Brand New Days: TZERØ's Horizons for 2026
- Nero Atlas
- Jan 19
- 7 min read
New Year's Beginning
Hello, net traveler! I wonder if you're here to see this thing happening when it does, or in the future, to go check how everything started. Maybe I'll be back here, one day, wondering about this journey together, reading this article again, reminiscing, and softly smiling at the idea that this was the day where I took a picture, and thought: "This is the scenario where things start".
With this said, let's jump into the actual facts!
How is this journey going to be, together?
New Character Model
With the start of the new year, and the new channel beginning, I wanted a Nero Atlas that would highlight details that have been shaping around my own story, in some way. I wanted something that kept being close to its origin, while bringing new messages. New "clothes", for an identity that grows and evolve. This is why I asked my talented friend if he could "make it happen", through his own style, that I am happy to associate with my work and the channel, relying on the attention to detail I know he always has with his work. From there, this new model was born.
I was particularly happy to see the logo design, that I immediately embraced: everything here holds meaning for me:
t0: to go beyond the "meta", looking for a tier that only belong to you, which is also the promise every adventurer silently does to themselves
Six-pointed star: it's common to associate a star with the "ideal", striving for a far-away objective or dream. My favorite type of star is the six-pointed one, both because the number 6 is very dear to me, and because it also means "perfection" when it comes to numerology.
Olive branches: I originally thought about laurel, which represents crowning one's dream. After thinking about it for a while, though, I realized that the message of this journey - the channel, blog, and the bonds we have while sharing the journey together - also holds the way this objective is meant to be achieved: while keeping a peaceful spirit, holding sportmanship, curiosity, and accepting the fact that it takes time. So, there are long, roundy leaves!
We also opted to give up on the glasses: some of the analytic take I wanted to give the project, with a focus on guides and study, is finally gone, the philosophy of it shifting towatds "experiencing and living" games. It's mostly by unhindered sight, that we'll try to look for what matters the most, in our shared experience of work of arts, entertainment and challenges.
When it comes to clothing, color palette and character design, we shifted towards more mature tones, without giving up on lively color choices. I love this choice, as I'm a fan of soft shaders, and it also goes along with how my view of the world - including the entertainment side of it - shifted.
Nero Has Grown Up: Channel & Character Evolution
When I asked my friend artist to make a rework of Nero, I would've never expected so much growth and tone change. This is only possible when an artist knows enough about the commissioner to actually address changes that go beyond aesthetics: in Nero-as-a-character case, I wanted to express the growth of ideas and awareness of the channel, that now takes the name of TZERØ, to marry new ideals. There is a shade of maturity in the change that drives me, and I love that this is mirrored by the pngtuber design direction. I'll sum them up for you too.
The Videogame Journal | TZERØ | |
Channel name | It was about daily content and news. The name stayed with the magazine. | Main focus is the philosophy of redefining what's worth. |
Channel content | Gacha game guides and considerations, without much care about spending. | Making complexity simple: less numbers, more accessibility, less spending. |
Channel games | Star Rail, and whatever I was playing at the time. | Six rotating titles, each having a specific role. |
Channel environment | YouTube, sporadic use of the website. | YouTube, active blog, magazine, social networks |
Collaborators | Single commission for PNGTuber art, and that was it! |
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I'll go into detail with everything regarding the new environment for TZERØ as much more than a channel soon. Take this as a sneak peek!
New Game Roster: Brief Introduction
One of the most important choices for a content creation related project is choosing the core. It took me a long, long time, as deciding "a few" games that I like, while giving u on others, will always be something hard to me - but I'll be glad to talk about them, and the reasons why I chose those over others, when it comes to game talk on YouTube, and articles around this blog.
Zenless Zone Zero
My relationship with Zenless Zone Zero has been unusually complex. Before launch, I was uncertain about its art direction and animation depth; after release, I found myself immediately drawn to the very style I had doubted. That was followed by concerns about the chain-based combat system feeling too rigid compared to the action RPGs I was used to, and later by a phase of struggling to connect with the initial cast. Over time, however, the game revealed itself as one of the experiences I resonate with most. Its street fantasy identity, reminiscent of The World Ends With You, the increasing expressiveness of team animations, and a form of storytelling that favors mood over urgency have made New Eridu a place I genuinely enjoy inhabiting, and one I intend to return to regularly.
Honkai Star Rail
My relationship with Honkai: Star Rail has been uneven. At launch, I found the early character animations restrained and the first chapter’s winter aesthetics unengaging, despite an excellent color palette. That perception shifted with the arrival of the Xianzhou Luofu: even if it was divisive within the community, its visual identity and thematic direction aligned far more closely with what I was looking for. As the game approaches a new patch after a difficult development period influenced by real-world constraints, Star Rail is not at its most confident moment, and many creators are reassessing their involvement. I am interested in approaching it differently, focusing less on meta dominance or endgame efficiency and more on atmosphere, visual storytelling, and how the game’s identity evolves through its worlds.
Final Fantasy XIV
This game has been a home for me for many years, marking the longest continuous stop in my gaming journey. Much of that time was not spent chasing progression, but inhabiting the world: moving through its spaces, letting its narrative breathe, and using it as a place to slow down rather than optimize. I intend to return to Final Fantasy XIV to talk about forms of engagement that rarely surface in fast-paced YouTube formats, such as pacing choices, environmental storytelling, social rituals, and the director Naoki Yoshida’s philosophy of designing a game meant to be lived in over time. Approaches that, for many players, are what gave the game its lasting meaning.
Pokémon Legends: ZA
Pokémon Legends: ZA is one of the few recent Pokémon titles that gave me a sustained sense of narrative maturity, supported by a cast that felt active and present in a way I usually associate with more character-driven series. Its main story remained engaging throughout, and its structure allowed side activities to reinforce rather than fragment that focus. I was also drawn to the competitive, minigame-like mode, which reinterprets traditional Pokémon battles with unexpected creativity. This is the space where I want to engage with Pokémon’s core entries: titles that experiment within the mainline framework while prioritizing story cohesion, character presence, and alternative battle expressions.
Pokémon Unite
When I checked my total playtime, I was surprised to see that I had spent over 400 hours in Pokémon Unite, almost entirely through casual matches. It has been the most effective balance I have found between comfort and competition: short sessions, low emotional overhead, and just enough strategic tension to stay engaging. I have always loved Pokémon, and Unite became the natural expression of that attachment, even in aspects often criticized, such as unstable metas or balance issues. I plan to treat it as a daily, low-friction game, focusing on consistency, decision-making under imperfection, and how a competitive title can still function as a personal comfort space.
BanG Dream! Girls Band Party
I considered including Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage as my rhythm game of choice more than once, but BanG Dream! Girls Band Party is tied to too many personal experiences for me to set it aside, even if it is less prominent today. Its long lifespan and extensive song catalogue offer multiple layers of engagement, from chart design and band narratives to its more controversial competitive dimension. In particular, the evolution of team building and the culture surrounding tiering form a parallel social space, often invisible to casual players, yet meaningful in its own right. It is this intersection between music, long-term systems, and community behavior that makes the game worth revisiting.
What happens now?
Expect the channel to be active at least bi-weekly after this re-structuring phase, starting from this same week!
Come back check the blog too for much more news, materials and my thoughts about each game I listed above! Up until then, stay safe and happy! ✨
