The latest trailer from Honkai: Star Rail put the spotlight of Silver Wolf, and it seemed to also add a reference to Honkai Impact 3rd. While both titles both have "Honkai" in their names, HoYoverse already established that Star Rail wasn't a direct sequel to its predecessor, but it does exist in the same universe along with Genshin Impact.
The two gacha games have distinct differences, starting with the gameplay: Honkai: Star Rail is a turn-based RPG, while Honkai Impact 3rd is classified as an action game with slasher mechanics. They also have different storylines despite both having sci-fi elements to them. The most obvious evidence that the games are connected are the characters, which have counterparts in the HoYoverse multiverse. The most notable examples being Seele and Bronya, who are in both Honkai games.
Another character who players might not know had a Honkai Impact 3rd counterpart was upcoming five-star banner character Silver Wolf. In the latest Honkai: Star Rail character trailer titled "Got a Date?," Silver Wolf was shown playing as herself (Bronie) in Honkai Impact 3rd before Kafka's text messages disturbed her gameplay. She later got out of her gaming room to battle the Antimatter Legion, while showcasing her various skills.
Bronie is an alternate version of Bronya Zaychik in Honkai Impact 3rd, who is known for wearing a Haxxor Bunny battlesuit. Her silver hair and edgy outfit are similar to Silver Wolf's overall look in Honkai: Star Rail, and they can both materialize drones of some sort out of thin air. Many gamers also pointed out the easter egg in Silver Wolf's trailer, while expressing how excited they were to pull for her in Version 1.1.
The HoYoverse multiverse is interesting because fans can get different iterations of their characters across various games. Thankfully, players aren't required to get into Honkai Impact 3rd (or even Genshin Impact) before trying their hand in Honkai: Star Rail. The latter title has a compelling standalone story that HoYoverse newbies could easily digest once they start playing.
With Silver Wolf's trailer further establishing the connection between the two Honkai games, players could start wondering whether other Honkai Impact 3rd characters would appear in Honkai: Star Rail in the future. There are still no confirmations from HoYoverse's end about the possibility, but considering the number of leaked Star Rail characters that have been revealed online, the players might get their answer sooner or later.
Honkai: Star Rail is available now for PC and mobile devices. PS4 and PS5 versions are in development.