Zenless Zone Zero (or ZZZ) is the latest game from Hoyolabs, makers of Genshin Impact and Honkai Starrail among other games. I have played those two aforementioned games so I decided to check the new one out and I am glad that I did. The newest game feels like a blend of what has come before in an entirely new world.
The game takes place in New Eridu City, the world's last surviving city as far as we know. The world has been ravaged by something called the Hollows. The Hollows are a supernatural disaster that suddenly appears to destroy the world. These Hollows are zones of Ether energy that pop up similar to radiation zones in our world after an atomic bomb has gone off. Anybody who stays in the Hollows for too long can be corrupted by its energy and changed biologically forever if they stay too long. Others are outright killed by the dangers within the Hollows.
New Eridu has survived because they managed to develop a culture surrounding the ability to harvest resources and energy from The Hollows. This is the government’s responsibility but regular citizens also venture into the Hollows to seek relics of the past, technology, information, and riches. This is illegal but is still known to happen. A special kind of worker known as a Proxy acts as a guide in and out of the Hollows by using specialized knowledge and experience to find entrances and exits. Proxies and their agents/clients take on missions that are too risky or shady for government employees. They communicate through an information system called the Inter-Knot The government sometimes lets this activity continue because it furthers their interests.
This is perfect for a TTRPG game. To have a system where adventurers venture in and out of a dangerous area while getting information in a safer space is so similar to Dungeons and Dragons and other games. Having the activities be illegal but possibly tacitly supported by the government opens up a lot of fun stories. Also, having a limited time to enter and leave the area adds tension lest the adventurers get corrupted.
In the game, you play as proxy siblings Belle and Wise who have cultivated a reputation as the almighty Phaethon. When somebody attacks them, they are separated from their Phaethon account. They must start from scratch with a new business while also running a video store as a cover. As proxies, Belle and Wise are unique for several reasons. 1) They both carry a genetic condition that makes them especially weak to corruption in the Hollows 2) To counter that weakness, they remote control tiny androids known as Bangboos to guide their clients 3) They studied under the preeminent expert on the Hollows and are able to predict their movements and eccentricities better than most. Throughout the game, the siblings are able to ingratiate themselves with both criminals and the government.
Each character has an element, a class, and a race.
Races
Humans - Pretty much the species that we know and love on our planet, humans are generally the default. There are more humans than anything else in New Eridu and the worst of them tend to discriminate against other races.
Thiren - This race is extremely varied as it covers a lot of different ratios of human and animal. Thirens are creatures with animal traits but also some human traits as well. For some, this means a cat girl who just has cat ears and a tail like Nekomata. For others, this means a bear that always walks on two legs and wears clothes like Ben. Of course, there are also shark thiren like Ellen who just have most of a shark body sticking out of their lower back.
Androids - Not an uncommon sight in science fiction. Androids are walking and talking robots with their own thoughts and feelings. However, different models seem to operate under dfiferent degrees of emotional capability. For example, Billy is a goofy guy who would easily pass as a human if he looked differently. On the other hand, there is Qing Yi who does not look like an android at first glance but acts more like an emotionless automaton.
Oni - They take their name from a class of Japanese yokai, Oni are often seen as Japanese versions of demons although this is an oversimplification. Oni have a much greater metabolism than humans requiring that they eat quite often. The Oni as a whole were not granted citizenship in New Eridu, unlike the above races in this list.
Bangboo - They are a semi-intelligent robot race that was created initially to evacuate people from The Hollows. They have since evolved into a service race of robots that accomplish all sorts of tasks in New Eridu and surrounding areas. They have their own language that other races are capable of learning if they try hard enough. They are all shaped vaguely like rabbits and display distinct personalities.
Ethereals - For now, this is only the main class of enemy in the game and there are no playable Ethereals (nor do I think we will get one). Ethereals are people who stayed too long in the Hollows and were corrupted into monsters. Their bodies seem to be kind of fluid and changeable. Some story arcs have had intelligent Ethereals but they seem to be few and far between.
Classes
Attack - These characters tend to attack quickly and relentlessly either with melee or long-range weapons for high damage output.
Stun - These characters tend to sacrifice damage output in exchange for a higher chance of putting enemies in a daze and making them more vulnerable.
Anomaly - These characters debuff enemies by applying one of the various elements in a higher output.
Support - These characters are capable of buffing their fellow characters and a lot of them seem to be long-range combatants but not all of them.
Defense - These are the characters that tank and are able to take heavy hits in order to then counterattack and gain an edge in combat.
Elements
Fire - Flames inflict enemies with the Burn effect which causes damage over time as the fire goes out over time.
Electric - Attacks with this element inflict Shock which makes the target susceptible to additional damage with each attack.
Ice - Attacks with this element inflict Freeze which literally ices over the target and prevents them from moving or attacking for a short period. Shattering the ice causes additional damage.
Physical - Attacks with this element inflict Assault and Flinch which interrupt and daze the target for longer.
Ether - Attacks with this element harness the deadly energy of the Hollows and cause corruption which can also destroy targets.