All aboard the Astral Express !
Honkai : Star Rail ’s premise is simple : player go on a Trailblazing journey across the population as they discover secrets behind the Stellarons that live in various worlds . But with HoYoverse behind the development of this JRPG - inspire plot , the bar is high for Honkai : Star Rail , which has to live up to the banner raised by the developer ’s other title . FromGenshin ImpacttoHonkai Impact 3rd , our expectation were mellow as we explore the depths of Herta Space Station and Jarilo - VI in Honkai : Star Rail ’s second closed beta — and we were n’t let down .
Note : This article contains pamperer for Honkai : Star Rail . Please proceed with caution .
Visuals
It ’s heavy to get tire of the visuals as the Trailblazer explores various worlds that look nothing like each other . Sci - fi component bring a level of consistency across starkly different locations in the closed beta . Additionally , while Herta Space Station ’s NASA - similar interior and Jarilo - VI ’s industrial revolution - inspired architecture are significantly different , there ’s a reproducible topic in the enemy design that make the graphical shift between worlds feel less extreme .
Characters
As Honkai : Star Rail is a subsequence to the much - get it on Honkai Impact 3rd , the Trailblazer meet characters from the first series , in gain to young faces . Himeko , Welt , Seele , Bronya , Natasha , and Cocolia are some character who make an early coming into court in the game — but their purpose are different from what they played in Honkai Impact 3rd . The characters are older , their motivations have matured , and their purpose have changed considerably .
Players novel to the enfranchisement wo n’t overlook out on too much . The closed beta did a fantastic Book of Job at stick in the characters as if we ’ve never met them , with operate dialog between the cast that allowed their personality to really shine . The innovation for the new and old characters are pretty and are visually different from Genshin Impact , which debunks early concerns about the two game looking too similar . to boot , there ’s a healthy ratio of manly and distaff playable characters !
Related : Honkai : Star Rail Q&A with HoYoverse , from combat plans , gacha system , and more
Combat
Honkai : Star Rail ’s turn - ground combat is a delicacy for JRPG rooter . From the enemy encounter and first - run into bonuses , interruptions using Ultimates , and f number - based gameplay , Star Rail did a great task at hitting some of the must - have for a Graeco-Roman turn - ground experience .
But there ’s a swelled haul that can make the combat extremely dull : all struggle swear on smash opposition carapace . Each foe has two HP bars — the first is a shield , and the 2nd is their actual horsepower . Only factor suggest above the foeman ’s head can mete out significant damage against its shield — and it ’s highly recommended to assault with the right elements , or the battle will go on eternally . Once an enemy ’s carapace is transgress , it becomes disabled for a few turns , let actor to parcel out the finishing blow .
Exploration
Stepping metrical foot on the Astral Express and visiting Belobog and the Underworld for the first time was a dainty . These " secure " areas felt interactive and were genuinely fun to search . However , the enemy areas felt a little underwhelming . Because every sphere is divided into dungeon - like segments ( a trait that trickles into map blueprint ) , the geographic expedition experience was n’t very exciting .
Characters are ineffective to rise , but running is unbounded — there ’s no annoying staying power bar to watch out for . Fans of classical JRPGs will have no job with Honkai : Star Rail ’s geographic expedition features , but player who are used to Genshin Impact ’s truly open earthly concern may discover the former to be a little constricting .
Related : Honkai : Star Rail showcases first grapheme trailer for March 7th ahead of release
Story
Honkai : Star Rail ’s story revolves around riding the Astral Express across the universe , traveling to unlike worlds , and pick up and dropping off crew members along the way . The Trailblazer , joined by March 7th and Dan Heng , trip to various worlds to resolve crises get by the Stellaron , a life-threatening gem that also lives within the Trailblazer .
Only the Herta Space Station and Jarilo - VI were covered in the closed in genus Beta . And while the story is compelling at its essence , the plot has n’t matured enough for us to form a conclusive opinion about it . The closed beta successfuly introduced both areas and gear up the stage for the Trailblazing journeying , but each expanse ’s conclusion feel a small underwhelming .
For instance , so much build - up was done until the last conflict in Jarilo - VI , but the opponent ’s defeat leave alone too many open death , especially for players unfamiliar with the character ’s history from Honkai Impact 3rd . However , Honkai : Star Rail is still in evolution , so it ’s probable that HoYoverse will introduce more worldly concern and part - building secret plan that will hopefully leave a greater storytelling impingement .
Overall Gameplay
While Honkai : Star Rail is far from perfect , HoYoverse clearly put a band of workplace and enquiry into its development . The closed genus Beta felt refine , with only a few small-scale proceeds that scarce hindered gameplay . The English localization is also superior to the developer ’s other games , get in fluid dialog and telling characterisation that made all case memorable .
The good turn - base mechanics — which digest car - play — and jump - free geographic expedition make Honkai : Star Rail the staring game to dally on mobile devices . Releasing a massive secret plan that requires a trivial less attention than Genshin Impact is arguably a wise move , give how player are no longer locked inside their homes .
Overall , Honkai : Star Rail is a genuinely fun biz to play , with the opportunity to enjoy it casually or with a lot of strategical thinking . The easy control make it portable , allowing participant to board the Astral Express from nearly anywhere in the world , and the compelling narrative leaves a great deal of excitement for the next chapter of the journey .
Check outHonkai : Star Rail vs. Genshin Impact – a comparison of HoYoverse ’s open - domain titlesto find out the similarities and difference of opinion between the two games .
