thoughts on zenless zone zero

(!no major spoilers just generally talking about the game!)

so zenless zone zero released about a week ago...

   and honestly i have to say i've been loving the game. so i'm gonna be doing basically free advertising with all i have to say. i'll just get right into it, the characters, combat, and animation is all so good. i love how different it is from genshin and star rail because it really freshens up the mihoyo experience (though i cant say much about HI3 due to never playing it)

   also to touch on the music i absolutely adore it. i've been listening to BITE! and Ellen's theme basically non-stop for the past week. they really did cook with this game and its atmosphere because everything is just phenomenal.

about the atmosphere

   the vibe this game has is the best. it perfectly captures that same energy as jet set radio with that urban upbeat mood and its amazing. the world just feels so full of life and all the details that really make me immersed in the world and i just cannot get enough of it. literally just the fact that every npc has their own design and isn't copy and pasted is mind blowing considering past mihoyo titles and its definitely because they can work in a much smaller space. 

   having the game not be open world actually works much better in its favor as it can really nail the details. they don't need elaborate models for every stage or a massive cityscape but instead can just focus on making a few neighborhoods with all the details needed to make it really come alive and have depth. i really feel like i could be living on 6th street in New Eridu just with how much attention they give it

the characters of the game

   i entered this game thinking that no one really spoke to me but just playing a little bit and i have to admit i fell in love with several of these characters i adore their personalities so much and they're all so unique. the cunning hares(the first group introduced to the player) are all so fun especially billy kid and anby with how they're opposites of each other yet also both hilarious??? like billy is constantly energetic referencing the starlight nights and generally just being a comedic cyclone of a character. on the other hand anby is quiet and the more strategical one HOWEVER rather than making her a generic monotone character that serves to balance out the comedic relief(billy in this case) she has this really fun trait where she just cant tell apart movies from reality?? and it works very well because shell be saying something and then it turns out shes just talking about a movie. 

   actually just generally the comedy in this game is hilarious like it nails the jokes and balances them well. you still have interactions between characters that are meaningful and more serious but you also have more fun silly interactions in a really well done balance and i wanted to mention that

   this game is also a lot more character driven than other hoyo games being almost slice of life. there's still your overarching story but a lot of it is focusing on just one faction and their story. you aren't really tied to something big and some giant life mission that you must fulfill. you're simply a video store manager who does proxy work.

the combat

   i have to say the combat in this game is really satisfying. especially the parrys and assists. there is something so cool about your next character swapping in to protect your current character by literally parrying the enemy's attack sometimes even multiple times in a short span of time. also the characters attacks are just fun and unique to use. no longer is my character tied to a weapon class but instead their attacks are specially for them. like the variety is pretty damn wide with maids wielding a saw on a stick and a police officer using her guns i love using each character and having different ways of fighting

   ill quickly spotlight probably my two favorite characters so far and their combat and a bit of their actual characters

von lycaon - he was the first five star i got and honestly i love how cool the way he attacks is. like yea most people would be using a weapon but he just has jet legs and kicks people with it??? like sorry but thats so badass the dude is kicking people with legs that have ice jets on them. all while being dressed in formal attire and keeping composure the dude is so cool

ellen joe - i'm not even gonna lie i am incredibly biased for ellen i love shark girl but oh my god her fighting style is so cool. she wields giant scissors fights with that. and like not just fighting but she also uses it to deflect bullets ?? like that's insane right there and i love it because it makes her look so cool. and to quickly gush about just her like entire character i love it so much. shes quiet but has this cool side to her and i love it so much and her design with the shark tail and the general shark theming in her outfit is so good. and the fact she got an original song too thats also insane. if you cant tell ellen is my favorite character

oh and i do want to touch on a few more things so bear with me for a bit longer

the story animation

   i just have to mention the animation because i would be doing a disservice to the game by not. it is some of the best animation i've seen in a game for this style. its super expressive, animated and each character is always feeling alive on screen. i'm not the first and i won't be the last to say this but the cutscenes in this game feel like i'm watching an anime its that good.

   oh and even when its not animated alot of the main story is done in a comic book style that actually works really well for the game and the illustrations are amazing the story telling methods in this game are simply peak.

lastly ill touch on the biggest con for most people but something that doesnt really bother me and that is

the tv system

   a lot of people complain about the tv system and i don't blame them. its probably the weakest part of the game and can disrupt the flow of missions. but also i feel like most people drastically blow out of proportion how bad it is. its not as good as the combat sections but also it really isn't that bad. its a unique way to play the game and it can be enjoyable. especially some of the puzzles that really take advantage of the map like system

anyways thats all the free advertising im doing for ZZZ. its late at night and i have no idea what im doing. but using my first blog to talk about the game with the shark girl aint that bad id say