NetEase’s new open-world RPG Project Mugen looks like a Zenless Zone Zero killer

NetEase shared a reveal trailer for its new open world RPG, Project Mugen, and it closely resembles HoYoverse’s ambitious upcoming title Zenless Zone Zero.

Project Mugen is a free-to-play open-world RPG planned to release on iOS, Android, PC, PS4, PS5, and the cloud. It looks like a title aimed at HoYoverse’s playerbase, with a similar art style and atmosphere.

The game is set in an urban space that that makes it a lot like HoYo’s upcoming title, Zenless Zone Zero, which takes place in a similar metropolitan environment. Both games will be free-to-play and will likely feature a gacha model.

However, a few differences between the titles could result in Project Mugen being the killer of Zenless Zone Zero. In particular, some features of Project Mugen seem to offer much more freedom than Zenless Zone Zero, especially when it comes to exploration.

In Project Mugen, players will be able to wall-run and traverse the city with grappling hooks reminiscent of the web-swinging mechanics of the Spider-Man games.

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Project Mugen will also feature train travel, with all kinds of environments to explore outside the city. Players can even drive cars and motorcycles, and the game promises a great sense of freedom.

The biggest question is how the gameplay of the two titles will compare.

In Project Mugen, it looks like you only play as one character in combat. The game features different weapons, from melee to ranged, as well as abilities and what seems to be an Ultimate animation. There are lots of creative ways to initiate combat: You can swing off a building and jump onto your enemies to deal a surprise blow, or jump off your motorcycle to start a fight.

Zenless Zone Zero, on the other hand, will seemingly have a playstyle reminiscent of Genshin Impact. You’ll be able to switch between four characters on your team, use ability combos, and mostly fight in melee range. It looks like a hack ‘n’ slash playstyle, with a bit more focus on mobility and positioning than HoYo’s other titles.

It’s also unclear whether the release date of both games will collide, but it’s likely their target audience will greatly overlap. HoYo’s title is expected to release in 2024 or 2025, and NetEase has yet to share any details on a release window for Project Mugen.