When it was first announced,Zenless Zone Zerowas expected to follow closely in the footsteps ofGenshin ImpactandHonkai: Star Rail. All three games were developed and published by HoYoverse, and certainly have their fair share of similarities.Genshin ImpactandHonkai: Star Railare especially united by a number of tropes, butZenless Zone Zerohas continued to break the traditions of its predecessors.
One of the most notable departures undertaken byZenless Zone Zerois its approach to character design.Genshin Impactlacks diversity in key areas such as skin tone and body type, andHonkai: Star Railstill has yet to make full use of its sci-fi premise. By contrast,Zenless Zone Zero’s charactersalready flaunt more variety than either game, which could be a huge boon for future endeavors.
Zenless Zone Zero’s Character Design Principles Have a Lot of Crossover Potential
Zenless Zone Zero is Off to a Great Start
Zenless Zone Zerois MiHoYo’s newest game, and it’s certainly too early to predict how the game’s legacy will shake out. That being said,ZZZis certainly starting off strong in many different areas. While it’s impossible to say if or when it will reach the heights of its predecessors in terms of popularity and sales, the game has already surpassed them in a number of other aspects.
First and foremost,Zenless Zone Zeroseems much less interested in the various traditions set in place by titles likeGenshin Impact, and whichHonkai: Star Railhas been following so closely. While still relatively small thanks to the game’s very recent launch,ZZZ’s roster already has a strong variety of appealing designs. This major fact, in combination withZenless Zone Zero’s Lofi Girl collabhappening when the game was less than a month old, may signal an interest in pursuing more crossovers throughout its lifespan.
Genshin Impact Has Tried Crossover Events Before
Genshin Impacthas been around for several years now, and has earned plenty of critical acclaim along the way. Naturally,Zenless Zone Zero’s biggest predecessor has already tried its hand at plenty of crossover events.Genshin Impact’s collaborations with restaurantslike Pizza Hut and KFC are certainly an entertaining source of endearing art, but they don’t necessarily leave a lasting impression. By contrast,Genshin Impact’s collaboration withHorizon Zero Dawnis technically still one of the game’s largest scale crossovers.
Unfortunately, this crossover was somewhat hampered byGenshin Impact’s relatively homogenous artstyle.Horizon Zero Dawn’s protagonist, Aloy, is the only crossover character inGenshin Impactto this day. The reception of this crossover doesn’t necessarily reflect well on the potential of futureGenshin Impactcrossovers. This effect may have even extended toHonkai: Star Rail, which still has yet to implement a crossover on this scale. However,Zenless Zone Zerohas the perfect tool to break this trend.
Zenless Zone Zero’s Character Design is its Secret Weapon
Both ofZenless Zone Zero’s foremost predecessors have some pretty noticeable issues in the character design department.Genshin Impactstill needs to improve character diversity, despite focusing so heavily on portraying international cultures. WhileZenless Zone Zerois focused on a much smaller scale, its design philosophy has already begun to outpace its peers.
Likewise,Zenless Zone Zeroshares much more in common withHonkai: Star Rail, at least as far as subject matter is concerned. Though their approaches may be different, both games share plenty of sci-fi elements. However,Honkai: Star Rail’s future charactersonly recently began to embrace the full potential of these elements.
Whencompared toGenshin ImpactandHonkai: Star Rail,Zenless Zone Zeroallows HoYoverse to show how far its developers have come. Not only is the general art design a major improvement, important aspects such as an increase in body diversity shows that even the studio’s technology has grown a lot. In fact, a larger array of body types perfectly shows why a more diverse approach to character design will benefitZenless Zone Zero’s crossover potential.
Genshin ImpactandHonkai: Star Rail’s lackluster diversitysomewhat limits the options for crossover characters. There’s a reason whyGenshin Impacthas only managed it once, andHonkai: Star Railhas yet to try it at all. Simply put,Zenless Zone Zero’s approach to character design allows it to accommodate many more series outside the normal wheelhouse. Where its predecessors may have struggled,Zenless Zone Zerowill be able to adapt characters much more easily, and this is absolutely huge news for future crossovers.
Zenless Zone Zero
WHERE TO PLAY
Don’t go into the Hollows.I know, I know, there’s Ether in the Hollows, bizarre creations, even heritage of the old civilization, all precious treasures. But don’t forget, there’s also spatial disorder, monsters and mutants running rampant, and ultimately, a disaster that could swallow the world. They are not a place where ordinary people should go.So don’t go into Hollows.Or at least, don’t go in alone.If you insist on getting into danger, go to New Eridu first.This city where the good and the bad mix has many people who need the Hollows: Powerful wealthy tycoons, gangs that stalk the streets, conspiracy nuts, and ruthless officials.Make your preparations there, find strong allies, and most importantly—Find a “Proxy”.Only they can guide people out of the maze-like Hollows.Good luck!
