By Jatin Gundara
On paper, the basis for Honkai Star Rail’s world, gameplay, and story seems somewhat unoriginal. A gacha RPG about a group of friends with mysterious pasts traveling the galaxy pursuing a faint hope that something awaits at the end of their journey. However, this premise, when juxtaposed with my in-game experiences, instilled a new belief in me about game development and playing games as a whole. The premise, no matter how unoriginal, can become something far more unique and brilliant with proper execution.
The plot of Honkai: Star Rail is complex to say the least. Beginning with an ominous cutscene which moves from the invasion of a space station to the ethereal singing of an unknown character, Star Rail makes full use of the scope and grandeur of its premise. The world is filled with characters who choose to follow different paths, dedicating their way of life to those travels in return for receiving some kind of strength. These characters, known as pathstriders, hold immense power and comprise every important character in the game. Star Rail’s cast is filled to the brim with colorful personalities, from the contemplative Dan heng, to the excitable March 7th, filling the world with life and a distinctive tone. The Star Rail itself, an interplanetary locomotive, seemingly embodies the simple, yet effective theme of adventure which permeates the game’s every aspect.
The main character is simply dubbed a Trailblazer, a fitting title for the protagonist of a story exploring such a vast, unknown universe. While I could dive deeper into the execution of Star Rail’s story, I can guarantee that it will be best experienced with as little prior information as possible.
However exciting its plot may be, the gameplay of Honkai: Star Rail is somewhat unoriginal. Adopting a familiar turn-based combat style and being adorned with all the usual bells and whistles (Ultimate abilities which charge up over time, elemental affinities, character specific abilities), the gameplay is enjoyable. But it is not groundbreaking. Despite this, the teambuilding aspects of the game create a constant potential for further optimization, pushing the player to create different combinations of characters to see what works best.
This is a byproduct of Star Rail’s character-centric gameplay model, compelling the player to roll for characters through the game’s gacha system, upgrade them, and position them with other characters to make the best team possible. I found that while the gacha system felt somewhat pointless (due to the rarity of pulling good characters and a lack of motivation to level them up to your current level), this was actually one of the game’s greatest strengths.
Many RPGs which opt to use a gacha system rely on it heavily, effectively gatekeeping healthy progression through the game behind rare, overpowered characters or excessive grinding. And while Star Rail may put an emphasis on grinding to unlock certain story quests, there really isn’t much need to constantly unlock new characters. To put it into perspective, I’m confident that the average player could go the length of the game with the base team provided at the beginning, and still have a healthy, fun gameplay experience. The gacha system feels like more of a suggestion rather than an imposition, which provides a refreshing outlook on a genre which is riddled with games that seem to reject providing players with a strong foundation, and emphasize the use of variability to dictate the player’s gameplay experience.
As is expected of a game which cares so much about its characters, Honkai: Star Rail’s art direction and sound design are exceptional. Every character’s design is impeccable (as is expected from Hoyoverse), and their voice lines (while repetitive), still provide a glimpse of personality. The cutscenes in particular are some of the best I’ve seen in a modern game, not because of the quality of the animation, but rather the simple mechanisms used to breathe life into the characters. When added to the charm and complexity of the plot, playing Star Rail can at times feel like watching an anime, with distinctive characters, worldbuilding, and story arcs, in the same vein as the likes of One Piece or Hunter x Hunter.
My advice to anyone looking to play Honkai: Star Rail, is to jump in and have as much fun as possible! With the prospect of continuous updates until the game is shut down (which seems like an eternity away, considering it’s so new), it’s nearly guaranteed that the adventures in the expansive galaxy of Honkai: Star Rail are far from over. So whether it’s after you scroll to the bottom of this page, or long after the game has reached its completion, I implore you to at some point give Honkai: Star Rail a chance to spark your imagination as it adds effective, compelling storytelling to your life. I believe playing will challenge your beliefs just as it did mine. Based on my experience, I doubt it will disappoint.
California-based intern Jatin Gundara serves as the Circle’s West Coast correspondent.
