Software:Honkai: Star Rail

From HandWiki
Short description: 2023 video game
Honkai: Star Rail
Honkai-Star-Rail.png
Developer(s)miHoYo
Publisher(s)
  • CHN: miHoYo
  • WW: HoYoverse
Producer(s)David Jiang[1]
Composer(s)
  • Cui Hanpu
  • Cui Wei
  • Lin Yifan
  • Gong Qi
  • Wang Kexin
  • Wang Yujue
  • Wen Chi
SeriesHonkai
EngineUnity[2]
Platform(s)
Release
  • Windows, iOS, Android
  • April 26, 2023
  • PS5
  • October 11, 2023
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Honkai: Star Rail (Chinese: 崩坏：星穹铁道; pinyin: Bēnghuài: Xīngqióng Tiědào; literally: 'Honkai: Star Dome Railway') is a role-playing gacha video game developed by miHoYo, published by miHoYo in mainland China and worldwide by Cognosphere, d/b/a HoYoverse. It features the main character, referred to as the "Trailblazer", traveling across worlds resolving disasters caused by the "Stellaron". The first closed beta test was launched on October 27, 2021. It was publicly released internationally on April 26, 2023,[3] for Windows and mobile devices; with the PlayStation 5 port released on October 11, 2023. The PlayStation 4 version is still yet to be announced, as revealed at the latest Summer Game Fest with a trailer.[4] It is the fourth installment in the Honkai series, drawing on characters from Honkai Impact 3rd and gameplay elements from Genshin Impact (although with significant adjustments to the characters' background and personality and changes to the gameplay elements). It is miHoYo's first turn-based game.

Partially due to the popularity of miHoYo's previous game, Genshin Impact, the game received widespread expectations before its launch. It was nominated for the Most Wanted Game Award at the Golden Joystick Awards in 2022[5] and won the Best Popularity Award of World Science Fiction Game Annual Awards in 2023.[6]

Gameplay

A battle in Honkai: Star Rail, as character Bronya, showcasing its turn-based combat system

Honkai: Star Rail follows the gameplay style of classic Japanese role-playing games: players build up a lineup of characters and control a team of up to four in turn-based combat.[7][8] In addition to various stats that affect characters' strength, each character has an elemental type that affects the kind of damage dealt to targets, a character class referred to as a Path (see Story and Setting § Setting) that defines their combat role, and a set of unique abilities called Traces used in combat.[9][10] Each character can equip a weapon known as a Light Cone, that has various effects that activate if the Paths of both the character and Light Cone match. Characters can also equip various Relics, similar to Artifacts in Genshin Impact.

Elements of open-world and dungeon exploration are present, with multiple mechanics, including the gacha system, carried over (with slight differences) from HoYoverse's previous action RPG Genshin Impact.[7]

Story and setting

Setting

The game is set in a science-fantasy universe in which humanity and non-human sentient beings follow the Paths of deity-like beings known as Aeons. Those who follow Paths are known as Pathstriders. The Paths are based on an ideal. For example, the Abundance is based on the view that immortality is a blessing and that healing and altruism should be valued as a top priority.[11] The Destruction believes that civilization is cancerous to the universe, and seeks to eradicate all of civilization through the spreading of various disasters, such as the Stellaron, also known as the Cancer of All Worlds, which brings destruction to any planet it is placed on.[12][11]

Some Paths were led by deceased Aeons, but the Paths continue to exist without the influence of the Aeons. The main characters in the game follow the Path of the Trailblaze, a Path created by the deceased Akivili. The Path of the Trailblaze seeks to "explore, establish, and connect" among different worlds.[12]

Some Paths are seen as antagonistic, protagonistic, or neutral. The primary antagonist of the game is Nanook, who controls the Path of Destruction, along with the emanators of the Path of Destruction.[11][12] Other paths, such as the Path of Abundance, are not necessarily seen as antagonistic, but are at rival with The Hunt and other Paths, who view the immortality granted by the Path of Abundance as a curse.[11]

Aside from the Path of Destruction, the Stellaron Hunters are a somewhat antagonistic antihero group throughout the game, who search for and collect Stellarons across the universe and claim to be able to see the future.[12] The main characters are often in conflict with the Stellaron Hunters.[12]

Story

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LocationChapter(s)

Development

...we felt that the turn-based combat system is something we have not done before in the company yet, in all our previous games. It's still a viable genre to base the game on, and we felt that it's something that we would really like to give it a try, and our players are really feeling for it, and that's why we developed something like that. And for sci-fi, in reality, our developers felt that it's something that provides hope, and it's very inspiring for younger generations to really look forward to. Sci-fi represents something that is classic, and sci-fi plus turn-based RPG is something that we would like to give a try. Yeah, that's how the game came to be.

Michael Lin, HoYoverse Global Business Development team member[13]

Honkai: Star Rail began development in 2019 with the goal of "exploring new directions for the Honkai series". The production team has about 500 people, most of whom are fans of science fiction works and turn-based role-playing games.[13] This project is HoYoverse’s first attempt at a turn-based combat mechanism game. The team has stated that this genre is very popular in the game market and can lower the difficulty threshold for players to get started. In previous surveys conducted by HoYoverse, there were many players that expressed that they enjoy this type of game. There were concerns about whether this type of game is too retro, but the production team believes that as long as the quality of the game is enjoyable, it can attract players.

Persona 5 was the team's inspiration when making the decision to develop a turn-based role-playing game.

The design of the planet "Xianzhou Luofu" is based on East Asian fantasy, and has been described as "silkpunk".[13] Like other works in the Honkai series, it is in no way "too hard-core science fiction". The setting of the previous game Honkai Impact 3rd is Earth, but the plot mentioned that there were other planets in this world view. Therefore, the production team of Honkai: Star Rail decided to expand on this concept of "a universe". The basic setting revolves around taking a train and traveling around the major planets in the universe. The production of each planet in the game takes around one year. The production sequence is to first determine the world view and theme of the planet, then create the characters and detailed setting information, and then finally write the plot. Producer David Jiang hopes that Honkai: Star Rail can achieve the immersive feeling of "as if you are in the world of the work", and create a "playable animated series".[14]

In terms of combat mechanism, producer David Jiang said that this game adopts "command-based combat." He said that HoYoverse's previous titles Honkai Impact 3rd and Genshin Impact were heavy on the role-playing aspect, but they did not include command-based and turn-based combat. In addition, some players reported that Honkai Impact 3rd was too action-oriented and too difficult to operate. Therefore, Honkai: Star Rail pays more attention to strategy than the player's operational skills.

In order to enhance player immersion, the production team integrated artificial intelligence technology into the behavior patterns of non-player characters.[15]

Distribution and promotion

Star Rail Train model in Xujiahui, Shanghai (left), Xiamen Metro themed train in-car advertisement (right)

The game was revealed in October 2021 at the end of the Honkai Impact 3rd online concert, Starfire Sonorant, then later on the game's official YouTube channel.[16] On October 27, the game launched its first closed test[17] and its second closed beta test on May 25, 2022.[18] On August 15 of the same year, the game received support from the "Special Fund for Cultural Development" issued by the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Xuhui District, Shanghai, where the developer is located.[19] On August 23 of 2022, a game story trailer was unveiled on the opening night of Gamescom 2022.[20]

On January 17, 2023, the mobile version of the game received the game version number approved by the National Press and Publication Administration, and the game was approved for distribution in mainland China[21][22] On February 10, 2023, the game conducted its third closed test[23] On the same day, the Apple App Store page revealed that the official launch date of the game was April 26.[24] In the international market, miHoYo launched more than 2,000 sets of ads on Google Play one month before the public beta of the game. The main advertising channel was Google AdMob[25] and the main advertising areas were Japan, Hong Kong, the United States, Vietnam, and Thailand.[26]

On April 25, miHoYo released the game's opening theme animation "Star Travel".[27] The game was officially launched globally on April 26.[3] On April 28, miHoYo held its first theme exhibition "Galaxy Gathering" in Xujiahui.[28] From April 29 to May 13, miHoYo undertook train advertisements on Xiamen Rail Transit Line 1 and jointly issued NFTs to promote the game.[29] On mid-May, HoYoVerse began to put up ads for the game in Japan, which are prominently displayed in Akihabara in Tokyo, as well as collaborating with Chichibu Railway in Saitama Prefecture to launch a special steam train service, which ran for a month. [30] On July 13, miHoYo launched a high-speed train named "Star Dome Railway High-speed Railway Brand Special Train" with an uncertain route, used to promote the game.[31]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
MetacriticPC: 80/100[32]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EurogamerRecommended[33]
GamesRadar4/5 stars[34]
IGN9/10[35]
PCGamer90/100[36]
PolygonVery positive[37]
RockPaperShotgunPositive[38]

Honkai: Star Rail received "generally favorable reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic.[32]

Eurogamer recommended the game for its "delightfully goofy humour, charismatic voice cast, and truly magnificent combat", despite the writers' tendency to "give one sentence explanations for important details, yet spend eight paragraphs overexplaining the simplest plot twist".[39] Rock Paper Shotgun called the game "still in its early stages but (...) incredibly good fun to play", comparing it to "Star Ocean, but if everyone was hotter and you could gamble". The reviewer praised the combat system for being deep yet approachable, and noted that, like in Genshin, spending money was not necessary to progress, as all content in the game could be cleared with the characters players receive for free.[40] PC Gamer appreciated Star Rail's "impeccable visual style and strategic depth" and its "elastic tone, which fluctuates from the heroic optimism of a space opera, to the dark comedy of a Nier game, with a lot of Final Fantasy 14's soap opera storytelling mixed in". To the reviewer, the game's main draw was its "sheer creativity" and that it "distills what's most satisfying about turn-based RPGs: tactical, team-based decisions."[41]

However, some people have critcized the character designs, saying that they lack creativity, especially those of female characters, saying the outfits worn by female characters in Genshin Impact had more variety. [42]

Popularity

On the eve of the game's launch, the number of pre-registered players in mainland China reached 22.98 million, and 10 million outside of mainland China.[43] On the day of pre-download on April 23, 2023, the game topped the App Store's Top Free Apps list in more than 113 countries and regions,[44] and ranked first in the overall list in mainland China, the United States, Japan, and South Korea.[43] After the game was launched globally on April 26, it topped the best-selling list of the App Store in mainland China within 5 hours, and was in the top ten of the best-selling list in 42 countries and regions. On April 28, 2023, HoYoverse announced that the game downloads exceeded 20 million.[45]

Accolades

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2022 Golden Joystick Awards Most Wanted Award Nominated [5]
2023 World Science Fiction Game Annual Awards Best Popularity Award Won [6]
Google Play Awards Best Game Won [46][47]
Best Story Won
Best for Tablets Won
App Store Awards iPhone Game of the Year Won [48]
The Game Awards 2023 Best Mobile Game Won [49]
2024 13th New York Game Awards A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game Won [50]
27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Mobile Game of the Year Pending [51]

References

  1. ↑ 崩壊：スターレイル [@houkaistarrail]. "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). https://twitter.com/houkaistarrail/status/1639243126887030784.  Missing or empty |date= (help)
  2. ↑ Saver, Michael; Pung, Julia; Stanton, Devon (2024-01-04). "Made with Unity: 2023 in review". Unity Technologies. https://blog.unity.com/games/made-with-unity-2023-review. Retrieved 2024-01-13. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Honkai: Star Rail official website | May this journey lead us starward" (in en-us). https://hsr.hoyoverse.com/en-us/news/111202. 
  4. ↑ Romano, Sal (March 24, 2023). "Honkai: Star Rail launches April 26 for PC, iOS, and Android, later for PS5 and PS4". https://www.gematsu.com/2023/03/honkai-star-rail-launches-april-26-for-pc-ios-and-android-later-for-ps5-and-ps4. "Followed by PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 at a later date." 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Loveridge, Sam (2022-11-22). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2022 winners" (in en). https://www.gamesradar.com/golden-joystick-awards-2022-winners/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 猛鲨男鱼王 (2023-10-23). "2023世界科幻游戏年度大奖：《崩坏: 星穹铁道》获最佳人气奖" (in zh-hans). 游民星空. https://www.gamersky.com/news/202310/1660556.shtml. Retrieved 2023-10-27. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Diaz, Ana (March 24, 2023). "Genshin Impact developer's new game will be released in April". https://www.polygon.com/23653933/hoyoverse-honkai-star-rail-release-date-mihoyo-genshin-impact-developer. 
  8. ↑ "Honkai Star Rail". https://www.honkaistarrail.com/en. 
  9. ↑ Lee, Julia (2023-04-25). "Honkai: Star Rail terms and mechanics, explained" (in en-US). https://www.polygon.com/honkai-star-rail-guides/23620762/levels-currency-characters-explainer-dailies-weeklies-farming-materials. 
  10. ↑ Jain, Sanyam (2023-04-28). "Honkai: Star Rail - Complete Combat Guide" (in en). https://www.thegamer.com/honkai-star-rail-combat-weakness-guide/. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Jain, Sanyam (2023-07-07). "Honkai Star Rail: The Complete Story Of The Xianzhou Luofu, Explained" (in en). https://www.thegamer.com/honkai-star-rail-the-xianzhou-luofu-complete-lore-explained/. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Jain, Sanyam (2023-07-06). "Honkai Star Rail: The Complete Story of Jarilo-VI, Explained" (in en). https://www.thegamer.com/honkai-star-rail-jarilo-vi-complete-lore-explained/. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 McClure, Deven (2023-02-20). "Michael Lin & Fish Ling Interview: HoYoverse's Honkai Star Rail" (in en). https://screenrant.com/honkai-star-rail-interview-michael-lin-fish-ling/. 
  14. ↑ ジスマロック (2023-04-25). "ターン制RPGが世界中で愛される理由とは─アトラス橋野桂氏と『崩壊：スターレイル』プロデューサーが語る、「人生すら変えるRPGの力」" (in ja). https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/interview/230425q. 
  15. ↑ "回合制RPG还有未来吗？——米哈游《崩坏：星穹铁道》制作人，和日本Falcom社长近藤对谈"RPG的可能性"" (in zh). https://www.yystv.cn/p/10656. 
  16. ↑ Shinha, Ravi (October 8, 2021). "Honkai: Star Rail Announced – New Strategy RPG Coming to PC, iOS, and Android". https://gamingbolt.com/honkai-star-rail-announced-new-strategy-rpg-coming-to-pc-ios-and-android. 
  17. ↑ Agossah, Iyane (October 27, 2021). "Honkai Star Rail Beta Characters, Voice Actors, First Hours of Gameplay". https://www.dualshockers.com/honkai-star-rail-beta-characters-voice-actors-first-hours-of-gameplay/. 
  18. ↑ Lada, Jenni (June 9, 2022). "Honkai: Star Rail Second Closed Beta Ends Next Week". https://www.siliconera.com/honkai-star-rail-second-closed-beta-ends-next-week/. 
  19. ↑ "米哈游新作《崩坏：星穹铁道》获扶持，但目前暂未获得版号 - IT之家" (in zh). https://www.ithome.com/0/635/229.htm. 
  20. ↑ Skrebels, Joe (2022-08-23). "Genshin Impact Dev's Honkai: Star Rail Gets a Mysterious Story Trailer - Gamescom Opening Night Live" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/genshin-impact-devs-honkai-star-rail-gets-a-mysterious-story-trailer-gamescom-opening-night-live. 
  21. ↑ "国家新闻出版署". https://www.nppa.gov.cn/bsfw/jggs/yxspjg/gcwlyxspxx/202301/t20230118_667079.html. 
  22. ↑ "1月88款版号发放：崩铁、逆水寒、黎明觉醒均获批，米哈游腾讯网易赢麻了？ – 游戏葡萄". https://youxiputao.com/article/24512. 
  23. ↑ "Honkai Star Rail beta release time, dates, and how to access the final closed beta" (in en). Eurogamer.net. 2023-02-08. https://www.eurogamer.net/honkai-star-rail-beta-release-time-dates-final-closed-how-to-access-9321. 
  24. ↑ "米哈游新作《崩坏：星穹铁道》遭苹果商店背刺！意外曝出上线时间_网络游戏新闻_17173.com中国游戏门户站". http://news.17173.com/content/02102023/104306696.shtml. 
  25. ↑ "新作《崩坏：星穹铁道》海外扫量，米哈游如何做广告投放？ - GameRes游资网". https://www.gameres.com/900050.html. 
  26. ↑ "《崩坏：星穹铁道》空降投放榜TOP 2，4月各厂商加大海外买量力度 – 游戏葡萄". https://youxiputao.com/article/24973.html. 
  27. ↑ "米哈游《崩坏：星穹铁道》公布片头曲动画"星间旅行"" (in zh-cn). 2023-04-25. https://www.3dmgame.com/news/202304/3867874.html. Retrieved 2023-06-09. 
  28. ↑ "TapTap". https://www.taptap.cn/moment/400203114298214886. 
  29. ↑ 厦门地铁AMTR. "厦门地铁"星穹铁道"主题列车已到站，还有同款数字纪念票在等你！". https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzA5MDkyNDc4MQ==&mid=2649999608&idx=1&sn=a3d4459b884c390e8ae195d3ebbfa17e. 
  30. ↑ "Honkai: Star Rail gets actual dedicated steam train in Japan". May 28, 2023. https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/honkai-star-rail-gets-actual-dedicated-steam-train-in-japan. 
  31. ↑ "「星穹铁道高铁品牌专列」启程". http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzkwNzI2NTQ2OA==&mid=2247503442&idx=2&sn=641def782a34fa4ba48ee98bf54bcf61&chksm=c0d95a81f7aed3975ec990a1b81da04f25d48bde3db8c56a96433f2b2e5125ae8ca279a44f4c#rd. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Honkai: Star Rail for PC Reviews". Fandom, Inc.. https://www.metacritic.com/game/honkai-star-rail/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  33. ↑ Orr, Jessica (2023-04-26). "Honkai: Star Rail review - more than Genshin Impact in space". Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/honkai-star-rail-review-more-than-genshin-impact-in-space. Retrieved 2023-11-27. 
  34. ↑ Taylor-Kent, Oliver (2023-10-11). "Honkai: Star Rail PS5 review: "A gorgeous RPG with inventive tactical combat"". GamesRadar. https://www.gamesradar.com/honkai-star-rail-review/. Retrieved 2023-11-27. 
  35. ↑ Reyes, Jess (2023-05-10). "Honkai: Star Rail Review - A stellar adventure". IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/honkai-star-rail-review. Retrieved 2023-11-27. 
  36. ↑ Colp, Tyler (2023-04-26). "HONKAI: STAR RAIL REVIEW - A true Genshin Impact successor with impeccable visual style and strategic depth". PCGamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/honkai-star-rail-review/. Retrieved 2023-11-27. 
  37. ↑ Diaz, Ana (2023-04-26). "Honkai: Star Rail shows the value of walking the same path twice". Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23696522/honkai-star-rail-review-release-hoyoverse. Retrieved 2023-11-27. 
  38. ↑ Coles, Jason (2023-04-26). "Honkai: Star Rail review: a slick, anime-infused RPG bursting with potential". RockPaperShotgun. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/honkai-star-rail-review. Retrieved 2023-11-27. 
  39. ↑ Orr, Jessica (2023-04-26). "Honkai: Star Rail review - more than Genshin Impact in space" (in en-gb). Eurogamer.net. https://www.eurogamer.net/honkai-star-rail-review-more-than-genshin-impact-in-space. 
  40. ↑ Coles, Jason (2023-04-26). "Honkai: Star Rail review: a slick, anime-infused RPG bursting with potential" (in en). Rock, Paper, Shotgun. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/honkai-star-rail-review. 
  41. ↑ Colp, Tyler (2023-04-26). "Honkai: Star Rail review" (in en). https://www.pcgamer.com/honkai-star-rail-review/. 
  42. ↑ Arias, Jackie (2023-11-01). "Honkai: Star Rail Fans Aren't Happy With New Characters' Design" (in en). https://gamerant.com/honkai-star-rail-update-version-1-6-banners-characters-bad/. 
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 "《崩坏：星穹铁道》创纪录：提前3天预下载，中美日韩免费榜已夺冠 | 游戏大观 | GameLook.com.cn" (in zh). http://www.gamelook.com.cn/2023/04/516245. 
  44. ↑ "《崩坏：星穹铁道》公测首日遇黑屏故障，米哈游回应来了". https://m.mp.oeeee.com/a/BAAFRD000020230426789778.html?_x_tr_sl=zh&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl. 
  45. ↑ "42个国家畅销前十，《崩坏：星穹铁道》下载量破2000万 – 游戏葡萄". https://youxiputao.com/article/24920.html. 
  46. ↑ "Google Play's best apps and games of 2023". 2023-11-29. https://blog.google/products/google-play/google-play-best-apps-games-2023/. 
  47. ↑ Carter, Justin (2023-11-29). "Honkai: Star Rail leads Google Play's Best of 2023 awards". https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-i-honkai-star-rail-i-leads-google-play-s-best-of-2023-awards. 
  48. ↑ "Apple unveils App Store Award winners, the best apps and games of 2023". https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/11/apple-unveils-app-store-award-winners-the-best-apps-and-games-of-2023/. 
  49. ↑ "Honkai Star Rail wins Mobile Game of the Year at TGA 2023" (in en-US). 2023-12-08. https://www.pockettactics.com/honkai-star-rail/mobile-game-of-the-year. 
  50. ↑ McEvoy, Sophie (2024-01-24). "Baldur's Gate 3 wins big at New York Game Awards 2024". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/baldurs-gate-3-wins-big-at-new-york-game-awards-2024. 
  51. ↑ "27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. https://www.interactive.org/awards/27th_dice_awards_finalists.asp. 

External links



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