s latest gacha venture Zenless Zone Zero has, unsurprisingly, exploded in popularity and player count. With this large burst of new players, it has also experienced some backlash in relation to one specific mechanic; the TV-based dungeon diving that people are saying lacks both exploration and the freedom to uncover every crevice of the beautiful punk-themed world the developers have created.
While the hub world of Zenless Zone Zero - abbreviated as ZZZ for the remainder of this article - does offer a decent bit of exploration and player freedom to check out all the cool decor surrounding the action-based gameplay, the actual moment-to-moment gameplay throws that to the side to get you right into the action.
How does ZZZ differ from Genshin or Star Rail?
The main way of engaging with the actual gameplay portions of ZZZ involves choosing a quest, where you will then be thrown into a sort of grid-based map as a little icon in a field of televisions. You traverse this map by jumping from TV to TV, with each holding an icon that tells you what you can expect from it.
All bar two of these tile types give you a resource of some kind or offer a switch to open up a new path of other TVs. The only two that actually involve engaging with the ZZZ's combat are the boss and enemy encounter tiles, which then transport you to a usually short combat arena. After beating this encounter, you’ll be thrown back to the grid-based exploration menu, and that’s the general gameplay loop.
Some players have taken issue with this system since it doesn't involve much actual in-world exploration or discovery like miHoYo’s other primary two games; Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail. So, is this system actually a bad mechanic, or is there more to it than meets the eye?
Why would miHoYo design such a mechanic?
I am of the opinion that what miHoYo has done here is allow players to focus on what ZZZ is designed and marketed as - an action game that intends to keep you engaging with the combat as much as possible.
The grid-based maps are easy to get through, and the non-combat tiles only take a few clicks, allowing players to throw themselves into the action as fast as they can, making the gameplay portion of ZZZ actually take up the majority of your time. For something based around fast and frantic action, this makes a lot of sense.
Beyond that, what I believe miHoYo has now successfully accomplished is making a game for every type of player. If you desire that world exploration and secret hunting experience, the open-world nature of Genshin Impact has you covered.
Honkai Star Rail also offers some of this in different ways, but its repeatable roguelike-adjacent mode that you’ll run frequently is also based around small text-based encounters between the turn-based enemy encounters found within as well. ZZZ is miHoYo taking that idea a step further, allowing you to hop right into the meat of it without all of the side stuff taking up too much of your time.
How miHoYo covers all their bases
This means that players have the exploration with Genshin Impact, the turn-based, slower, methodical approach in Star Rail, and the frenetic, fast-paced, stylish action in ZZZ. With this, miHoYo has created a sort of monopoly on the gacha market, offering a type of gameplay for every player out there, and thereby creating three separate worlds that appeal to nearly everyone.
While the grid-based exploration system may not work for everyone, it makes a lot of sense for what miHoYo is aiming for, and if you don’t enjoy the mechanic, then their other two massively successful offering might be up your alley instead. No matter your taste, the long arm of miHoYo’s dominance within the gacha market surely has one that might just be your next favourite.
