Following the immense success of Genshin Impact, miHoYo is introducing their latest game, Honkai Star Rail, designed for PC and mobile platforms. Rather than basking in their prior accomplishments, the Chinese developer has taken the captivating aspects of their former triumph and adapted them into a turn-based RPG, which appears to be another winning formula.
We were among the lucky players who had the opportunity to participate in the closed beta of Honkai: Star Rail. This allowed us to delve deeper into miHoYo’s latest creation compared to our initial preview during Japan Expo, giving us a clearer understanding of the game’s potential.
To elaborate further, this marks the third and final beta of the game. Although the official release date remains undisclosed, some sources indicate an April launch. While the project is not yet in its final form, with some cinematics absent, it is highly likely that there will be only minor differences between this version and the completed product. With that in mind, we present our impressions of Honkai Star Rail after several hours of engaging gameplay.
Genshin Impact in space?
While Genshin Impact draws players into a fantastical realm, Honkai Star Rail transports them to a sci-fi universe, epitomized by the Astral Express—remarkable trains that enable interplanetary travel. The game commences at the Herta space station, dedicated to unraveling the galaxy’s mysterious phenomena.
Amid an attack by the Antimatter Legion, two enigmatic figures seize the opportunity to purloin a powerful entity called Stellaron, implanting it within an artificial human, the Pioneer, who serves as the player’s avatar. We soon discover that the duo is under the command of Elio, their visionary leader purportedly capable of foreseeing the future.
Through a twist of fate, our protagonist becomes part of the Astral Express crew—a train associated with Herta’s research, on a mission to locate Stellaron throughout the cosmos. This provides an ideal chance for the main character to uncover their true identity and purpose within the galaxy.
Echoing Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail commences with an enigmatic narrative, swiftly introducing a host of charismatic and beautifully designed characters, all within a purely anime aesthetic.
Similar to miHoYo’s former title, players must journey from one region to another—or in this case, planet to planet—to advance and reveal the storyline’s true objectives. The game employs a wealth of voice acting and expertly crafted, dynamic cinematics to narrate the tale, heightening its appeal.
This top-notch production quality occasionally gives the impression of a “premium” RPG, despite being free-to-play. Apart from its intriguing universe, Honkai Star Rail also boasts a witty French translation, filled with humorous references akin to those in Final Fantasy XIV.
Furthermore, the game pays homage to iconic J-RPGs through specific sequences, much to the delight of genre enthusiasts.
Effective turn-based combat?
Distinguishing itself from Genshin Impact’s science-fiction universe, Honkai Star Rail embraces a turn-based combat system, a stark departure from its open-world action-RPG predecessor. Battles now feature four characters concurrently on the field, confronting a group of foes.
Nonetheless, similarities with Genshin persist, such as a basic attack, a special skill (consuming concentration points generated by regular attacks), and an ultimate ability that accumulates over time. Elemental vulnerabilities remain crucial, as they enable players to debilitate and destabilize enemies for improved successive attacks.
A key nuance is that ultimate attacks can be activated at any moment once charged, granting players the ability to disrupt enemy turns and seize control.
Honkai Star Rail’s combat system leans heavily on exploiting elemental vulnerabilities and inflicting negative status effects, rather than dealing massive direct damage. Although the battles appeared somewhat elementary during the Japan Expo demo, their complexity unfolds over time.
Beyond combat, characters can employ various limited abilities with diverse effects, such as healing, boosting damage, or initiating a pre-emptive elemental strike for a combat advantage. This introduces an additional strategic element for players to contemplate before engaging in battle.
Ultimately, the objective is to develop units throughout the journey, preparing them to tackle the story’s numerous challenges.
A quintessential miHoYo free-to-play approach
Apart from their anime-inspired visuals, Genshin and Honkai Star Rail share similarities in their economic models and available activities. The interface, menus, and reward collection methods are strikingly similar, if not identical. As expected, the gacha system, a lottery-style mechanism, is used to acquire new characters, with the rarest ones being the most challenging to obtain.
Regarding generosity, Honkai Star Rail aligns with Genshin Impact, appearing somewhat parsimonious for those who don’t engage in daily content. Despite this, the game avoids being pay-to-win, as progression depends on maintaining an adequate account level, which naturally increases as players complete main and side quests—similar to Genshin. After our gameplay experience, we didn’t find it necessary to possess the strongest characters to make progress.
We’d like to highlight an enjoyable secondary activity. Beyond the primary storyline, Honkai Star Rail features additional content called the Simulated Universe. This mode, drawing inspiration from rogue-lite games, involves players navigating a multi-roomed dungeon with various floors.
The engaging aspect lies in selecting one of three bonuses after each battle, retained until the dungeon’s end. Based on the rooms encountered, players can gain new characters, modify passive bonuses, or even enhance them. This mechanic enables players to develop a robust build for defeating end-of-dungeon bosses more easily and delving deeper into the game’s lore.
Our impressions
More so than during the Japan Expo, this final closed beta of Honkai Star Rail has thoroughly convinced us of the potential for miHoYo’s upcoming hit. Boasting refined anime visuals, a focus on narrative, and charismatic characters, the game occasionally feels like a premium RPG, which is quite remarkable for a free-to-play title. In terms of combat, the gameplay might appear simplistic initially, but its mechanics unveil their complexity over time.
Concerning the free-to-play aspect, it adheres to a model similar to Genshin Impact’s, being somewhat frugal but not pay-to-win. With all these components in place, Honkai Star Rail is poised to establish itself as another unmissable free-to-play experience, much like its forerunner.
