Zenless Zone Zero, the newest game by hit gacha game creator Hoyoverse, is getting hit with complaints and accusations of censorship after players noticed several changes in the recent Equalizing Beta Test.
Ahead of its official release sometime soon, Zenless Zone Zero is currently undergoing its second major beta test – otherwise known as the Equalizing Test – which has allowed a select number of players early access to portions of the game. This isn’t the first time ZZZ has entered into a private beta, with the last CBT taking place in August of last year.
However, in this most recent test, eagle eyed players have managed to spot several instances where the game has been subject to censorship, namely with regards to aspects of its violence, gore and the designs of some of its characters.
The Gentle House Crew
The main instance of censorship in the Zenless Zone Zero CBT2 has to do with one of the game’s central characters, Nicole Demara. As a member of the Gentle House and one of the starting playable characters, Nicole has featured heavily in a lot of Zenless’ promotional material since the game’s initial reveal.
Nicole’s cheeky personality and provocative design were two key attractors for her character and both seem to have taken at least a small hit in the recent CBT. In the video below by Twitter user @Ont1026 you can see the difference between Nicole’s original animations (left) and her new set of animations (right). Some small changes have also been to her overall design and outfit, mainly aiming at making it slightly less revealing.
返して… pic.twitter.com/ee2LTq6GpC
— Hanekuma @ship2 (@Ont1026) November 24, 2023
Those who gained access to the Equalizer Test also spotted several other bits of censorship, outside of Nicole’s individual changes. Notably, a scene where a character transforms into a monster, the main enemy type in ZZZ, has had its violence and gore toned down significantly. Additionally, another character, Nekomiya Mana, also had her design elements altered, likely for similar reasons to Nicole.
While there have been some praise for the new animations, many are also upset and disappointed at the changes, especially those made to Nicole seeing as she’s a major character.
“Well that’s just disappointing.”
“This is such a let down… it looks like we’ll get a ton of censored stuff in on characters and story.”
“… if they were going to censor it why did they even put the rating at 16+.”
-
- Old Hollow Transformation Scene
-
- New Hollow Transformation Scene
Part of this frustration seems to stem from Zenless’ position compared to other Hoyoverse titles. Zenless Zone Zero seemed to be taking a more mature approach to both its characters and story compared to other Hoyoverse games, even copping a 16+ rating compared to the 12+ ratings of both Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. With this recent round of censorship, players are concerned that Hoyoverse won’t be able to deliver on that more mature vision for one reason or another even with a higher age rating.
Gacha games are no stranger to censorship or alterations between versions, especially when a game goes from a local version to a global audience. Hoyoverse, in particular, has faced censorship issues with several of their previous titles, with their largest title, Genshin Impact, being the most notable. There, four of the game’s playable units – Jean, Mona, Amber and Rosaria – received alternative outfits which showed less skin or gave the characters more clothing after backlash from regulators.
All content in the current Equalizing Test is subject to change but it is likely that the current suite of changes will stay in the official release. Hoyoverse themselves have not commented.
SOURCE: Zenless Zone Zero Equalizing Test
