Zenless Zone Zero Version 1.4 New Content Analysis

With the arrival of Zenless Zone Zero version 1.4, Zenless Zone Zero has truly been reborn. For proxies, the changes were a direct response to the theme song "Come Alive". Even a series of tower defense games have made proxies unfamiliar with the game, but this is only a trivial event in the 1.4 version. In the time between the opening of the game and version 1.4, what exactly did the production team do to make the Zenless Zone Zero "Come Alive" content? Let's take a look!

Any Zenless Zone Zero player has watched how ZZZ has been criticized from version 1.0 to version 1.4. 1.1 launched an emergency update, 1.2 collected players' feedback and showed them the idea of updating, and 1.3 quietly launched a lot of detailed updates and optimizations. Until version 1.4, Zenless Zone Zero production team gave the most perfect answer sheet. Even in the optimization of the game at the same time, but also additional to add a brand new Bangboo play mode. This update is not so much a summary of the previous versions as a major breakthrough in game design by the ZZZ production team.

1. Zenless Zone Zero 1.4 Plot & Performance

How do you maximize plot level and impact in an action game? In fact, even the best game developers have a hard time balancing these two things. Action games are characterized by a high level of player energy consumption, while plotting requires an immersive experience for the player. As a result, many action games have simple plots or require the player to take their time to discover the plot. Conversely, plot-oriented games are less difficult. So this problem is very prominent in ZZZ.

In the beginning, the Zenless Zone Zero project team chose to mix some "TV Mode" gameplay with high-intensity combats, which could balance the intensity of the battles and relax the players' nerves at the same time. However, this mode was not well received. So after collecting community feedback, they quickly responded: "Focusing on extreme music and performances, as well as intense participation and interaction, TV Mode will still be there, but as a completely new mode of play."

This change was well received among the player base. For example, the main story combat allows you to control Bangboo to complete the level; the character-following two-line operation mode allows peoxies have an excellent experience in the plot; the manga and music are further enhanced to mobilize the player's emotions to the peak with extremely exciting music and performance rhythms. Also in the plot, the protagonists are used as a link to connect the various organizations.

Many proxies may be very puzzled by the plot of version 1.4 alone, but if you connect all the plots from version 1.0 onwards, you will find that the content of the plot this time perfectly demonstrates the impact on the player.

1.1 Sense of Participation of ZZZ

If we go back to the beginning of the storyline, it should actually start with the disappearance of Professor Arche, who went into the hollow and disappeared. During the Old Capital period, the professor enters the hollow and fails to return it, and eventually a large hand appears and takes away the protagonists' teacher. At this point, the focus of the plot is on the proxy siblings.

The siblings traveled to New Eridu during the Fall of Old Capital. Prior to the start of the 1.0 storyline, Hoshimi Miyabi's mother was killed in combat, and the owner of Belobog Heavy Industries was framed by Justin Bringer and those behind it, and the masterminds behind it began to "test" the "potion" they had developed, which Bringer had injected in the final combat.

Bringer, a character who appears in the prologue of 1.0, is also one of the characters who escaped from the Old Capital. The entire plot of versions 1.0-1.4 is effectively a game between the proxy sibling and Bringer and the people behind him.

In version 1.0, the protagonists and the Cunning Hares are actually helping each other. The Cunning Hares escaped from the rivals and received long-term support from the sibling. In this case, the protagonist also gained the support of the AI and more of the underground organization.

In subsequent episodes, the events of Belobog Heavy Industries actually split into two threads. What's interesting is that these two story lines are distinguished by time. In the past timeline, Koleda's father disappears during a conspiracy, not only because of his involvement with Bringer and the conspiracy behind it, but also because of his development of heavy machinery that can be used in the middle of the Hollow. The records of the secret dealings that we and Koleda find during our search for our father become one of the key pieces of evidence in the subsequent defeat of Bringer. In the modern timeline, the Ballet Twins episode, we catch up with Bringer and Charles Perlman in this story line, and we end up finding the people behind it and destroying their plans.

After rescuing the hacker Rain with the help of Victoria Housekeeping, she helps us decrypt the information on the external unit. At this point we learn that the creature we found in the hollow was named "Sacrifice".

In version 1.0, we also used Zhu Yuan and Qingyi to learn about Bringer and establish a good relationship with New Eridu Public Security.

It wasn't until version 1.2 that Perlman, who escaped at the end of 1.0, was captured, and we retrieved him while also taking the opportunity to establish a relationship with the Sons of Calydon.

Version 1.3 didn't have a main storyline, but during Yanagi's personal drama, the villains took the opportunity to scan Section 6 for information on several people. This becomes the key to their subsequent close defeat of Section 6. The entire plot of version 1.4 then becomes the Rope Maker siblings threading the needle in the middle of events.

The powerful car skills and maneuverability of the Sons of Calydon are key to ensuring that the protagonists can maneuver at high speeds. Various odd connections in Cunning Hares connect the protagonists, Rain and H.S.O.S. 6. While the information from Belobog Heavy Industries brings down Bringer, the heavy machinery in the hollow is still a key prop in our final showdown. The Criminal Investigation Special Response Team helped Proxy stabilize the rear. The Victoria Housekeeping, on the other hand, took networking to the next level. Lycaon became the main window for the Ropesmiths to connect with the upper echelons of New Eridu. With connections, special skills and abilities, the protagonist siblings become the key to stringing the whole story together.

Returning to the performance and plot, the Zenless Zone Zero project team can be said to have done their best, polarizing the music and performance to give the player enough of a sense of impact. In version 1.4, the music and performances are more impactful, but at the same time, they are also more willing to make the "Scene" more grandiose. In the final battle scene alone, there are a number of excellent CG performances, including Bringer's transformation, the oversized hand's left and right dashes, the successive appearance of several camps, Asaba Harumasa's archery highlights, and Hoshimi Miyabi's peak slash. Especially Miyabi's CG at the end of the chapter is far beyond the previous works in terms of smoothness, caliber, and expressiveness.

As Miyabi swings the final blade, the music plays, which corresponds to the lyrics "I come alive". The lyrics have a deep meaning here, Miyabi and the cursed blade eventually resonate and become butterflies, the proxy sibling find the information to unlock the layers of bondage, and the new Eridu averts a disaster and is reborn from the crisis of destruction. Even the game itself, Zenless Zone Zero, was reborn with the light of Miyabi's blade.

If Genshin: Impact is the ultimate in map narrative and long-running storytelling, Honkai: StarRail is the pinnacle of showmanship and animation. Then ZZZ is the combination of action and rope smithing itself for the ultimate in interaction and engagement and impact.

2. More Content & Gameplay in Zenless Zone Zero 1.4 Version

What is Zenless Zone Zero's greatest value as an action game? The answer, of course, is action and gameplay, and that's not a joke. In fact, most games can't do both at the same time. In a behind-the-scenes look at Miyabi's development process, the ZZZ production team mentioned that each character have 110~140 movement modules to reflect the character's flexibility and movement effects. While this is basic in an action game, there are still many games that can't do this, or see this behavior as pointless.

The main reason why Hoshimi Miyabi has 25 blade retractions in its moves is that the blade technique is central to Miyabi's character design. If you switch to Nekomiya you'll see that the moves are filled with tons of cat and claw related designs, especially how the flicking of the tail when using the ultimate is actually exactly what a cat does to prepare for an attack.

These designs still haven't gone unnoticed on A-Rank characters, for example, there are tons of variants of engineering techniques on Anton's design. This is quite rare for many games, and is actually where Zenless Zone Zero's greatest strengths and assets come into play.

And beyond the design of individual characters is Zenless Zone Zero's excellent combat system. The three points of resist, emergency brake, and combos form the basis of ZZZ's movement system. The production team also insisted on deepening this action system, and combined with the elemental characteristics of each attribute and the Disorder mechanism to form the outstanding combat system of ZZZ.

However, when the game was first released, most of the gameplay, such as the "TV Mode" and various mini-games, received mixed reviews. However, it is a game mode that the production team has made with great care. In particular, many of the game modes in the side quests can be used as the main gameplay core of other games.

But the player's reviews are mixed, should we remove the core of the Zenless Zone Zero - "TV"? To solve this problem, the production team used the methods of "disassembly" and "enhancement". TV Mode" and mini-games were made into separate, more detailed gameplay, and the subsequent tower climbing gameplay reinforced the battle-oriented gameplay.

Now with the emergence of the new hollows combined with Roguelike gameplay, the production team has made the game a completely different experience for everyone. The game itself has been optimized in countless details. The optimization of the action module makes most of the characters a better experience for the player.

The agents can be operated in New Eridu in version 1.4, and the daily coffee is further optimized for simplicity; even the titles, achievements, mini-games, and weekly quests have been optimized without interruption. As we said, the production team even made the tower defense mini-game to be added to the game in the mode of events, and also gave Bangboo a new set of action modules and mechanics.

In such a cumbersome and complex progression, characterization is not simplified and story threads are not disconnected. Plot performances become increasingly subtle rather than perfunctory. While the complex system was deepened after being split up, the internal and external progress of the game itself started to go in a new direction. For example, in terms of McDonald's collab activities, not only are there collab props and meals, but there are also collab instances within the game. This may also reflect the advantages of Zenless Zone Zero being grounded in the streets as opposed to the fantasy setting of Genshin and Honkai. We can even imagine future in-game appearances of collab headsets, merchandise, and even a concert within the game is not unforeseeable.

The narrative is excellent, the action is subtle, the production team is serious, and the plan is to start exploring new game modes. This rebirth of Zenless Zone Zero is more than just a game, it's a world in the truest sense of the word. As a new phase of the story unfolds, when will the veil of the Old Capital be lifted? Who will be the next Void Hunter? These are the things we're looking forward to in the next version.

And in this version, the return and new proxies and even the proxies who have been fighting in ZZZ will of course keep playing. Phaethon has returned as a legendary proxy, and Zenless Zone Zero has been reborn. Let's look forward to more excellent merchandise and new game content in the future!