Honkai Star Rail Review – Trails of Mediocrity
I'm pretty sure I will make many enemies from this review alone, but I still can't believe that Honkai Star Rail managed to become this popular with how shallow and empty it is. Much like before with Genshin Impact, I thoroughly played the game up to Trailblazer Rank 25 before I gave up and started this review.
Honestly, I was expecting more out of Star Rail, considering how much hype has been built around it. Since Genshin Impact managed to bring a lot of positive impressions, I thought Hoyoverse would introduce this new gacha with some aspects that would make certain aspects better. But then, the painful decisions that have plagued Genshin Impact started rearing their ugly head as I got deeper into the game, and not only that, but this game feels like a sloppy attempt at a turn-based system that's already been done better by the Trails series.
Honkai Star Rail stars the Trailblazer, a character controlled by the player who becomes part of the Astral Express, a crew tasked with solving issues across the galaxy. At the beginning of the game, we see that the Trailblazer is imbued with what's known as the Stellaron, which is later revealed to be a catalyst that can destroy worlds and one of the things the Astral Express crew is tasked with destroying.
To find answers about what's happening, the Trailblazer sets out on a crusade alongside the Astral Express crew to explore different planets and resolve the anomalies found within them. Along the way, the Trailblazer will find themselves meeting new people and acquainting themselves with allies and enemies alike while also going through sidequests and solving the mystery behind the Stellaron and their origin.
Instead of the fantasy setting seen in Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail opts for a more sci-fi approach in which technology is king. I was enamored by this game's visuals and presentation, which make it stand out among peers.
Coupled with this is the great way characters are written, which has become a staple of Hoyoverse. More often than not, you'll find yourself experiencing notable sidequests that end on a dramatic note. While the game doesn't waste time to find humor in some of its scenes while making fun of tropes found within RPGs - like everyone's obsession with checking trash cans - this game also has a lot of emotional moments for each of its characters and even NPCs during sidequests.
The music is another aspect that complements this game's presentation amazingly. It isn't as memorable as Genshin Impact's, but it still has a lot of tunes that can easily immerse players in the world itself. The songs found within this game's soundtrack will do a good job of making you feel invested in the plot during key moments. Unfortunately, this is also the moment where my compliments end as this myriad of positives falls apart on the most important part, the gameplay.
Before we delve deep into my issues with the gameplay, let's talk about the gacha mechanics, which is the thing that people will inevitably say is what jaded me from this game. My pulls certainly would like to disagree as I got Bronya and Natasha, one of which is a fantastic healer, while the other is a cleanser/turn manipulator. So, no, my issue isn't coming from the gacha mechanics. Instead, it's on what the structure of the game is.
If you read my piece on my issues with Genshin Impact, you probably have seen that one of my biggest problems with the game is its midgame where you are hard-pressed into trying to get relics to get anywhere substantial within the game. Don't let the people who hype up the Self Modeling Resin deceive you. Yes, it's great that now you can craft your own Relics (this game's version of Artifacts) with their own Main and Substats. But this process can only be done once every 1.5 months from an item you only get from the Premium Battle Pass. Furthermore, you also need to get SIX Relics for the set rather than four.
The main issue with Honkai Star Rail is that it has an awful logic of addressing issues found within Genshin Impact but also introducing new issues along the way. You still have to gather materials, get the right Relic Sets (yes, plural. 4+2), have enough credits to be able to afford these incremental upgrades, and now, you also have to put special care into Light Cones (this game's version of Weapons) since some of them have extremely specialized effects that only benefit a specific character. Some of which are only acquired through the gacha system, mind you.
"Oh, but you get a free 5-star after 300 pulls." So?! You only get that through the Standard Banner (the one nobody pulls for since it doesn't have the featured characters from the non-standard banner), and it's also a character from a pre-defined selection that also needs several investments to work properly. Not only that but with the way this game works, there also can be a myriad of issues that can present themselves as you go along. And no, raising the Resin cap to 180 and regenerating it once every 6 minutes isn't making me ignore that.
Let's talk about the gameplay, since this is where Honkai Star Rail shows its true colors. The game takes on a turn-based structure where the SPD stat is king, as it will determine your turn order. Much like in the Trails series, enough SPD will let you even take multiple actions in a row, so characters like Asta can become pretty important.
The game tries to do its own version of Elemental Reactions through Weakness Break, which is essentially a unique system that can be used to stagger enemies and inflict a debuff depending on the element that induced the Break. The main issue is that, unlike other games with similar mechanics like Dissidia Opera Omnia, Weakness Break is limited to the enemy's current Elemental Weakness. As such, you will not be able to force-inflict Bleed on an enemy if they aren't weak to Physical attacks, for example.
There still are Status Effects and debuffs that can be inflicted, of course. But the rate at which you get them is determined by the stats offered by Relics. If your stats aren't high enough to inflict debuffs frequently (which, again, is completely random with how the Relic system works), you will be hard-pressed into selecting the characters that are direct weaknesses to your enemies.
Unlike Genshin Impact, you will often be punished hard during the early game if you dare pick a unit that doesn't contribute to the Weakness Break gauge. More often than not, I had to constantly retreat from battles just to pick the right party to deal with the enemy I was trying to fight before switching back to the characters I wanted to play as.
If it isn't that, the additional content bores me to tears. While the sidequests are written well, as I'd expect from a Hoyoverse title, the additional gameplay modes like the Simulated Universe (which, granted, is better than the Spiral Abyss since it offers a wide variety of ways to improve your party through select buffs) and some of the sidequests felt more like throwaway content that didn't make it to Genshin Impact's events.
I could talk more about the issues I have with this game, but the more brass-tacked version is that it definitely feels shallow compared to other RPGs. Opera Omnia has offered me better ways to do turn manipulation mechanics while also keeping a simple yet complex Break system, while the Trails of Cold Steel series have great ways to sparse up the gameplay and allow your favorite characters to shine through its Quartz system.
Honkai Star Rail feels a lot like Genshin Impact. You pull for units like in Genshin Impact, you fight random mobs of enemies for materials to upgrade three aspects of your character like in Genshin Impact, you level up your account by clearing quests and sidequests like in Genshin Impact, and you get invaded with a deep sense of regret and suffering when you get the DEF and DEF% substats in your Relics... Like in Genshin Impact.
However, this game feels more transparent about how basic it is. There's no way to switch party members mid-fight, items are reduced to consumables you have to take before battle, and shops are non-existent unless it's the specialized ones that give you more materials and gacha currency. I will definitely return to Genshin Impact because, while that game is just as shallow, it still has some degree of liberty, thanks to how its Elemental reactions work.
Overall, Honkai Star Rail disappointed me. While I certainly admire the references to other Honkai titles, the deep lore and great characterization, and the great atmospheric soundtrack, it isn't enough to make me keep going, and, in fact, it has burned me out on RPGs. Ironically, it seems like the best outcome is that hidden ending you get at the beginning of the game where the Trailblazer just doesn't join the Astral Express and lives a happy and prosper life. As such, I will make the same decision and not join that train ride.
Reviewed on PC.
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