The new ZZZ arcade game is called Vampire Survivors and you need to play it now

I don’t know what makes a game within a game so enticing. If I’m about to play Zenless Zone Zero, why am I so excited about the prospect of going to a virtual arcade and playing a completely different game? But weird psychology aside, it’s definitely exciting – and ZZZ’s bizarre brigadethe newest addition to Godfinger Arcade, is my favorite so far.

Bizarre Brigade is a roguelike game very similar to Vampire Survivors. It challenges you to survive the relentless onslaught of “Nightmares” over a certain number of waves, which depends on the difficulty you select at the start. Defeating Nightmares earns you coins, eggs, and treasure chests. Then, between each wave, you can spend these coins and eggs to summon companions to fight alongside you or purchase items that provide special buffs.

There are also tons of different protagonists to try out, each with their own unlock conditions. You start with just a few, but the full list has some very funny protagonists, including a cabbage who profits from recruiting little cabbage friends, a dog who gets the zoomies after repelling nightmares, and more.

However, this is Is a roguelike, meaning every time you die you have to start over. And until you get to grips with what you’re doing, you’re probably going to die a lot. Before watching a very helpful video from Mattjestic MultiGaming highlighting which elements should be prioritized, I almost went crazy watching my 2D bulldog die for the 200th time.

Fortunately, there is some sense of progression beyond unlocking new protagonists. If you manage to defeat a level boss, there is a chance that it will drop candies. Collecting these candies will permanently increase your current protagonist’s health, attack, and other attributes, allowing you to grind with your favorites to improve their stats.

It’s an incredibly addictive gameplay loop made up of very fast-paced, chaotic stages, and because the upgrades and companions you can obtain are based on random generators, no two rounds are the same. Add to that the numerous unlockable protagonists and the numerous achievements that polychromies offer, and I’ve honestly invested more time into Bizarre Brigade than the base game since the launch of Zenless Zone Zero’s 1.2 update. Much more time. Oops.

Bizarre Brigade is the first new arcade game since the game’s release to appear in Zenless Zone Zero. It joins the two games that have been available since release – Snake Duel (which basically lets you play between beating up Ethereal’s Snake) and Soul Hounds III (a puzzle game where you play as a dog and move through colored ones digs blocks).

To celebrate the mini-game’s launch, there’s currently an event called “Don’t Walk Alone,” which not only includes a fun series of side missions centered around Billy from ZZZ and his obsession with romantic comedies, but also offers tons of rewards, including three boopons and an additional 300 Polychromes in addition to the achievement rewards. So if you’re desperately trying to save up for ZZZ’s Caesar or ZZZ’s Burnice, you’d better head to Godfinger Arcade now, as the event ends on Monday. Who knows, if you’re like me, you might spend the entire weekend destroying nightmares in Bizarre Brigade instead of destroying ethereals and hanging out in the Outer Ring.

To learn more about Don’t Walk Alone and the other limited-time events happening right now, be sure to check out our Zenless Zone Zero event guide. We also have a full list of all new Zenless Zone Zero codes so you can grab all the Polychromes in time for the next Zenless Zone Zero banner. That said, if you can stop playing Bizarre Brigade long enough, it’s a truly addictive game.