Is Honkai: Star Rail Worth Playing In 2023? - My First Impressions And Review!

Today we will discuss whether the game Honkai Star Rail is worth trying. First off, I’ve been playing Honkai Star Rail for a few days now, and I have to say, I’m having a blast. However, this only applies to the first part of the game where you get the protagonist’s first element.

Intro

Just like in Genshin Impact, we will take advantage of getting unique elements to change our main character “Trailblazer”, as new characters with each extra element may be included in future major updates of the game.

This means that there may be some factors or issues that only arise in endgame, so I may have a follow-up review in the future. With that being said, let’s get started.

Game Performance

First, let’s talk about the performance. I played this game on PC, and I have to say, the performance is actually pretty good. I didn’t experience any snags or any moments of lag. However, I run into a bug where there was no background music, but I was able to fix it by restarting the game.

Regarding the gameplay, the game feels and plays very well. And it’s a free turn-based RPG. Free characters are not junk, they allow you to actually have fun while playing for free.

Currently, I haven’t spent money on this game, but if I continue to enjoy it, I may get a battle pass or Blessing of Welkin Moon equivalent, or a new Honkai: Star Rail Accounts, experience a Brand new character.

The game is also far from easy later in the game, as the challenge areas can really stress your team to the limit if you want to do a tough challenge. The game exudes a Persona like feel when it comes to combat, which is a welcome change for me after playing Genshin Impact for so long.

You can also speed up the animations during combat and have auto-combat to make combat easier, which again gives me the same character vibe.

Quality Of Life Changes

Other quality of life updates are here as well, which shows that Hoyoverse is actually working on these things, since they’re changes we’ve been asking for in Genshin Impact, and they’re available here.

For example, you can automatically adjust character and artifact levels, and it will use the correct amount of XP items so they don’t go to waste. Also, your main character has a really cool ultimate animation. There is no stamina in the game, so you can run as long as you want. However, there’s no jump button here, which I’ve heard many people complain about.

Due to the turn-based RPG nature of the game, this wasn’t much of an issue for me. I also like the fact that the character’s lip sync is dynamic and adapts to whatever language you set it to.

Finally, multiplayer in Honkai Star Rail is pretty much non-existent, but there is a support system where you can lend a character to any of your friends, which they can use on certain quests and aspects of the game.

Excellent Picture Quality

Moving on to the game’s graphics, I have to say, it’s stunning. The game has a beautiful art style similar to Genshin Impact, but with its own unique style. The game world is immersive, and the animations are smooth and well-crafted.

The combat system is turn-based, which is an agreeable change of pace from the action-based combat in Hoyoverse’s current games. I found the combat system fun and intuitive, with plenty of strategy involved.

The world building and exploration is also very good. All characters have Hoyoverse Japanese anime-inspired personalities. In the game, you basically wake up with amnesia, don’t know who you are, and realize you have an ancient bomb inside you.

Earning Currency Is Easy

As for the game’s gacha system, it’s pretty standard. You can earn in-game currency that you can exchange for new characters or items. At present, it has to be said that the game is quite generous in the distribution of game currency, and there will be no money pressure.

It mostly depends on how the game is developed or how they plan to manage metadata and difficulty. But for now, that remains to be seen.

So, should you play Honkai Star Rail? I have to say that Honkai Star Rail is definitely worth a try because it’s free and the gaming experience is not bad. The game is a lot of fun, with a lot of stories and side content to enjoy and immerse yourself in for hours, and the gameplay is really fun. Try it out now. Hope you have a pleasant gaming experience.