The biggest Zenless Zone Zero update has arrived, and it takes place in a setting familiar to its creators, albeit in bright-lit cyberpunk futuristic form. It also features a good number of updates and quality of life changes, not to mention brand-new characters with a new damage type called Rupture that’s sure to go well with your damage builds.

We talk to ZZZ 2.0’s producer Zhenyu Li about the many improvements his team is attempting with the new update.

1. What are the character action archetypes, play styles, and combat styles you want to add in 2.0 and beyond that are missing in previous versions of ZZZ?

In the character design of Zenless Zone Zero, we’ve always aimed to fully leverage our team’s strengths to create a fresh style that breaks through conventional expectations. Before designing each character, we first consider their personality background, using their character setting to guide the visual design. This helps ensure that each character’s inner nature and outer appearance complement each other, making a strong impression on players from their very first appearance. The same applies to combat design. Each character’s combat style in Zenless Zone Zero is custom-designed based on the Agent’s personal background, balancing multiple factors including entertainment value and logical consistency. Of course, different players may develop their own interpretations during actual gameplay.

In Version 2.0, we’ve incorporated many Waycraft elements into Yixuan’s combat design that reflect her status as the High Preceptor of Yunkui Summit, including patterns, color schemes, and textures. Combined with the properties of Auric Ink, Yixuan’s skills feature both fluid movements and dazzling golden flashes. For Ju Fufu’s combat design, we incorporated her Thiren background, referencing tiger hunting postures to showcase her sharp claws and powerful attacks. Her skills also include agile jumps, demonstrating the nimbleness of a tiger pursuing its prey.

Another example is Pan Yinhu, a disciple of Yunkui Summit, whose action design draws from various martial arts, including Bajiquan. Reflecting his background as a chef, the conical hat he wears is actually an iron wok that he takes off to fry rice during skill activation, while the firecrackers wrapped around his waist scatter during his skills, creating a lively atmosphere and carrying the meaning of warding off evil. In the future, we’ll continue to create interesting and distinctive combat styles for our Agents based on their Faction characteristics.

2. The streamlining of ZZZ’s gameplay from the tile-based adventure/puzzle parts to a pure action game: has the response for this been positive so far? Aren’t you afraid that this may dumb the game down to be a lot more linear & shorter?

As a game designed for long-term operation, one of the constant challenges we face is change. Since its launch, Zenless Zone Zero has been combining game update requirements with player feedback. During development, we experiment with numerous possibilities and select the best ones to present to players. However, the launch of content is just the beginning, and some gameplay mechanics prove themselves in practice while others may not meet our expectations, requiring further adjustments. Through continuous optimization, we’ve become increasingly convinced that combat experience remains one of the most valued aspects of Zenless Zone Zero. Therefore, we’re now focusing more on enhancing the player combat experience. In version 2.0, we’ve upgraded the combat stages, exploring and enhancing sandbox-style combat stages based on Zenless Zone Zero’s unique game characteristics. Players will experience 3D combat stages with greater freedom, broader exploration space, and more fluid combat experiences.

Looking at Zenless Zone Zero’s long-term planning, on one hand, we’re continuously thinking about how to design and enrich endgame content that appropriately showcases player combat operations, improves combat skills, and achieves character progression, enriching the combat experience rather than taking a linear, quick-and-easy approach. On the other hand, we’re also exploring how to balance the needs of different players, from content-focused to action-oriented players. Zenless Zone Zero’s core target is to bring the joy of action games to a broader audience.

And beyond core experiences like combat, Zenless Zone Zero’s daily missions, mini-games, and other gameplay features are designed to meet different players’ needs in the game. In the future, the team will continue to better integrate content-based gameplay with combat-based gameplay to enhance the interconnectivity between the game’s diverse gameplay systems.

3. The new characters and setting teased in 2.0 seems to be a mix of races and feels like a multicultural city like Hong Kong (but in the future). What was the thought process in creating Waifei, its denizens, and its playable faction: the Yunkui Summit?

When designing the Waifei Peninsula, I drew a lot of inspiration from my hometown Guangdong and its local culture. In Failume Heights, there are many establishments commonly found in Cantonese culture, such as Yum Cha Sin, pawnshops, and restaurants, giving the entire City a more authentic living atmosphere. Additionally, most of our team members have watched many Hong Kong films, and in our conception of Waifei Peninsula, we also drew inspiration from the cultural fusion found in Hong Kong cinema, hoping to make Zenless Zone Zero Season 2’s unique artistic design and cultural expression appealing to players worldwide.

From a narrative perspective, in version 2.0, we’ve reinterpreted Waycraft to better align with Zenless Zone Zero’s urban fantasy background, incorporating modern social values and personal freedom. We created the Agents of Yunkui Summit, and as a renowned sect in New Eridu, the disciples of Yunkui Summit are “mystics” who can use “mystic arts.” They often descend from the mountain to uphold justice, each carrying their own stories waiting for players to uncover.

4. Tell us more about the new management minigame where you rebuild Suibian Temple: how complex will this be? Or will it be streamlined?

In Season 2, the Proxy siblings who joined Yunkui Summit must not only resolve the main story crisis but also manage daily temple affairs, taking on the important task of renovating and reviving the Suibian Temple. The temple management gameplay is our brand new upgrade to New Eridu’s daily gameplay system. Players will raise funds through various gameplay mechanics, including Bangboo dispatch, to achieve the goal of City revival. Through this gameplay, we aim to connect the interactions between various shops in Failume Heights and Hollow exploration, further enhancing players’ awareness of the City environment and enriching their overall experience.

Additionally, the familiar video store and coffee shop have set up their own stalls in Waifei Peninsula. Proxies can conveniently drink coffee and manage the video store in Failume Heights. Moreover, regardless of which area of New Eridu players are in, they can track the progress of Suibian Temple operations through the Compendium at any time, reducing the time cost of cross-quarter mission submissions.

5. How many updates left until we see the Angels of Delusion making their debut? Can you give us a tease on how these characters will play?

What we can share for now is that the Angels of Delusion faction will debut in version 2.×, but please stay tuned for more details, including the launch date and faction introduction.

ZZZ 2.0 is available right now. For more on this new version, check out our early hands-on and preview.