2021 has been a banner year for Chinese developer MiHoYo across both of its flagship franchises. Honkai Impact 3rd held a major collaboration earlier this year with iconic anime franchise Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Genshin Impact has exploded in popularity since its release last September. MiHoYo recently announced the developer's next title would be a new venture into the Honkai universe, officially revealing the upcoming Honkai: Star Rail.
Honkai Impact 3rd puts the player in command of a team of "Valkyries" tasked with fighting off evil creatures threatening to eradicate the Earth's population. MiHoYo and Honkai Impact 3rd have featured multiple collaborations throughout 2021, partnering with the previously-mentioned Evangelion and even partnering with the company's other flagship title in Genshin Impact. Now, the Honkai universe will be receiving a new title with a different style from its predecessor.
The official reveal trailer from Thursday shows off the first look players will have at the characters and story of Honkai: Star Rail. The trailer features a variety of different environments and seems to imply that the game will feature open exploration similar to Genshin Impact. The promotional website for Honkai: Star Rail reveals that the title will stray from MiHoYo's other games and will have turn-based combat instead of the action RPG combat of Genshin and Honkai Impact 3rd. Returning players from Honkai Impact 3rd will recognize some familiar faces in the game's cast, like Himeko and Welt.
The trailer also announced open sign-ups for the game's ongoing closed beta testing, which began yesterday. Players looking to get in on the ground floor of MiHoYo's newest space adventure will be given a brief survey that asks questions related to the players' experience with other mobile games and intended playing device. Some of the titles mentioned in the survey include titles like Genshin Impact, Arknights, and Fire Emblem: Heroes, with the heavy emphasis on gacha games seeming to imply that Honkai: Star Rail will feature a gacha system.
MiHoYo has come under fire from fans of Genshin Impact in recent weeks for the game's lackluster first anniversary rewards and the company's response. Incensed fans of the popular RPG used the outrage to express discontent with some of the game's features and the lack of a response from MiHoYo to these criticisms. Some of the game's angrier fans even review-bombed Genshin Impact and other apps, ranging from MiHoYo's other titles to completely unrelated ones like League of Legends: Wild Rift and even Google Classroom. Despite this, 2021 has been a wildly lucrative year for MiHoYo, and the company hopes Honkai: Star Rail will continue its streak of success.
Honkai: Star Rail is in development for mobile devices and PC.