Zenless Zone Zero review – stylish, enchanting and seductive

In this free-to-play gacha game, Earth’s survivors balance dystopian battles with cute moments helping locals
miHoYo/HoYoverse; PC, PS5, smartphones

One of the biggest revolutions in the modern video game industry has taken place almost out of sight of your average console gamer. The rise of the free-to-play gacha game, in which you pay either real or in-game money for randomised bundles of characters and weapons, has been meteoric in the Chinese market, dominated by publishers such as miHoYo, NetEase and Yostar. The most successful such games, including Genshin Impact, Arknights and Another Eden, have tens of millions of players, mostly on smartphones, and draw vast incomes from those willing to pay to complete their collections of in-game items.

Recently, the genre has been expanding beyond mobile, and Zenless Zone Zero is the latest example. Created by HoYoverse, this is a sprawling anime-styled action role-playing adventure set in a chaotic sci-fi dystopia. Earth has been invaded by interdimensional aliens, and above the ruins of the old civilisation lives a community of human survivors in a neo-city named New Eridu. You can play as either Wise or Belle, a brother-sister duo of hackers who own a video rental store, but also work as proxy agents, sending out teams of warriors to complete missions for clients.