ZZZ 3.0 Patch Story - Sunbringer is great, but Norma and Velina are the protagonists
The much-awaited ZZZ 3.0 patch is here with a brand-new element (Wind), Velina as a gacha character, and Pyrois as a free one, marking the debut of Belle as a playable character. I honestly tried to avoid all information about the patch until today to preserve the surprise, and as a result, I didn't know that we were getting a new element in the first place.
Wind seems to be a nice addition, though. I tried Velina a bit, and she seems to be doing quite well with Promeia on a team. I don't have much of an opinion about Pyrois yet; I used her in the story, but she didn't seem as flashy as Velina when it comes to abilities. I'll check her out more tomorrow, I guess, by doing some high-difficulty content.
Regarding the story, it is revealed that Lady Sunbringer, void hunter and creator of the Bangboos, wasn't a human in the first place, but an intelligent construct. To add to the weirdness, she divided herself into three parts: one that resembles her original form, one 'loli' form (quite cute), and one that is currently completely unknown.
I’m going to say it now: the third one is totally going to come back as a boss, isn't it? It would make total sense considering the split, as fighting a void hunter-class enemy would become possible for the first time. There are plenty of reasons why that could happen, but considering Remielle's accusations, it seems to be the most likely outcome.
Speaking of Remielle, she's technically a wanted person in Roscaelifer, but she pops in and out of Belle's room easily, so one has to wonder if the security in that place is actually working at all. If she wanted to assassinate someone for real, I'm sure she would've done it already.
On the other hand, I appreciate Cissia and Billy acting as sidekicks in this new area. Considering it's an isolated place, not having them around would cause a complete disconnect from the previous patches, which isn't ideal as it would rely on an entirely new cast. Plus, Cissia being transported as an emotional support pet is hilarious.
Of course, the focus of this patch was not on any of the above, but on Velina and Norma. The two are the patch protagonists and gacha characters; they take center stage in the narrative, with Norma trying to improve the Bangboos' logic cores to ensure they can preserve their memories further. Velina, instead, acts like the cold one to everyone, trying to take all the bad outcomes onto herself.
It's a great duo, reminding me a lot of Hakase and Nano from Nichijou. I'm sure there are other older references to which both are pointing, but the concept of a child genius with someone overseeing her is something we've seen quite a few times recently, and it works on me every time. I mean, think of Aino and Ineffa in Genshin Impact.
Sure, Velina is not a robot, but their interactions feel a lot like siblings or parent/child, so that works out regardless. I'm curious to see what role they are going to have in the coming patches. They are kind of the main allies of Belle right now, but that might change once Remielle is fully introduced next patch.
The ending of the patch, with the mysterious void fissure opening in the loli Sunbringer's room, was quite ominous, and I wonder how this connects to the whole "divided into three" plot line. Surely we're going to get Sunbringer as a playable character near the end of the patch cycle, aren't we?