As Honkai: Star Rail draws ever closer to its launch, it’s high time we pray to the gacha gods once more for that 5-star hue. Yet another game made by HoYoVerse, the developers of Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, is poised to take the throne for gacha games but in another category of gameplay.
If you’re wondering what else Honkai: Star Rail can offer that’s enough to command your attention away if you’re already busy grinding the Spiral Abyss or saving for Archons in Genshin Impact, here’s some information regarding the game’s direction before Honkai: Star Rail arrives on April 26, 2023.
Combat Is Turn-Based
The biggest difference between Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact is in the gameplay. Instead of the real-time action combat which Genshin Impact players are used to, Honkai: Star Rail assumed the turn-based structure, meaning combat encounters tend to be longer by default.
This might be a deal-breaker for some, especially those who prefer a faster pace of combat. However, the turn-based structure ought to give players a deeper level of theory-crafting and planning. Combat is thus more methodical.
Moreover, it’s also safe to assume that this kind of combat will be less taxing on hardware since most characters just stand around waiting for input.
It’s a Honkai Impact 3rd Sequel
The name’s already a telltale sign, but to clarify, Honkai: Star Rail is both directly connected to HoYoverse’s previous Honkai Impact 3rd and not at the same time. Honkai: Star Rail’s story takes place after Welt Yang from Honkai Impact 3rd traveled to a parallel universe, catalyzing the story of Honkai: Star Rail.
Hence, Honkai: Star Rail will be set in a parallel universe, allowing developers free rein on how to incorporate elements and characters from the old Honkai games in more chaotic ways. People are dying of anticipation, waiting to see what Honkai: Star Rail characters will be available upon release.
Thankfully, due to this, you don’t have to play Honkai Impact 3rd in order to understand what’s happening in Honkai: Star Rail, nor do you have to get familiar with the former’s combat system since it’s real-time.
It’s a Sci-fi Gacha Game
Another big difference from Genshin Impact is Honkai: Star Rail’s setting. It’s a sci-fi game with space opera elements, often featuring a train called the Astral Express that literally travels through space.
Enemies and the game’s world design have some touches that set them apart from Genshin Impact, just as how Honkai Impact 3rd distinguished itself. Characters, for that matter, have more futuristic and even more modern designs, with some wielding complementary weapons.
Again, this might be a dealbreaker for those who prefer their RPGs to be exclusively high-fantasy or fantasy, but with a game like this, you’ll have to try it to see if you might be able to tolerate it as an exception at the very least.
The Game’s Not Open-world
Looking for another potential dealbreaker? Well, this might just be the biggest. Honkai: Star Rail is not following the trendy open-world design that’s all too common in new video games these days. Instead, it will take after Honkai Impact 3rd’s game world structure.
Instead of one large seamless area with no loading screen (fast travel doesn’t count), Honkai: Star Rail is divided into instances– albeit large ones. Exploration is thus less of a focus here compared to Genshin Impact’s drastically varied environments.
Still, all the sections of the world are connected (with a loading screen); only the world is more linear, and you can only unlock other areas by advancing the story, unlike with Genshin Impact. Hopefully, Honkai: Star Rail is just as beautiful for in-game pictures as Genshin Impact though.
The good thing about this is that it could be less taxing for storage since there are fewer assets, textures, and other files needed to portray the game world.
Free-to-Play With Microtransactions
Most of HoYoverse’s games are free, and Honkai: Star Rail is no exception. You can just download it on your smartphone or your computer without spending any money. However, if you’re coming from Genshin Impact, the temptation for busy people to spend a few bucks here and there for a small convenience or to lessen the grind is ever-present.
So whatever you spent on Genshin Impact, expect to spend a similar amount on Honkai: Star Rail. Lots of factors come into play here, like how much you really want that new character or how special you want your account to feel. But it’s not like the game is forcing you to spend anything to progress.
Also, do expect Honkai: Star Rail to be a live-service game with continuous updates, new characters, an ongoing and refreshing battle pass system, and premium privileges.
Honkai: Star Rail Is Mostly a Solo Experience
It’s hard to imagine a turn-based RPG with PvP, and you’re right to expect Honkai: Star Rail to lack comprehensive multiplayer. Details regarding Honkai: Star Rails online experience are rather sparse, meaning it’s not a focus for developers.
At best, you can expect Honkai: Star Rail to have a co-op component similar to that of Genshin Impact, but even that might be a turn-off given the game’s turn-based system (no pun intended). It basically means that other players will have to wait for their turn to attack, which can be boring for some. This problem isn’t present in Genshin Impact.
Still, Honkai: Star Rail was ultimately marketed as a single-player and story-heavy game; you’re likely not the audience if you’re craving some multiplayer action or are potentially hoping to find your e-girlfriend or e-boyfriend in a gacha game.
5-Star Win Rates Are the Same as Genshin Impact
Now for the elephant in the room, how brutal are the gacha rates?
For Honkai: Star Rail, it’s the same as Genshin Impact. It’s also 0.6 percent for 5-star characters with a pity system rewarding players after dozens of failed attempts.
Also, there’s a 50/50 chance you might get another 5-star character/weapon if you won a 5-star pull for a featured banner, assuming your previous win was a featured character or weapon.
All in all, there’s not much difference. Genshin Impact players will ease into the gacha system right away and might even curse its cruelty or randomness, but that comes with the territory.
Honkai: Star Rail Platforms
Unlike Genshin Impact players who had to wait for a while for the game to be released on PlayStation, Honkai: Star Rail is available for consoles right away. It’s also one of the most anticipated mobile game releases for 2023. For a complete list of its platforms during release, here’s where you can play Honkai: Star Rail:
- PlayStation 5
- PlayStation 4
- Android
- iOS
- Microsoft Windows
System Requirements
For Windows, these are Honkai: Star Rail’s requirements:
Recommended
- OS: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit, Windows 8.1 64-bit, or Windows 10 64-bit
- CPU: Intel Core i5 Processor
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Storage: 15 GB HDD
- DirectX: Version 11
Minimum
- OS: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit
- CPU: Intel Core i5 Processor
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or better
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Storage: 15 GB HDD
- DirectX: Version 11
Meanwhile, for mobile devices, you’ll need this:
Recommended
- Android: Snapdragon 855, Kirin 990, Dimensity 1000, or better.
- iPhone: iPhone XS or newer
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- OS: Android 8.1 / iOS 12.0 or newer
- Storage: 8 GB
Minimum
- Android: Snapdragon 835, Dimensity 720, Kirin 980, or better
- iPhone: iPhone 8 Plus or newer
- Memory: 3 GB RAM
- OS: Android 7.0 / iOS 12.0 or newer
- Storage: 8 GB
It’s worth noting the PC system requirements’ HDD consumption. 15 GB is rather modest, considering Genshin Impact now consumes more than 60 GB. You can expect the same HDD requirement for the PS4 and PS5. But over time, this HDD requirement might expand as developers add more content— not that we’re complaining.
