Honkai Star Rail is not a traditional successor to Honkai Impact 3rd per se. However, the former title is still an excellent spiritual sequel to the latter. Good sequels tend to be enjoyable in their own right while also being fun for anybody who has played the previous entries in the series. In this regard, miHoYo's newest title fulfills both conditions.

Some parts of Honkai Impact 3rd are present in its "successor," with the most obvious being Welt Yang's presence and design. Honkai Star Rail canonly takes place after the events of its predecessor and is a fantastic spin-off that also manages to be an excellent standalone title.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective.

Honkai Star Rail is a great spin-off of Honkai Impact 3rd

The most notable example of why HSR is a sequel involves Welt Yang clearly being based on his later Honkai appearances (Image via HoYoverse)

Both Honkai Star Rail and Honkai Impact 3rd are part of the Honkai series. That much should be obvious since both games share that part of their title. Other similarities include:

Some modern sci-fi elements
Character art style
Welt Yang
Other blatant expies like Himeko, Seele, and Bronya
Elemental system
Gacha system
Ultimates

However, one brilliant part of Honkai Star Rail is that the game is fantastic on its own. Players are never required to play Honkai Impact 3rd to understand the former game's plot or characters. That kind of trait is great since some sequels or spin-offs might get players interested in their predecessors.

Why Honkai Star Rail is a great game

HSR has become very popular since its debut (Image via HoYoverse)

There are several aspects of this game that are fantastic, such as:

Fun turn-based combat: Some gamers love RPGs that are turn-based rather than the modern action-based style.
Great character designs: Colorful designs and unique attire ensures that no playable character feels too similar to another.
Good music and voice acting: This game's audio is definitely fantastic, regardless of the dub you prefer.
Funny writing: This game doesn't take itself too seriously all the time. For example, the main protagonist has an interesting fascination with trash cans, which is memetic in the community.
F2P-friendly gacha: It's nice to have a mobile game that isn't just fun for whales.
Good balance among the character cast: Every unit in this title is usable.

One notable example of this game's success is how popular Honkai Star Rail is. It's already more well-known than Honkai Impact 3rd and is even positioned to rival Genshin Impact as miHoYo's best title. Speaking of Genshin Impact, the latest Honkai game learned a lot from that title, as its UI and gameplay experience is basically a smoother and superior version.

Verdict

It's definitely a good game in miHoYo's lineup (Image via HoYoverse)

Honkai Star Rail isn't just a good follow-up to Honkai Impact 3rd, the former title is genuinely a fun video game to experience. If subjectivity isn't enough to convince one, it is worth noting that miHoYo's newest release is already one of the best-selling mobile games on par with their other hit title, Genshin Impact.

Edited by Sijo Samuel Paul

Be the first one to comment