Review of the Honkai Star Rail: I have a Stellaron in my stomach. Help!
Our Verdict
Honkai Star Rail is a stellar, interstellar turn-based RPG that pushes the boundaries of what we’ve come to expect from the genre. With its tight combat, charming characters, engaging narrative, and stunning world, it’s proved itself to be so much more than a Genshin clone, and I can’t wait to see how it grows
My fondness for Hoyoverse games is well known; in fact, I named my cherished cat after Xiao from Genshin Impact. I had, of course, been drooling over my Astral Express ticket ever since I learned about this turn-based, intergalactic journey. And now, having participated in three massive beta testing, I'm at last prepared to wax poetic about it in my Honkai Star Rail review.
I'll confess that at first, based only on trailers and other promotional content, I believed Honkai Star Rail to be just a Genshin clone with turn-based combat and a space setting. But boy, was I mistaken. Honkai Star Rail is so much more than just a Genshin clone.
From the very beginning, the story of Honkai Star Rail captivates you, placing you in the middle of a frenzied assault on a space station. Following your early adventures as the fierce Kafka and Silver Wolf, you inherently adopt the persona of an amnesic newbie with little to no awareness of the outside world. The fish out of water cliché, albeit a little overdone by now, works nicely here, letting you discover the world together with the character.
You unintentionally manage to Kirby-mouthful-mode a Stelleron, also referred to as "the cancer of worlds," during the enormous onslaught on the Herta Space Station. This forces you to join the Astral Express in order to escape being used as a test subject by the highly intelligent space station commander, Herta. You embarked on Trailblazing beside the cheerful, upbeat March 7th and her stoic, reasonable companion, Dan Heng. Now is the time to go into new realms, battle fragmentum creatures, and attempt to figure out how to get rid of that bothersome Stellaron from your stomach.
The storyline, which combines a very strange science fiction plot with true political tensions and difficulties, is really excellent. You are drawn into compelling, world-building storylines even by the seemingly random side missions you encounter. I found the stories of Natasha and Hook to be particularly poignant, making it difficult to avoid crying a little. I've played through every main mission and side quest available in the three betas, exploring the Herta Space Station, Jarilo-VI, and Xianzhou: The Luofu, and I can't wait to see more.
The language is charming and, for the most part, doesn't take itself too seriously. However, it also handles sensitive and important issues with grace. As a major character, you have more speech choices than the Genshin Impact Traveler, and the people you speak with will respond differently based on what you say. If you don't believe me, check out our article on the Honkai Star Rail garbage cans. Even NPCs and items have fascinating backstories.
Of course, a genuinely amazing cast of characters lends support to all of this. I'm always in awe of Hoyoverse's exquisite character design, which really comes through in this instance in terms of both appearance and personality. The perpetually cheerful March 7th is perfect for going on adventures with you, getting packages for the generous Natasha, tracking down the cheeky Sampo or Hook, or just asking a ton of questions. They are all very endearing and add to the magical experience, which is further enhanced by the charming texts you exchange with them on a daily basis.
In and out of battle, the Honkai Star Rail PC and mobile controls are excellent. The buttons are big, clearly visible, and positioned well. Considering all that is going on, the user interface is very simple, and the controls for the camera and movement are easy to understand. On mobile devices, however, I often find that the list of prizes overlaps with the on-screen joystick, preventing me from moving until it fades off.
I wasn't sure at first whether I would like the turn-based gameplay since I normally like action-packed, quick-paced fights. But I'm pleasantly surprised by how interesting and difficult it is. You wouldn't think that Hoyoverse has created a turn-based RPG in this way before after playing Honkai Star Rail. The methods are well designed and provide a refreshing diversion from Genshin's relentless movement, encouraging you to take a more calculated approach without sacrificing your momentum.
Combat is tough without being too frightening, with a good scaling rate and rules that constantly force you to think through your tactics and choose the best characters for the job. Every adversary has a shield and unique elemental vulnerabilities, while every character has an element of their own. Even if you can win certain fights without considering your team's makeup, you'll have a far better experience if you adjust.
This difficulty is increased by the fact that you are unable to use healing or buff items while in battle, thus you are forced to depend on your team's skills to heal or protect one another. Additionally, your group as a whole shares a skill meter with a five charge limit. While you build a charge each time you perform a basic attack, you utilize an elemental skill each time and expend one charge overall. This implies that you must be aware of how many charges you have available, particularly when you need a certain character's ability to debuff, boost, or heal.
I could go into a lot more detail about other little elements, but I think the above illustrates how well-thought-out and comprehensive the turn-based combat is. If you find it a little tiresome to watch your team's dazzling animations and opponent assaults, there is also a speed-up tool that speeds up fights without sacrificing your control over your team, as well as an auto feature that lets the AI direct your characters. Imagine being able to skip through your daily artifact domains in Genshin! This is fantastic for farming fights you've done a million times before in order to obtain items like level up materials or relics.
Aside from the main material, there are many game types. Trailblaze Power is a resin that regenerates over time, much to Genshin Impact's resin. Trailblaze Power is used to level up resources, get relics from certain fights, and more. There are two modes in Herta's simulated universe: challenge mode and exploration mode. In the exploration mode, you are dropped into a dungeon where you must navigate many levels in order to gather curios and blessings. Using the benefits you get from the exploration mode, the challenge level puts you up against a formidable monster.
In addition, there's the Spiral Abyss of Honkai Star Rail's Forgotten Hall, which has 15 levels with different objective criteria on each. You get a ton of goods if you achieve every objective. There only seems to be single-player material available for now, but in Calexes, you can recruit friends and use other players' characters for assistance—this is a terrific way to try out characters you don't own.
I also think the opponent designs are very great, in addition to the distinctive character designs and fantastic attack animations. The human foes wear clothes or uniforms appropriate for their jobs, while all of the monsters have a common aesthetic that fits in with their background as animals from the fragmentum.
There's enough diversity to keep you interested, with a spectrum of robots, odd sentinels, criminals, and guards to struggle against. As we explore other regions, I expect to see more inventive designs. Combat is kept interesting by the wide variety of opponent assaults, boosts, and debuffs.
The boss adversaries are strong and terrifying; some are future robots that are enormous and fearsome, while others are well-known personalities you encounter along the tale or by dragging them in warps. The storylines leading up to their assaults always force you to emotionally participate in the fights, making the fight more intense. Their attacks also make use of the lessons you acquire from regular battles, pushing you in new ways.
While exploring the environment, you come across opponents. When you get close to them, you may observe their elemental vulnerabilities. After that, you may engage in combat using your character's skills, which will transport you to a different instanced arena. Using the proper strikes and enhancement methods to begin battles may significantly alter the outcome of the combat, adding another layer of strategy to the action.
The primary maps are a little bit "open world" in that you may go about as you choose, using the navigation map to switch between locations and even planets. However, compared to games like Breath of the Wild and Genshin Impact, the majority of the regions are comprised of closed-off chambers, halls, and streets, making exploring much more linear. Actually, it's more akin to Monster Hunter's map systems, in which every part is instanced independently. This really helps the game's graphics as it makes the load weight much less, which lets Hoyoverse explore with incredible details, new textures, and other things.
Apart from solving riddles and opening doors, smashing boxes, and opening chests, there aren't many other activities to engage in. You are limited to interacting with items and starting combat as your primary means of exploration; you are unable to climb, glide, or leap, which greatly irritates our editor Ruby.
I can't claim, however, that the globe seems empty, and the independently instanced sections undoubtedly put less stress on your device. For me, Honkai Star Rail always works without a hitch, even in town centers with a lot of NPCs rushing about, passing trams, and other things. In addition, the exquisitely planned landscapes and buildings give every area—even the wintry wasteland—a feeling of vitality and vigor. When I first arrived in Xianzhou: The Luofu, I was really astounded by its splendor.
Although the UI is nice and looks a lot like Genshin, there are some noticeable variances in the equipment and other things. It may be a bit challenging at first to learn all the various items and abilities. For instance, you may equip your characters with "light cones" in place of weapons, which don't alter their assaults but can provide helpful bonuses. To trigger the benefit, however, these light cones must line up with the character's route. You may investigate people, light cones, relics, and more anytime you'd like thanks to the in-game data bank and the tutorials that are provided, which are simple to understand and follow.
The gacha components have a striking resemblance to those of Genshin Impact. Stellar jade, the primary money, is similar to primogems and may be obtained via milestone tasks, events, quests, chest openings, and premium currency purchases, albeit paid content was not included in the beta. Like in Genshin Impact, there are two types of gacha "passes" you may purchase: one for premium banners and another for regular banners.
There are many various banners available, such as two premium, limited banners with a five-star character and a five-star light cone respectively, as well as a regular and novice banner with characters and light cones up for grabs. Despite its complexity, this is very conventional gacha fare and won't seem foreign to Genshin players.
With one guaranteed four-star hotel every 10 draws and a five-star hotel after 75–90 pulls, the pity system seems to be the same as Genshin's. I have not yet verified whether there is a hard and soft sympathy, 50/50 system in place as well. I was able to get the majority of playable characters and a variety of light cones during my beta testing, however the RNG rates will probably change when the game is released officially.
Naturally, and understandably so, gacha banners and microtransactions continue to be hotly debated subjects. Even if I dislike predatory in-game tactics, I must admit that Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail are among the most understanding games I've played. Additionally, Honkai Star Rail gives you a good number of free characters to use right away—FOMO excepted. You start out with March 7th and Dan Heng to go with your Trailblazer. You can also gain Natasha, Herta, Serval, and Qingque via launch bonuses and permanent events, which together provide up a rather well-rounded roster even without using the banners.
Aside from banners, there's a combat pass that has a basic version and a premium one, same as Genshin's. I'm not sure how much the additional materials will cost, but they seem like a good compromise—useful but not revolutionary. I'm not sure whether any of the items are battle pass only, like the Gnostic Hymn weaponry, but I anticipate that they will all follow the same general trend of being a decent option for light users that consistently check in and do the related objectives.
The audio composition of Honkai Star Rail is exquisite. The OST and voice acting in Hoyoverse are excellent, as one could anticipate. The fight SFX amplifies the force of conflict, and the voices of the characters fit them well. A "Music of Honkai Star Rail" tour to match the Genshin Impact one is undoubtedly in the works. The music is an incredible treat, showcasing a fantastic blend of futuristic techno and classical orchestras.
The one feature I would most want to see added is controller compatibility for versions other than the iOS ones. I've been emphasizing this for a long time about Genshin, but it's a crucial issue regarding accessibility. Even though I enjoy playing with a keyboard and mouse, I find it uncomfortable to play on a phone for extended periods of time without a controller, and I know a lot of people who have trouble using keyboards and touchscreen controls on phones. For these reasons, I think it would be great if PC and Android versions included controller support.
A conversation log would also be helpful during cutscenes since, in a game this narratively focused, you may lose crucial information if you happened to touch on your phone and miss a single word of speech. It would also be wonderful to be able to leap, I suppose. Even if I don't believe we need to leap, I imagine my editor would be furious if I didn't mention it.
All things considered, Honkai Star Rail is a fantastic sci-fi adventure with a ton of endearing characters, a deep story, a wide range of gameplay options, and exciting combat. It has shown to be much more than just a generic Genshin clone, and I'm excited to see what the complete release will bring.
Hoyoverse has rapidly become as one of the most intriguing names in the current gaming landscape for me thanks to this, Genshin Impact's frequent updates, and the impending Zenless Zone Zero. I always look forward to seeing what the company has planned.
Are you prepared to take the Astral Express now? In that case, captain, 'yes, aye!I understand that you should check out our Honkai Star Rail tier list and Honkai Star Rail banner instructions to choose which characters you should begin your journey with, and be sure to snag some freebies with our Honkai Star Rail codes.