Summary
Zenless Zone Zerois just hitting its stride as a steady stream of new content and characters have made HoYoverse’s latest title a success in the months since its July 2024 launch. In a recent trailer forZenless Zone Zero, players got their first official look at the new Outer Ring area coming with the release of Version 1.2. This update looks to feature the Sons of Calydon faction within the Outer Ring, and it already bears a surprising similarity to another popular AAA game’s setting.
Post-apocalyptic and sci-fi media tend to share a variety of tropes in both their world and character designs, which is why it’s not surprising to seeZenless Zone Zerofeature a wasteland outside the limits of the futuristic city of New Eridu. However, these contrasting locales are very similar to theworldCyberpunk 2077established for itself, with its bustling metropolis of Night City surrounded by the desolate Badlands. These two games even feature similar factions that call these regions home, further highlighting the similarities between seemingly unrelated games.
Zenless Zone Zero’s Outer Ring is to New Eridu What Cyberpunk 2077’s Badlands Are to Night City
In the Outer Ring promo trailer forZenless Zone Zero, players can see the barren desert landscapes that make up this new region. This is a drastic contrast from any of the locations players can visit withinNew Eriduas it trades the bustling streets and Hollow-adjacent skyscrapers for lonesome roads and ruins of the old civilization. While the new content coming in the 1.2 update will likely give players a chance to further explore this wasteland, its distinct visual shift from whatZenless Zone Zerohas offered players so far could make it the most unique experience in the game yet.
Cyberpunk 2077has a similar aesthetic shift between the streets of Night City and the Badlands found just beyond its borders. However, forCyberpunk 2077players, choosing the Nomad lifepathlets players start their journey on these outskirts before experiencing the heart of Night City. Regardless of when they experience the Badlands,Cyberpunk 2077offers players a similarly stark contrast between the post-apocalyptic desert wastes and neon city life to that ofZenless Zone Zero’s world.
How Zenless Zone Zero’s Sons of Calydon Compare to Cyberpunk 2077’s Aldecaldos
BothZenless Zone Zero’s Outer Ring andCyberpunk 2077’s Badlands come with their own factions that make their homes in these regions. InZenless Zone Zero, the Sons of Calydon are the main faction found in the Outer Ring, and they are recognizable by their leather and spike-clad attire and penchant for motorcycles and machinery. Two Sons of Clydon’s members, Piper and Lucy, can already be found inZenless Zone Zeroas recruitable agents, but Version 1.2 is also set to include new banners featuringBurnice White and Caesar Kingfrom the faction as well, with more members like Lighter and Big Daddy rumored to be added in the future.
Like the Sons of Calydon,Cyberpunk 2077’s Aldecaldos call the Badlands their home as a nomadic group of individuals known for traveling in caravans of supped-up vehicles. Players can find a compelling character and great ally in theAldecaldos' Panam Palmer, and the faction can even aid V during their final assault on Arasaka. While both the Sons of Calydon and the Aldecaldos share a similar close-knit community within their ranks, and an emphasis on traveling the open road, it’s unclear yet how the Sons of Calydon will impact Phaethon’s story inZenless Zone Zeroor if they will be as significant as the Aldecaldos can potentially be in certain endings ofCyberpunk 2077.
