Honkai: Star Rail officially launched on April 26th.
The development took 4 years, the team size exceeds 400 people, and the development specifications are comparable to Genshin Impact.
Before the launch, the number of pre-orders on the entire network exceeded 30 million. On April 23, when the pre-download was opened, it topped the list of free games in the App Store in more than 113 countries and regions including the United States, Japan, and South Korea.
So what is this game like?
Honkai: Star Rail is the latest Gacha game developed by Hoyoverse, set in the Honkai universe. Players play the role of pioneers, follow the path of the gods of "Aeons", try to stop the corrupt force "Fragmentum", and travel between planets on the space train "Astral Express".
Players who have experienced Honkai: Star Rail can't help but question, that the fighting method is turn-based. Other aspects are almost the same as Genshin Impact, such as similar anime style, character design, and magnificent scenery. We can also see similarities between characters like Kafka Honkai Star Rail and Rosalia Genshin, Dan Heng Honkai Star Rail and Zhongli Genshin, and Bailu Honkai Star Rail and Qiqi Genshin. Is there a connection between this and Genshin Impact? But the developers of HoYoverse responded to this in an interview: "Honkai: Star Rail is not a sequel to Genshin Impact, just as Honkai: Star Rail is not a direct sequel to Honkai Impact 3rd”. These three games are not meant to be directly related to each other but exist in tandem. Don't feel pressured, take it as a new experience.
Standing on the shoulders of the huge influence of Genshin Impact, the release of Honkai: Star Rail has attracted a lot of attention. It is undoubtedly a high-quality turn-based game suitable for the moment. After endless comparisons between Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact, there are still some important differences between the two games, and here are some insights.
Combat
Players who have played any turn-based games should quickly understand Honkai: Star Rail's combat system. Players need to form a team of four characters in battle, and each character will take turns attacking the enemy during the battle. Strategy is especially important at this time, and different elements, skills, and play sequences may produce different results. The pace of the game is relatively slow, suitable for players who like strategy games. However, in Genshin Impact, more attention may be paid to complex attribute matching, and the reaction damage between attributes must be considered. If the matching is unreasonable, the damage will be greatly reduced. In addition, good hand-eye coordination is also extremely needed in combat.
Map
Different from the large map of Genshin Impact, the map of Honkai: Star Rail is interactive, and is composed of various small maps connected by transition areas. There are fixed paths (black parts), and the next area must be loaded when you go to the edge of the area. At the same time, there is no jump button, so it is naturally far inferior to Genshin Impact in terms of free exploration. But that doesn't mean the map is small. You can still travel to many places, dungeons, city squares, the snowy outside world, and more!
Task Form
The change in the form of daily tasks is also a major difference between Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact. In Genshin Impact, daily quests usually come in the form of daily commissions, and players must complete four randomly selected quests to claim their daily adventure rewards. In Star Rail, however, this mission takes a different form. Players will receive five variable tasks, and each of these tasks will provide a certain amount of activity points. Players only need to obtain a total of 500 activity points to receive daily rewards. This means you don't have to complete all quests to complete your Dailies, you can choose to do one quest for 200 event points, three quests for 100 event points, two quests for 200 event points, and one for 100 events Points task. Either way, you can fully claim the daily rewards, which is the biggest variable.
In addition, Honkai: Star Rail has richer NPC interactions, task branches, and cultivation systems. The way of inviting missions and adventure missions is also more natural and realistic.
Elemental Reaction
Both games share similar elements but are quite different. In Genshin Impact, there are seven types of Pyro, Hydro, Cryo, Electro, Geo, Anemo, and Dendro, while in Honkai: Star Rail, there are seven types of Lightning, Ice, Fire, Wind, Imaginary, Quantum, and Physical. In Genshin Impact you need to use at least two elements to trigger Genshin elemental reactions to defeat enemies in less time, while in Honkai: Star Rail you need to use their elemental weaknesses to defeat enemies, otherwise it is almost impossible to break their shields.
Resin Cap
Like Genshin Impact, a power called Genshin resin is involved to gain rewards from certain activities, while in Honkai: Star Rail Trailblaze Power is used for these actions. We often hear Genshin Impact players complain about the resin cap, which is capped at 160 Resin at any given time, which is arguably completely inadequate. Players have to get more resin from domains and bosses. Honkai: Star Rail can have up to 180 Trailblaze Power, which is only 20 points more than in Genshin Impact, but similar domains require less energy.
Light Cone
The term for weapons in Honkai: Star Rail is called "Light Cone". Light cones are distinguished by levels ranging from 1 to 80, and you can upgrade them to provide stronger attribute bonuses to your characters. At the same time, light cones, like weapons in Genshin Impact, have their rarity, which can be extracted from the Gacha system. In addition, light cones also have a passive bonus called "Light Cone Ability", which is associated with one of the seven paths, and only characters with a matching path can activate it. Getting the most out of the light cone is an important move.
In general, Genshin Impact is more of an action game, while Honkai: Star Rail is more of a strategy game, and the world of the former is more open than the latter. If you have more time and pursue a richer game combat experience, then Genshin Impact will be a better choice; if you prefer to think about the rationality of resource utilization, the strategic Honkai: Star Rail will be more suitable.
These two games have a very different charming experiences. Let's enjoy it on the go. I can't wait to meet that tsundere hacker, Silver Wolf, who will be available in the first phase of the 1.1 banner plan on June 7, along with Asta, Dan Heng, and Serval. ヾ( ʚ̴̶̷ .̫ ʚ̴̶̷ )ﾉ
If you're interested in seeing them up close, check out this awesome glossy laser ticket bookmark and subscribe to Honkai Shop now for 10% off!