Honkai: Star Rail

 PC
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

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  1. Mandra
    May 2, 2023
    10
    50% Genshin
    25% Persona
    25% Epic Seven

    Honkai Star Rail successfully managed to pick the best of thse 3 games and create something new and refreshing.
    The systems are solid, the endgame rogue-like is compeling and fun with a lot of replay value, the UI/UX is really more polished than Genshin, the OST is also really good.

    Great game, I 100% recommend
  2. reemi
    Apr 30, 2023
    10
    This game is great, gameplay is fun, I like combat. And you can play your game with your cellphone and your pc at same time. Characters are funny. Graphics are greate. Lot of thing to unlock.

    I have lot of fun, i also like to do other things while playing so this is perfect. You can us Auto fight when you want. Only negative is you can spend lot of money, but me I just paid the game    This game is great, gameplay is fun, I like combat. And you can play your game with your cellphone and your pc at same time. Characters are funny. Graphics are greate. Lot of thing to unlock.

    I have lot of fun, i also like to do other things while playing so this is perfect. You can us Auto fight when you want.

    Only negative is you can spend lot of money, but me I just paid the game pass and I don't need anything else.    … Expand
  3. TalionSwift
    May 5, 2023
    10
    Easily better than genshin and many ways. The change of pace and it not being an open world is actually very refreshing. The combat is great, all the ultimates and animations for the moves look really good. The music as always from this dev is fantastic, they just don't miss when it comes to the audio. Also, the story and characters are prime, and very clean I greatly look forward toEasily better than genshin and many ways. The change of pace and it not being an open world is actually very refreshing. The combat is great, all the ultimates and animations for the moves look really good. The music as always from this dev is fantastic, they just don't miss when it comes to the audio. Also, the story and characters are prime, and very clean I greatly look forward to seeing what they add next. And of course, this gets many negative reviews because people just hate on gotcha all the time. Also the people's super low attention spans. Hate turn-based nowadays and don't understand it. I mean come on at least hate on it for valid reasons lol, this game is quality and a lot of people are just babies when it comes to some stuff. Anyway, great game! Definitely recommend, easy 10 out of 10. Haven't been able to pull myself away.… Expand
  4. Alianovna
    Apr 27, 2023
    10
    The Honkai universe is Hoyoverse's favorite child and it shows.

    It takes every feature and system from Genshin and it improves them, dailies and artifact/item farming are a breeze to do here, you get a free 5* character selector when you reach 300 pulls, the writing is better and so many other improvements. Look up "How Honkai: Star Rail Improved Genshin's Systems" on YouTube.    The Honkai universe is Hoyoverse's favorite child and it shows.

    It takes every feature and system from Genshin and it improves them, dailies and artifact/item farming are a breeze to do here, you get a free 5* character selector when you reach 300 pulls, the writing is better and so many other improvements.

    Look up "How Honkai: Star Rail Improved Genshin's Systems" on YouTube.

    Unlike Genshin, the main character has a personality here, he/she speaks for themselves, no Paimon means a great improvent to the storytelling.

    10/10 for the writing, the visuals, the animations, the soundtrack, great combat if you like turn based games, the character ultimates make the game feel cinematic and they look better than any elemental burst from Genshin.    … Expand
  5. 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
  6. gergreehh
    Sep 2, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The plot of the show is excellent, and even though it's a turn-based game, some of the battles are still as impactful as watching a movie. This is a game that changes the rules of the turn-based system.… Expand
  7. Luzzpa
    Apr 30, 2023
    10
    The game is amazing. The story has a nice progression, and the characters are well-developed. When it comes to combat, miHoYo has managed to make the turns more dynamic through the use of ultimate skills, which can be employed at any time. The characters also appear to have a balanced power level. However, not being able to skip certain combat animations can be a little annoying.

    The    The game is amazing. The story has a nice progression, and the characters are well-developed. When it comes to combat, miHoYo has managed to make the turns more dynamic through the use of ultimate skills, which can be employed at any time. The characters also appear to have a balanced power level. However, not being able to skip certain combat animations can be a little annoying.

    The scenarios are considerably linear, but on the other hand, they are packed with easter eggs and dialogues with NPCs, which makes exploration a highly enjoyable experience. As for the gacha system, it is acceptable, considering that the game is free-to-play and primarily focuses on the story in a PvE setting. With a bit of luck and dedication, it is possible to obtain 5-star characters even without spending money.

    When it comes to animations and design, one word sums it up: breathtaking.    … Expand
  8. arcalive
    May 1, 2023
    10
    Stories and interaction with world is strong point. Advanced 3d models, and optimization also great.
  9. Aclib
    May 7, 2023
    10
    Probably the most F2P friendly mihoyo game yet. As with most other mihoyo games, there's:
    - incredible world building
    - great story - amazing character design and general aesthetics - great music - incredible polish - one of the largest player bases of any game ever even though it just launched As for the things mihoyo has improved on: - no paimon - MC has actual personality - character    Probably the most F2P friendly mihoyo game yet. As with most other mihoyo games, there's:
    - incredible world building
    - great story
    - amazing character design and general aesthetics
    - great music
    - incredible polish
    - one of the largest player bases of any game ever even though it just launched

    As for the things mihoyo has improved on:
    - no paimon
    - MC has actual personality - character interactions feel natural
    - jokes are actually funny and don't reference memes that were popular during development and are now outdated
    - some of the best writing I've seen overall (writing is generally very good in mihoyo game but this took it to the next level)
    - very F2P, they found a good balance between being challenging and fun but still not being too easy if you're F2P, unlike Genshin

    As for the things that continue to be a main criticism:
    - "energy"-type ressource that refills with time and locks you out of upgrading characters
    - Gacha aspect, although better than with predecessors, the best characters are still only unlockable through luck or money
    - Everything's overpriced if you want to spend money (100$+ for a 5star character) Although the main criticisms persist, they've been improved greatly to a point where I'd argue that Star rail is generally more F2P friendly than the majority of free games out there. You can get hundreds of hours of enjoyment out of it without spending a dollar. If you want to buy something, there's still the relatively cheap option of buying a "pass" for 6 bucks that gives you about 50$ worth of premium currency over the course of a month. The game itself is actually so well-made and fun that I'll probably spend a thousand hours or more. One of the best games I've played recently for sure and, with hundreds of hours in mihoyo games already, I've come to genuinely enjoy mechanics like the Gacha, even as a F2P player. I feel like people often forget that you can get dopamine hits from Gacha without spending money. If you're F2P and you play daily from the beginning you'll be able to get most if not all characters you want eventually. In conclusion, this is the best mihoyo game yet. It's free and it's not that big, and even without spending a penny you can enjoy a great story, great characters, great writing, great mechanics and a beautiful aesthetic. While mihoyo still uses predatory methods to get you to pay, I believe as long as you think of yourself as someone that can withstand such things you won't have any problems. If you're a gambling addict, I'd be careful. Other than that there's not a single reason to not try it out.    … Expand
  10. lonelystarzzz
    May 18, 2023
    10
    I think it's a very good attempt. The picture quality is better and the theme is different from the previous one. Wish zzz could be better.
  11. thothh
    Jun 7, 2023
    10
    Solves all the problems genshin has. turn-based combat makes it easier to understand and to build teams, the characters are very fun and have great personalities, the main story is great but its a little confusing at the start or if you try to dig deep into it. overall seems like mihoyo took all lessons they learned with genshin and made all the aspects greater in every way, the gameSolves all the problems genshin has. turn-based combat makes it easier to understand and to build teams, the characters are very fun and have great personalities, the main story is great but its a little confusing at the start or if you try to dig deep into it. overall seems like mihoyo took all lessons they learned with genshin and made all the aspects greater in every way, the game doesn't feel nearly as boring as genshin can, especially at the late game… Expand
  12. Phobos2
    Jul 11, 2023
    10
    I dont think there is a good reason for hating the game for gacha. This game's story and turn based action is wonderful
  13. Raesm
    Aug 3, 2023
    10
    Okay so here some thoughts:
    It’s a Gacha game, but unlike Genshin and other (not just Hoyoverse) gacha games, it’s really generous. You have a really good chance to get a bunch of 5* characters even if you didn’t spend a dime on it. Ofc you can save time for yourself with spending for energy to farm items, but totally unnecessary. The story is really good, way better than Genshin, where I    Okay so here some thoughts:
    It’s a Gacha game, but unlike Genshin and other (not just Hoyoverse) gacha games, it’s really generous. You have a really good chance to get a bunch of 5* characters even if you didn’t spend a dime on it. Ofc you can save time for yourself with spending for energy to farm items, but totally unnecessary. The story is really good, way better than Genshin, where I wanted to skip all the time, here I didn’t even missed the skip button. Have a lot of qol upgrades like selected main stat relic creation, or everywhere available crafting,ect.. Anybody who says “it’s badly monetized” just talking shet and didn’t playing any multiplayer game from any big company like blizzards or ea. It’s have a really nice world, way more focused stories and yes, you get 2-2 and a half hour of content per patch, but that content is fascinating, really well put together, and finally entertaining. The characters are very good, a lot of come back from honkai impact the 3rd, really well balanced, with a pretty good powercreeping balance, so your loved characters gona be viable waaaay more longer, and here have a class systems and that enforcing this. I don’t think its even worth to compare to star ocean, in my opinion it’s totally different that didn’t worth to compare. Just try it, nobody force you to spend on it, and you can still enjoy it!    … Expand
  14. inimizar
    Aug 16, 2023
    10
    This game is great, one of the few that allow you to get great characters playing F2P, play is great
  15. TreasureOrTrash
    Sep 8, 2023
    10
    Treasure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  16. Lucas78
    May 5, 2023
    9
    Ok, sure, the "gacha" approach comes with a lot of cons and inherent problems, but you know what? Give me a polished game like this each and every time, with an excellent, old-style turn-based combat system, nice writing and lots of interesting sub-systems, instead of the terrible, recent PC ports from the so-called "AAA studios". Great job by Mihoyo, this game is truly entertaining
  17. tylerbanning
    Apr 29, 2023
    9
    Great art style. Voice acting is great. Battles are fluid with awesome cut away special attacks. Visually stunning. Glad I played it. I usually stay
    Away from gotcha games but this is a great game.
  18. Xplocion
    Apr 28, 2023
    9
    GOOD: Character design. Draw distance. References to Honkai Impact 3rd. Dynamic tutorials. Fights interesting.
    BAD: Traveling "because why not" and you saw "a bad guy" in dreams, game takes the worst RPG cliches to continue the plot. Pay to Waifu if you want to start with familiar characters (from HI3rd). Massive farming is invisible wall of progress (bad experience from Genshin).
    MEH:    GOOD: Character design. Draw distance. References to Honkai Impact 3rd. Dynamic tutorials. Fights interesting.
    BAD: Traveling "because why not" and you saw "a bad guy" in dreams, game takes the worst RPG cliches to continue the plot. Pay to Waifu if you want to start with familiar characters (from HI3rd). Massive farming is invisible wall of progress (bad experience from Genshin).
    MEH: "Community" is forming from Genshin Impact so there is gossip about "Woman Diluc" and other nonsense. Silver Wolf is Bronya, never enough Bronya in game. Stop complications and play on iPhone    … Expand
  19. Jt0429
    May 24, 2023
    9
    Good-
    Interesting universe and story, reinforced by a beautiful aesthetic and exceptional production values. Combat is easy to get into, but highly tactical and addictive. Strong characterization, voice acting and pacing. Lots of fun side content to delve into.
    Bad- Explorable areas are on the smaller side in terms of scale. Some dialogue gets a bit too wordy. Gacha systems aren't the    Good-
    Interesting universe and story, reinforced by a beautiful aesthetic and exceptional production values. Combat is easy to get into, but highly tactical and addictive. Strong characterization, voice acting and pacing. Lots of fun side content to delve into.

    Bad-
    Explorable areas are on the smaller side in terms of scale. Some dialogue gets a bit too wordy. Gacha systems aren't the most ideal, even when the game showers you in Rail Passes and Stellar Jade.

    Thoughts-
    As a new addition to miHoYo’s growing library of free-to-play RPGs, this is an incredibly well-realized space-faring adventure. It has great characters you want to know better with interesting backstories. The main plot and setting are genuinely interesting to follow, even if the narrative abruptly stops after completing the available content, which is, unfortunately, the bane of every free-to-play title.

    The combat is incredibly fun and well-designed with deceptive complexity. The presentation and production values are top-notch, and the performance is pretty much flawless. If you’re a fan of turn-based role-playing games, and don’t mind the gacha systems, Honkai: Star Rail is at least worth trying out.    … Expand
  20. Frenzie
    May 2, 2023
    9
    После Геншина я ожидал чего-то ужасного, скучного геймплейно и инфантильного сюжетно. Я ошибался.

    Сюжет: Квесты и основной сюжет стали гораздо приземленней. История как правило связная, целостная и логичная в отличии от той же инфантильной воды которую вы могли видеть в геншине. Персонажи более живые и мотивированны на совершаемые действия (кроме пожалуй одного). В целом отметил бы    После Геншина я ожидал чего-то ужасного, скучного геймплейно и инфантильного сюжетно. Я ошибался.

    Сюжет: Квесты и основной сюжет стали гораздо приземленней. История как правило связная, целостная и логичная в отличии от той же инфантильной воды которую вы могли видеть в геншине. Персонажи более живые и мотивированны на совершаемые действия (кроме пожалуй одного). В целом отметил бы много неплохого драматизма, сделанного лучше чем "Щеночек умер, плачь если любишь щеночков".

    Визуал: Как всегда на высоте, даже лучше чем в прошлых играх. Если вы конечно не плюетесь от этих китайских мультиков.

    Геймплей: Боевка интересна сама по себе но при этом, кроме пары ньюансов, проста для понимания. Имеется автобой что экономит море вашего времени.
    Контент "Виртуальной вселенной" особенно хорош, местные пути (специализации roguelike бафов) позволяют настраивать прохождение под вашу группу. Нужды прокачивать две группы для эндгейма пока к счастью не увидел, но возможно в дальнейшем. Надеюсь нет.
    "Опенворлд" активности стали менее душными, по большей части собирать сундуки уже не является такой дикой рутинной болью в заднице, да и награды за них стали заметно выше. В целом эксплоринг не ощущается такой же пыткой ради гачи как в геншине. Локации стали закрытыми что дополнительно упрощает эксплоринг.

    Глобально игра приятно выделилась на фоне душного и нелепого геншина, да и многих других гача-игр. Надеюсь что она не будет сильно сбавлять темп, а работу нормального сценариста в очередной раз не отнимет горилла-фанфикофаг пишущая сюжеты в духе "Мы доброе добро против злого зла, которое раньше было... добрым добром... но... АБИЗУМИЛО"

    Ах да, бафните Герту пожалуйста:D    … Expand
  21. SomeDude9909
    May 25, 2023
    9
    Honkai: Star rail has great music, combat, animations, environments, story, and characters. Its biggest problem is the gacha system which enforces FOMO, limited time release content, but I still was able to get some of the best 5 star characters in the game by simply playing routinely with the battle pass.
  22. cercisyusuf
    Sep 8, 2023
    9
    u need a lot of time but its good. I mean if you like persona 5 and turn based jrpg u will like this too. + anime girls and the lorre also good
  23. thaddeusk
    Apr 29, 2023
    9
    The combat is simple but enjoyable. I like the character and world design. Music is fantastic. The story feels a little generic, but it's not bad. The combat animations are great and I appreciate that they gave an option to speed them up.

    Despite being a free to play game, it doesn't feel like everything is time-gated as much as others, and doesn't feel like I have to pay or spend five    The combat is simple but enjoyable. I like the character and world design. Music is fantastic. The story feels a little generic, but it's not bad. The combat animations are great and I appreciate that they gave an option to speed them up.

    Despite being a free to play game, it doesn't feel like everything is time-gated as much as others, and doesn't feel like I have to pay or spend five hours grinding every day to make progress in the main story, like in Lost Ark and many other F2P games I've tried.    … Expand
  24. LoCerusico
    May 3, 2023
    9
    Except for the Gatcha mechanic (already better than Genshin tho) the game is fantastic.
  25. ayuwooh
    Apr 28, 2023
    9
    From the moment I heard that this was a turn-based RPG, I had high expectations, and I'm happy to say that it delivered. Despite my reservations about Genshin and Honkai Impact, Hoyoverse has truly outdone themselves with this game. It's a polished experience, and contrary to what you might expect, it's not as pay-to-win as you'd think. The writing is exceptional, allowing you to not onlyFrom the moment I heard that this was a turn-based RPG, I had high expectations, and I'm happy to say that it delivered. Despite my reservations about Genshin and Honkai Impact, Hoyoverse has truly outdone themselves with this game. It's a polished experience, and contrary to what you might expect, it's not as pay-to-win as you'd think. The writing is exceptional, allowing you to not only witness but also feel the characters' development. Each character has unique personality traits that you'll grow to love as you journey through the game.

    The conclusion of the story is masterfully crafted, reminiscent of the epic boss fights in FFXIV. The combination of the music, cutscenes, and dialogue left me in awe. If you're a fan of previous Hoyoverse games, you'll undoubtedly enjoy this one. Even if you're not, I highly recommend giving it a try. It's truly a masterpiece.

    While the game deserves high praise, I won't give it a perfect score due to a few areas that could use improvement. For instance, the main character's voice acting is inconsistent, with dialogue sometimes lacking a voiceover, which feels unfinished. Additionally, certain characters don't move their mouths when speaking, leading to a weird and inconsistent visual experience. The game's multiplayer features are also limited, with only a friend system available at the time of this review. It would be great to have more cooperative gameplay options, as currently, you can only use a friend's character for daily content, without them actively participating alongside you.

    Despite these shortcomings, I've been thoroughly enjoying the game since its release. There's always room for improvement, but overall, it's a fantastic experience. Well done, Hoyo!    … Expand
  26. Rebelcritical
    Apr 28, 2023
    9
    Honkai is a generous gacha so far, free to play character are very strong and you can have a free 5 star for begin the game. Animation are in point, story is good, storytelling is better than genshin, I love how can you interact with the world, it feel alive and can surprise you in lot of way, the gameplay is fun with a lot of possibility with synergy character.

    The music in this game    Honkai is a generous gacha so far, free to play character are very strong and you can have a free 5 star for begin the game. Animation are in point, story is good, storytelling is better than genshin, I love how can you interact with the world, it feel alive and can surprise you in lot of way, the gameplay is fun with a lot of possibility with synergy character.

    The music in this game are beautiful, Voice acting good even for a random Npc (I think of a girl who literally sing a rap song, that was awsome)

    My only problem is the lack of diversity on enemy, it's a lot of robot to me but I'm not that far on the game so.. will see

    Take a shot, I think it's worth it    … Expand
  27. Akenoyy
    Apr 28, 2023
    9
    Breathtaking, is all i can say about this game. From simple stuff like the incredible Music composed by composer and smaller creators both, to the characters and their unique personalities. Everything about this game screams masterpiece to me. The visuals are gorgous as well and i prefer this instanced version over an expansive open world.

    All in all this game has to be the best Gacha    Breathtaking, is all i can say about this game. From simple stuff like the incredible Music composed by composer and smaller creators both, to the characters and their unique personalities. Everything about this game screams masterpiece to me. The visuals are gorgous as well and i prefer this instanced version over an expansive open world.

    All in all this game has to be the best Gacha game i have ever played. For me its the true "nr 1 gacha" that Raid:Shadow Legends usualy claims to be.

    The only issue i do take with the game are the prices on currency for the gacha as well as the rates they could do better but outside of that? very polished and fun game.    … Expand
  28. Revendi
    Apr 29, 2023
    9
    This game caused me a great storm of emotions. Before the release I had only played Genshin and knew almost nothing about this game, except that the battles there are turn-based, so I started playing without understanding what's what, but after a couple of hours I got involved pretty quickly.
    The game has no open world, which is neither good nor bad. It's just a fact. The game is    This game caused me a great storm of emotions. Before the release I had only played Genshin and knew almost nothing about this game, except that the battles there are turn-based, so I started playing without understanding what's what, but after a couple of hours I got involved pretty quickly.
    The game has no open world, which is neither good nor bad. It's just a fact. The game is corridor-based, but the locations are made very nicely. Overall, this game is more about tactics and story and not about exploring the world. It's just such a genre.

    The plot is simple, but the interaction of characters and the player with the world are written here brilliantly. Very often caught myself laughing my heart out, which I don't often get in games. The characters themselves here looks interesting and prescribed the same. Different characters, looks have a positive impact on the immersion.

    The music here is nice, on different locations it is different and well conveys the mood. Some of the tracks I would add to my library.

    Battles here are turn-based, which allows you to play tactically. The animations in combat are top notch, particularly the superpowers. There's auto-boys, but you don't want to use it in quests at all. It is ideal for farming resources, which reduces the routine to a minimum.

    On the technical side, everything is great here, too. The game looks great and on my RX570 the game runs perfectly at 60 fps. There is gamepad support, but it has some small problems here, I think the patches will fix it.

    In general, the game I am very pleased. Yes, this gacha, but if you have control over your greed, it is not a problem at all.    … Expand
  29. 0xDeShawn
    Jun 7, 2023
    9
    Great gameplay, f2p friendly. When you start out, you are guaranteed a five star within 50 pulls. Music is peak.
  30. Mihai90
    Jun 16, 2023
    9
    This is a great game, with superb skill animations, great voice acting, overwhelming story and great cross play. I like that I can play on my mobile, TV or PC with ease. The only reason this game doesn't have a 10/10 is because it's a gacha game, which I normally hate and avoid.
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Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Most Discussed PC Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

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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. IGN France
    Oct 10, 2023
    80
    It's hard not to fall for the charms of Honkai: Star Rail. The storyline, even if it draws on Japanese anime clichés, is extremely rich, populated by sparkling characters and written with a great deal of humor. The gameplay is addictive and extremely clever, and the monetization knows how to take a back seat to the gameplay experience. A real success story.
    Read full review
  2. PCMag
    Aug 1, 2023
    80
    Honkai: Star Rail is a stylish and engaging turn-based RPG that marries a quirky sci-fi tale with anime-style graphics.
    Read full review
  3. Meristation
    Jul 7, 2023
    75
    A great role playing game with turn based combat, free and fun. It does not reach the quality of Genshin Impact but it is close.
    Read full review
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