It pains me to say this, but my experience with Zenless Zone Zero has been a pitifully underwhelming one. A game that promises so much in terms of character animations and cyberpunk aesthetics ultimately falls flat due to its confining design choices.

At first glance, ZZZ seems like the perfect blend of style and substance. The characters are well-animated, with a dash of retro flair in their design. I find myself wandering through the city block, collecting daily scratchcards from smiling huskies and top-up on coffee. The recurring visual motif of the cathode-ray TV adds a touch of nostalgia to the proceedings.

But beneath its stylish facade lies a game that is woefully lacking in substance. The tutorial treadmill is long and arduous, with too much repetition and not enough payoff. And don't even get me started on the plot – it's convoluted to say the least, with easy-to-miss details and menu cul-de-sacs where yet more loot can be claimed.

And then there's the gacha system. I won't sugarcoat it; ZZZ is a game that thrives on micromanagement. You'll spend hours clicking through menus, collecting bits, bobs, and baubles required to upgrade characters and equipment. For those who understand the grammar of the gacha game, this might be a minor annoyance. But for anyone looking for a satisfying third-person action game, it's a major turn-off.

The result is a game that feels superficial, a world where everything is just out of reach without constant menu navigation. It's like trying to wear a pair of shoes that look great but are impractical and uncomfortable to use.

In the end, my time in the Zenless Zone (Zero) has left me feeling uninspired. The game's strengths – its character animations and retro aesthetics – are overshadowed by its shortcomings. If you're looking for a game that will keep you engaged for hours on end, I'm afraid ZZZ is not it.

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / Hoyoverse