Honkai: Star Rail

 PC
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Multiplayer.it
    May 12, 2023
    70
    Honkai: Star Rail would easily be one of the greatest turn based RPGs of the past few years were it not for it's predatory monetization system.
  2. TheGamer
    May 8, 2023
    70
    Honkai: Star Rail feels like the consummation of all the knowledge that Hoyoverse amassed so far after the two juggernauts that preceded it. With a good amount of content to tackle at launch and such a compelling story being told, all that remains to be seen is where the Astral Express will take us next.
  3. TheSixthAxis
    May 6, 2023
    70
    Honkai: Star Rail isn't a groundbreaking experience or a massive new open-world action game, but it's still full of promise and potential as a polished, pretty, and easy-to-master RPG experience.
  5. GameSpace
    Apr 28, 2023
    70
    Assessing the prospects of Honkai: Star Rail is quite difficult because it will be possible to compare only with the studio's previous games, or the most popular Genshin. Obviously, it will attract a sizable audience at launch due to miHoYo's general popularity and balanced style, the question is whether there will be enough content in the game to keep that audience, given the superficial combat system.
  6. Wccftech
    May 8, 2023
    65
    Honkai Star Rail highlights the issues that Genshin Impact had despite how many issues have been addressed. The game's barebones RPG mechanics will definitely improve over time, but it still will take a lot to convince any enthusiast to pick this game over other turn-based RPG gacha games.
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In Progress & Unscored

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  1. 3DJuegos
    Jun 7, 2023
    The new video game of the creators of Genshin Impact is also its best game. [Recommended]
  2. Eurogamer
    Apr 26, 2023
    Some subtle improvements to the grind and flexible turn-based tactics mean Honkai: Star Rail's off to a fine start. [Eurogamer Recommended]
  3. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Apr 25, 2023
    Honkai: Star Rail is still in its early stages but it’s incredibly good fun to play. With the promise of more planets to come, more characters to fall in love with, and more twists and turns than anyone can see coming, this is one train that’s worth riding.

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Most Discussed PC Game of 2023

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 176 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 99 out of 176
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 176
  3. Negative: 53 out of 176
  1. LeeM0770
    Apr 29, 2023
    10
    it’s getting a lot of hate for the gacha system and i understand that but this game is genuinely great
  2. isidore12
    May 12, 2023
    3
    If you love the Open-world of Genshin Impact, the Combats, the Beauty of the sceneries, and if you hate its predatory Gacha system andIf you love the Open-world of Genshin Impact, the Combats, the Beauty of the sceneries, and if you hate its predatory Gacha system and Hoyoverse’s stinginess, then Honkai Star Rail is all you hate, and nothing of what you love.

    Technically, the game is a success. But it has been made for mobiles, and feels weird on PC.

    The game takes 2 weeks to finish the main story and all side quests. I feel sorry for whales who already spent $500. Still it takes months of grinding, I am not sure how that can work.

    The game is just plain linear, one long corridor. Dialogs cannot be skipped. Good luck surviving the boredom of the first two hours.

    Characters, scenery, pretty much everything looks grey and blue. It is quite depressive, and no near the beauty of Genshin.

    Combats are auto-play, meaning the game has an integrated bot feature. You click and forget, and come few minutes later on the fight is over. A game that you don't play, definitely for mobile and not PC.

    The game is Pay2Win, period. Paid Event banner characters are crushing any others. You can already feel the game won’t be enjoyable as a free player, all the good characters will be behind a steep paywall.

    The question I asked myself is: “is it worth investing in a game you are going to play 2 week every patch?” Unless you are a collector or a whale, and you feel rich by collecting 5 stars characters, it is a hard pass on HSR.

    As a 2nd opinion, I suggest you watch TenTen videos on Youtube.

    I’ll be trying out Blue Protocol, Wuthering Waves, and Diablo 4.    … Full Review »
  3. HunterSeeker
    Apr 28, 2023
    3
    Honkai Star Rail is a turn based RPG with a similar setting to the Star Ocean series. Where this game really falls apart is the storytelling.Honkai Star Rail is a turn based RPG with a similar setting to the Star Ocean series. Where this game really falls apart is the storytelling. First off, it uses the overused and bad writing trope of having an amesiac protagonist. Even worse, one of the main characters that joins your party is also an amnesiac because the writers couldn't find a good way to tell a story without shoehorned amnesia. The worst part of the storytelling is simply the game throws a bunch of terminology and then they don't explain any of it. The whole point of having an amesiac character is so that other characters can explain the world to them but that doesn't happen in this game. For instance, what is a Doomsday Beast? What is an Emanator? Who are the Anti-Matter Legion? Who is this Stephen that Herta speaks up? What is a Stellaron? Why are Aeons showing up in a simulated universe? Basically, the game throws out all these terms and characters and doesn't explain them at all which makes the world building quite awful. Later on in the game, you get access to a Database which explains some of this but even that is awful story telling: the story should be told through dialogue and cutscenes, not through some optional encyclopedia.

    The turn based combat and graphics of the game are quite stylish. There are some quality of life features missing. For instance, every character has an out of combat technique that they can use but the overworld UI does not tell you what each character's technique does. Either you have to memorize them all or go into the menu to look it up every time. Combat is relatively straightforward with every character having 3 moves and 1 or 2 passive abilities: a basic attack, a skill attack, and an ultimate which can be used any time you want. The goal is to target enemy weaknesses to delay enemy turns and deal extra damage. Here, the quality of life is really nice because you get to see all weaknesses displayed in and out of battle.

    This is one of those games where there's just so many different types of crafting materials and currency that it's hard to keep track of it all. It'd be much better if it were much more streamlined. There's a way to have crafting/buying systems without having hundreds of different types of materials /currencies on day 1. Overall, you should avoid this game if you're looking for a good story and good character development. But if you're looking for a straightforward, turn based game, this might be the game for you.    … Full Review »
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