Tectone explains why Zenless Zone Zero is more than just a Genshin Impact clone

A popular Genshin Impact streamer has given his first impressions on Zenless Zone Zero, an upcoming anime action game that is vying for players’ attention. 

Zenless Zone Zero is the latest game from the developers behind the ever-popular open-world title, Genshin Impact. While HoYoverse’s new title has yet to be released, that hasn’t stopped a number of lucky players from playing Zenless Zone Zero early. 

In fact, the beta has given us an early glimpse of the team-based combat, colorful characters, and story elements. Despite only being in the early stages of release, Tectone has given his thoughts on Zenless Zone Zero, revealing why he is hyped for the game’s official launch. 

Zenless Zone Zero first impressions

“This game does a lot of good,” said Tectone. “The combat is really nutty…and the characters all feel sufficiently different. This game does have mirrors to Genshin Impact, but it’s also a completely different game. I would say calling this game a Genshin clone is an idiotic statement – this is just a completely standalone game.”

The streamer notes that Zenless Zone Zero has a number of similarities to Punishing Gray Raven and Honkai Impact. An area that is especially true when looking at the flashy combat animations and combos – something that Tectone was keen to highlight. 

“Combat is a definite 10 out of 10 for me,” explained Tectone. “It’s as smooth as f*cking butter and the mobs actually do damage, which is something I was not expecting. If you get hit, you get really f*cked up.” 

The streamer also praised how Zenless Zone Zero rewards players that master the game’s dodge system, which enables players to become invulnerable and raises their damage. “It’s defensive and offensive so it makes dodging feel very rewarding,” said the streamer.

Timestamp 0:18

Unlike Genshin Impact, Zenless Zone Zero doesn’t feature a stamina system, which means players can freely dodge whenever they like. Despite this, Tectone notes that even when spamming dodges, he was still taking damage. 

“So far, I haven’t been able to avoid all damage via spamming [dodge] and if you do just spam, you’re not able to deal damage,” he added. This will likely come as a relief to those that want a decent challenge and not just breeze through the game’s content. 

However, Zenless Zone Zero isn’t without its faults. “The town (hub) feels a little bit drab, I really feel like they could have spiced things up by adding in a couple of different colors, especially during nighttime,” explained Tectone.

“The biggest downside so far is the story. The story is all over the f*cking place. There’s so much sh*t going on that it feels very convoluted right now, but maybe that will clear up as we go.”

It’s important to note that Zenless Zone Zero has yet to be officially released, so a lot could change before launch. While it’s still early days, Tectone seems very hopeful that HoYoverse’s upcoming title could prove to be a decent option for Travelers that have grown bored of Genshin Impact.