Info about Zenless Zone Zero:

Official game description:
**Welcome to New Eridu — Where Humanity Rises Anew!**
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Zenless Zone Zero is a brand-new urban fantasy action RPG lovingly crafted by HoYoverse.
In the game, a disaster known as "Hollows" brought modern civilization to its knees. Hollows appear out of the blue, spawning anomalous dimensions crawling with terrifying monsters called "Ethereals."
In the wake of this catastrophic disaster, the last city to survive the apocalypse — New Eridu — used the technology and resources needed to combat the Hollows, overcame countless dangers, and gradually evolved into humanity's final bastion of civilization.
In New Eridu, you'll step into the role of a Proxy — a professional who provides guidance to those who need to venture into the dangerous Hollows for various reasons. You'll embark on adventures with unique characters, exploring Hollows together, battling powerful enemies, completing commissions, and uncovering the secrets hidden within the city.
Satisfying Combat, Igniting Your Passion for Action
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Zenless Zone Zero delivers smooth and exhilarating combat. Launch your offense with Basic Attacks and Special Attacks, counter enemy strikes through dodges and blocks, then string together flashy combos with Chain Attacks to finish them off. Different enemies have their own specialties and weaknesses — seizing the right opportunity and responding with precision is key to controlling the battle.
Cutting-Edge Visuals, Maximum Audiovisual Experience
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Zenless Zone Zero features a striking art style and visual design that stands out. Characters boast incredibly detailed expressions and fluid, dynamic movement, with combat and plot sequences packed with tension. The music pulses with sharp, distinct rhythms, delivering a powerful and impactful audiovisual experience.
Immersive Storytelling, Enacting the Proxy's Chronicles
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In a world plagued by disaster, a new kind of city has emerged — New Eridu. This last oasis has mastered the technology to coexist with Hollows and is home to a whole host of chaotic, boisterous, dangerous, and very active factions. As the key link between the Hollows and the city, the story of the legendary Proxy Phaethon begins to unfold.
Investigate New Areas, Navigate Through the City's Hollows
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Diverse city blocks each boast their own unique vibe, while danger-filled Hollows conceal deadly challenges. Take on commissions, dive into the action, and freely switch between urban errands and combat. Every journey is a brand-new adventure.
Intertwined Destinies — Meet All Kinds of Companions
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Random Play can't run without videotapes, and a Proxy can't do without Agents. In New Eridu, unexpected visitors always come calling. Fates intertwine as a colorful cast of characters takes the stage one by one, weaving together the sprawling story hidden beneath the city's calm surface.

Release date: Jun 16, 2026

Categories: Action RPG, Hack and Slash, Gacha-like Progression, Post-apocalyptic, Urban Setting, Fast-paced Combat, Third-Person Perspective, Team-based Combat

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 35; verdict: The game uses a typical free-to-play gacha model with optional Battle Pass and monthly subscription. Reviews indicate generous free currency and a fair system, though the inherent gambling nature of gacha is noted. No evidence of predatory pay-to-win or aggressive FOMO. Score reflects standard monetization without predatory practices.; summary: Standard Gacha Monetization
- Proton/Linux: score 55; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: Zenless Zone Zero on Steam has mixed Linux compatibility. While some users report it works out of the box, many others require workarounds such as using Proton 11 beta, custom launch options to skip the launcher, or alternative launchers. Anti-cheat toggling has caused intermittent blocking. Overall, the game is playable on Linux with tinkering, but not universally reliable.
- Steam Deck: score 45; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: Zenless Zone Zero on Steam Deck requires significant tinkering to achieve a playable state. Users must bypass the launcher to avoid crashes, deal with inconsistent anti-cheat support, and accept sub-60fps performance with stuttering. While the game is not completely broken, it does not work out of the box and demands manual configuration.

- Hardware Profile:
  - Summary: Performance varies widely by hardware tier: lower-end Windows systems and Linux setups generally run well, while high-end Windows and Steam Deck users face significant stuttering, frame drops, and optimization issues.
  - Sample size: 464 (30% coverage)
  - Audience skew: Review sample is mostly Windows-based.
  - Windows 12-15GB VRAM (mixed, 122 reports): Players report frequent stuttering, inconsistent frame rates, and poor DX12/DLSS implementation, with roughly equal numbers recommending and not recommending the game.
  - Windows <8GB VRAM / <16GB RAM (positive, 109 reports): Most players find the game playable despite noticeable frame drops and stutters, especially in hub areas; a minority report severe performance issues.
  - Windows 8-11GB VRAM (positive, 100 reports): The majority report smooth performance at high settings, though some note optimization could be better and DX12 may cause regressions.
  - Windows <8GB VRAM / 16-31GB RAM (positive, 67 reports): Overwhelmingly positive, with most players achieving 60+ FPS on medium settings; isolated complaints about unstable framerate and blur effects.
  - Windows 16GB+ VRAM (mixed, 21 reports): High-end hardware users report severe optimization problems: low GPU usage, CPU bottlenecks, random frame drops, and stuttering, leading to a split between those who still recommend and those who do not.
  - Steam Deck / handheld (negative, 10 reports): All sampled reviews are negative, citing poor performance (40 FPS average), crashes, and a significant performance regression since version 2.0.
  - Caveats: 464 of 1564 reviews expose hardware metadata.; Review sample is mostly Windows-based.
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 90.0h
  - Story completion: 90.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: Game completion and story/campaign completion are both set to 90 hours based on a Japanese review stating that catching up to the current story takes about 90 hours, which represents finishing all available story content. Session length is set to 0.17 hours (10 minutes) based on multiple reviews indicating daily quests take 5–10 minutes and endgame sessions also last 5–10 minutes. Endgame hours are null because no review provides a typical total time spent in endgame content.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Zenless Zone Zero often feels slow and frustrating at the start due to its TV mode and repetitive early story, but many players find it becomes engaging after pushing through the initial friction, especially as combat and story improve.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: After the early story slog and tv mode friction
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: TV mode pacing killer; boring early story; repetitive combat; confusing tutorial; gacha grind; stamina limits
  - Unlock drivers: reduction of TV mode; learning combat mechanics; story improvement; getting better characters; understanding game systems
  - Conditions: familiarity with gacha games; appreciation for hack and slash gameplay; tolerance for fanservice; playing with good characters; engaging in events; playing in short daily sessions
- Player Archetypes:
  - Waifu Devotee (buy)
    - Motivation: Emotional attachment to specific characters (waifus) and the desire to see, hear, and interact with them.
    - Playstyle: Pulls exclusively for favorite female characters, ignores combat mechanics and story, spends money or time to obtain them, and treats the game as a character collection/dating simulator.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: gooner; otaku; waifu collector
    - Reference games: Genshin Impact; Honkai: Star Rail
  - Meta Grinder (sale)
    - Motivation: Challenge, optimization, and achieving top performance in endgame modes.
    - Playstyle: Focuses on endgame content, optimizes team compositions and rotations, follows meta shifts, and invests time in mastering combat mechanics to clear high-difficulty content.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: skilled player; meta player; endgame grinder
    - Reference games: Honkai Impact 3rd; Wuthering Waves
  - Casual Story & Vibes Enjoyer (buy)
    - Motivation: Relaxation, immersion in the urban fantasy world, and enjoyment of characters, music, and varied event content.
    - Playstyle: Plays at a relaxed pace, enjoys story and events, skips dialogue when not interested, does dailies quickly, and does not chase meta or endgame rewards.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: casual; F2P; story enjoyer
    - Reference games: Genshin Impact; Honkai: Star Rail
  - Gacha Strategist (sale)
    - Motivation: Efficient resource management and long-term account sustainability without overspending.
    - Playstyle: Plans pulls carefully using beta leaks and pity tracking, avoids impulse spending, prioritizes favorite characters over meta, and maintains a sustainable F2P or low-spending approach.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: F2P; strategic puller; gacha veteran
    - Reference games: Genshin Impact; Honkai: Star Rail


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Combat is fast and satisfying (weight 0.99): Players frequently praise the combat as fast-paced, flashy, and satisfying. It is described as a pleasure, with responsive mechanics like dodging and parrying, and is considered the best hack-n-slash combat among gacha games.
- Excellent character designs (weight 0.86): Character designs are consistently highlighted for being unique, diverse, and visually appealing, with distinctive personalities and vibrant aesthetics. Art style and character models are major draws for players.
- Generous gacha system praised (weight 0.8): The game is frequently compared favorably to other gacha titles for its generous gacha system, which rewards both free-to-play and paying players with ample currency and pulls. It is considered the most generous gacha from HoYoverse, even surpassing other popular games.
- Beautiful animations and graphics (weight 0.57): Animations and graphics are frequently described as beautiful, phenomenal, and top-notch. Visual quality is a standout feature, with impressive character models and stunning effects.
- Excellent soundtrack (weight 0.38): The soundtrack is highly praised for being excellent, incredible, and varied. Music and cinematics enhance the overall experience.
- Steam Deck compatibility (weight 0.19): The game is noted to work well on the Steam Deck, including OLED models, ensuring a good portable experience.

Common complaints:
- Predatory gacha mechanics (weight 0.9): The gacha system is widely criticized for its predatory nature, with complaints about high costs, unfair pity systems like 50/50 and 90 pity, and pressure to spend money. Players feel it drains resources and can be addictive, with specific mentions of losing 50/50s multiple times.
- Multiple launcher requirements (weight 0.79): Players complain about the need for multiple launchers when starting the game, even when launching via Steam. This process is cumbersome and defeats the purpose of Steam integration, with issues like crashes on Steam Deck and lack of proper optimization.
- Inconsistent story quality (weight 0.47): The story quality is inconsistent, ranging from mediocre to nonsensical, with some arcs being hit-or-miss and characters not fully developed. This inconsistency leads to a loss of identity and uniqueness for the game.
- Persistent performance issues (weight 0.41): Performance issues are prevalent, including frame drops, stuttering, and poor optimization on Steam Deck and high-end PCs. Features like DX12 and DLSS also cause problems, affecting gameplay smoothness.
- Over-the-top fanservice designs (weight 0.4): The game is criticized for excessive fanservice and sexualized character designs, with recent designs focusing on revealing clothing and repetitive patterns. Players find this overdone and a turnoff, with some labeling it as a 'gooner game'.
- F2P grind is too heavy (weight 0.27): Free-to-play players feel limited by slow currency acquisition and the stamina-based grind, which forces daily play. They can only pull a few characters per year, making the game feel restrictive.
- Second season story drop (weight 0.27): The second season of the story is seen as a decline in quality compared to the first, feeling like a hero advertisement and having noticeable flaws. Players note it is less engaging and weaker overall.
- Excessive power creep (weight 0.19): Power creep is considered excessive, with newer characters overshadowing older ones, reducing variety and making it hard for players to keep up. This is seen as a growing problem over time.
- Lack of male characters (weight 0.15): There is a notable lack of male characters, with players feeling that barely any are released. This is seen as an imbalance in the character roster that frustrates some fans.
- Account sync problems (weight 0.11): Account sync issues cause progress loss, frustrating players who expect seamless data transfer between platforms. This undermines trust and convenience.
- No Steam achievements (weight 0.1): The Steam version lacks achievements, a feature many players expect from a platform release. This omission is seen as a missed opportunity for engagement and rewards.
- No open world gameplay (weight 0.1): Some players are disappointed that the game is not open world but hub-based, which limits exploration and freedom. This design choice contradicts expectations set by other similar games.
- Removed TV system (weight 0.1): The removal of the TV/monitor system during early sections is noted as a negative change, reducing a unique gameplay element. Players feel this has diminished the game's charm or originality.
- Game is poorly received (weight 0.07): General dissatisfaction is expressed, with some players calling the game overall bad or crap. However, this is vague and less constructive, likely from dissatisfied users.

Gameplay feedback:
- Action RPG Gacha Hybrid (weight 0.37): The game is an action RPG with gacha elements, focusing on character collection and pulling, with endgame content and low grind requirements.
- 50/50 Pity System (weight 0.37): The gacha system uses a pity mechanic with a 50/50 chance on limited banners, similar to Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact, with soft pity at 70 pulls and hard pity at 90.
- Real-Time Parry Combat (weight 0.25): Combat features real-time action with character switching, parry mechanics, dodging, and team rotations, requiring responsive inputs and strategic timing.
- Dodge and Counter Combat (weight 0.21): The combat system emphasizes dodges, counterattacks, character switching, combos, and quick assists, offering a layered action experience.
- Story Skip Available (weight 0.2): A skip button is available for story dialogues, allowing players to bypass narrative segments if desired.
- Diverse Endgame Modes (weight 0.16): Endgame content includes activities like an Infinite Tower, Shiyu Defense, and Dangerous Assault, providing challenging repeatable modes.
- Quick Daily Tasks (weight 0.15): Daily tasks are designed to be quick, taking under 5 minutes, allowing efficient play sessions.
- Team Synergy Focus (weight 0.12): Team-based combat requires synergistic effects and coordination, offering deceptive depth for strategic play.
- Fast-Paced Combo Combat (weight 0.12): Combat is fast-paced with combos and attacks, emphasizing quick inputs and fluid chaining.
- DMC-Like Combat Style (weight 0.12): Combat is compared to Devil May Cry, featuring freeflow combos and character tagging for stylish action.
- Signature Weapons System (weight 0.11): The gacha includes signature weapons and mechanics like M1/M2, hypercarry builds, and a speedrun meta, adding depth for competitive players.
- Post-Apocalyptic Setting (weight 0.11): The setting is post-apocalyptic with Hollows and Ether anomalies, creating a dystopian urban atmosphere.
- Simpler Gear System (weight 0.11): Gear management is easier than Honkai: Star Rail, with fixed stat values at each upgrade level, reducing randomness.
- Diverse Event Types (weight 0.11): The game includes varied event types such as Fall Guys, co-op, rhythm, tower defense, fishing, and photo, auto chess, and exploration events.
- Roguelike Endgame Mode (weight 0.11): A roguelike endgame mode is available, offering replayable randomized challenges.
- TV Mechanic Present (weight 0.1): The game previously included a TV mechanic, which has been noted as a distinct feature, possibly now removed or altered.
- Simple Control Scheme (weight 0.1): Combat can be simplified to basic inputs like pressing one button, switching characters, and dodging, sometimes reducing to button mashing.
- Connected Areas Exploration (weight 0.1): The game is not open-world but consists of connected areas, providing a structured exploration experience.

Performance notes:
- FPS drops and stuttering widespread (weight 0.32): Users report severe FPS drops from 180 to 40-120, stuttering during combat, and constant frame drops to as low as 30 FPS. Shader compilation does not resolve these issues.
- Steam Deck performance varied (weight 0.28): Multiple reviewers confirm the game runs on Steam Deck without special Proton configuration, though some report launcher crashes and performance issues. The experience varies from playable at low settings to problematic on the Steam version.
- DX12 and ray tracing stutter (weight 0.23): DX12, ray tracing, and DLSS cause notable stuttering and frame drops. DLSS lacks Nvidia Reflex and is considered broken by some users, negatively impacting performance.
- City areas performance poor (weight 0.15): Cities and populated areas cause significant performance drops, with FPS falling below 20 in hubs and general struggle in crowded zones.
- Ray tracing optimization subpar (weight 0.15): Ray tracing optimization is poor, causing low frame rates and high latency. It requires at least 8GB VRAM, limiting accessibility.
- Launcher crashes and skip request (weight 0.14): The launcher frequently crashes on Steam Deck and some users request an option to skip it. This adds friction to starting the game.
- Mobile overheating and battery drain (weight 0.14): Mobile devices overheat (e.g., Apple A16 drops to 20-30 FPS), battery life is only 2-2.5 hours, and devices run hot and noisy.
- Shader and Linux compatibility broken (weight 0.14): Shader compilation issues persist, and the game no longer works on Linux after an update, breaking compatibility for some users.
- High-end PCs still have issues (weight 0.11): Technical jank on high-end PCs persists, and performance has regressed after patch 2.0, especially in areas like Waifei Peninsula.
- Ability use causes freezes (weight 0.11): Players experience 500+ ms freezes when using abilities and during location transitions, which disrupts combat flow and exploration.
- Frame generation causes input lag (weight 0.11): Frame generation introduces severe input lag, and is broken when using DX11. This feature is not functioning as intended.
- Unplayable low frame rates (weight 0.11): Some users experience unplayable low frame rates with high frequency, making the game unplayable in its current state.
- Higher system requirements than peers (weight 0.1): The game may require a stronger PC than similar titles, and boss fights can stutter due to particle effects and animations.
- Post-update optimization regressions (weight 0.1): Optimization issues often follow major updates, though some note decent PC requirements for mid-range systems.
- HDD and low-end loading issues (weight 0.1): Loading screen transitions cause slowdowns on low-end PCs, and optimization for HDDs could be better. This affects load times and smoothness.
- 2D interface frame drops (weight 0.06): Frame drops occur in 2D interfaces, which are unexpected given the low graphical demand of menus or UI elements.
- Launcher missing graphics settings (weight 0.06): The launcher is missing DX12 settings and advanced graphics options, limiting user customization and control over performance.
- Cannot delete extra resources (weight 0.06): Players cannot delete extra resources that accumulate over time, leading to bloated installations.
- Cutscene lip-sync mismatched (weight 0.06): Lip-sync is off during cutscenes, with sound not matching character mouth movements, breaking immersion.

Recommendations:
- Highly recommended overall (weight 0.69): Players consistently rate the game very highly (10/10) and strongly recommend it, often calling it one of the best gacha games available.
- Excellent combat and style (weight 0.56): The game is praised for its action combat, stylish animation, music, characters, and quality localization, appealing to fans of fast-paced gameplay.
- F2P-friendly and generous (weight 0.51): Multiple reviews highlight the game as F2P-friendly and generous with rewards, making it a good choice for free-to-play players.
- Avoid unhealthy spending (weight 0.46): Many reviews caution against irresponsible spending, advising players to be careful with money, plan pulls, and avoid impulsive decisions due to gacha addiction risks.
- Focus on story first (weight 0.4): Players recommend focusing on the main story (especially season 1), treating it as a secondary game, and skipping cutscenes if desired.
- Best for gacha fans (weight 0.39): The game is recommended for those who accept gacha mechanics and fanservice, but not for those who dislike them or want deep action combat.
- Not recommended by some (weight 0.35): A minority of players strongly advise against playing, calling the game garbage or citing frustration with gacha and multiple downloads.
- Avoid Steam launcher (weight 0.33): Several reviews advise using the Hoyo launcher or third-party launchers (e.g., Collapse, Sleepy) instead of the Steam version due to performance issues.
- Encouraged to try (weight 0.31): Many reviews simply urge players to give the game a try due to its free nature and potential enjoyment.
- Mixed gacha recommendation (weight 0.28): Mixed recommendations appear: some find it hard to recommend due to gacha design, or prefer alternatives like Wuthering Waves or Endfield.
- Non-open-world alternative (weight 0.28): The game is recommended as a non-open-world alternative to titles like Genshin Impact, appealing to players tired of open-world exploration.
- Good entry point now (weight 0.27): Players mention that the anniversary event and version 3.0 make now a good time to start, with low barrier to entry and free pulls.
- Anime and fanservice appeal (weight 0.27): Reviews note the game's manga-like storytelling and fanservice, recommending it for those who enjoy otaku culture and character-focused design.
- Be aware of bugs and changes (weight 0.24): Some reviews mention changes and bugs, advising to wait for fixes or be aware of potential issues before committing heavily.
- Ignore negative reviews (weight 0.19): Some players recommend ignoring negative reviews and forming your own opinion, suggesting the game is better than external criticism suggests.
- Very enthusiastic endorsements (weight 0.16): A few reviews use enthusiastic language (e.g., "spend all life savings" sarcastically, or "push that green button"), endorsing the game strongly.
- Linux compatibility notes (weight 0.13): Linux users note that the game works with Proton 11 beta or specific launchers (e.g., Heroic with DW-Proton), offering technical guidance.
- Input and platform tips (weight 0.09): Some users recommend using Steam for community features like screenshots, and others prefer keyboard and mouse over controller.

Other player notes:
- Request for Point Shop (weight 0.06): A player requested the addition of a Point Shop feature, suggesting a desire for more in-game content or customization options.
- Criticism of Main Character (weight 0.04): One player made a crude comment regarding the main character's buttocks. While the feedback is limited, it indicates some dissatisfaction with character design.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.17): Players expected a better experience from a Steam release but were let down by the need for an additional launcher, poor optimization, blurry graphics, and a degraded story with writing issues. The second season and development updates stripped the game of its unique characteristics, leaving many feeling the game has not improved since version 1.3.
- Frustration (weight 0.15): Players are frustrated by performance issues like stuttering, FPS drops, and poor optimization, compounded by gacha mechanics and grind that feel endless. Forced features, linear movement, long voicelines, and technical problems like the Steam space bug further exacerbate the experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.09): Excitement stems from the deep and stylish combat system, satisfying action, and beautiful graphics with sexy character designs. The upcoming version 3.0 redesign and generous free rewards, along with the engaging story, have players looking forward to more content.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.06): Players feel satisfied with the excellent story and character designs, smooth animations, and responsive combat, particularly the parry mechanic. The game is praised as solid and addictive, with improvements to the combat loop earning a 9/10 rating.
- Gratitude (weight 0.05): Gratitude is expressed toward the developers for adding the game to Steam and allowing account login, as well as for their hard work despite haters. Players also appreciate getting desired characters through pulls.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Enjoyment comes from interesting characters like Ellen, great music, and the best combat and graphics among gacha games. The first season experience and the overall visual style contribute to a positive experience.
- Love (weight 0.03): Players love the overall enjoyment of the game, including small ultimates and memorable scenes like with Miyabi. The first season's setting, characters, OST, and atmosphere, as well as the character Yidhari, are highlights.
- Admiration (weight 0.03): Admiration is directed at the amazing visual style, smooth animations, and excellent OST, which make it the best game in its genre and from HoYo.
- Affection (weight 0.03): Affection arises from lovable characters with distinct personalities that make players want to hug them. Solid gameplay and these characters draw players back repeatedly.
- Happiness (weight 0.02): Happiness is felt because the game is now on Steam and Linux compatible, with the launch after two years being a long-awaited event.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Appreciation is given for generous rewards and QoL features, incredible and unique character designs, and a great story with awesome OST and funny characters.
- Hope (weight 0.02): Hope is directed at the third season improving the overall situation, as the game has had peaks and valleys but remains good in the middle.
- Approval (weight 0.02): Approval is granted because the combat and action are excellent, and the story sections are not bloated, keeping the experience streamlined.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Joy comes from colorful and fun-to-play characters that make the gameplay entertaining.
- Positive appreciation (weight 0.01): Positive appreciation is due to the great first season and benefits from the Steam pass, which enhance the experience.
- Concern (weight 0.01): Concern is raised about the addictive nature and FOMO mechanics, which may lead to unhealthy play patterns.
- Delight (weight 0.01): Delight is expressed because the game has all desired content, meeting player expectations fully.
- Regret (weight 0.01): Regret comes from the inability to transfer playtime to Steam and watching the game decline from impressive to mediocre over time.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise is experienced from getting a rare character in just 20 pulls and from old character buffs that keep early teams viable.
- Disgust (weight 0.01): Disgust is triggered by too many furry characters and poor-quality asset imports with cursor issues, which detract from the experience.}