Honkai: Star Rail - Review @ ESTNN

ESTNN reviewed the J-RPG Honkai: Star Rail:

Honkai Star Rail review – My Favourite Rpg in 2023 (So Far)

Honkai: Star Rail has been out for a quick minute. But we don't think anyone had it penciled in as one of the best releases in such a stacked year. Here are our extended thoughts!

At this point, it is almost unfair how effortlessly miHoYo manages to capture the conversation whenever their new release rolls around the corner.

The new free-to-play titles managed to crack 20 million downloads within days of their release and that is before they even hit the major consoles.

That's almost double the downloads the studio's previous release, Genshin Impact reached within the same timeframe. And it is quickly on the way to being the biggest release of the year.

And to anyone who followed Genshin Impact's success story, this comes as little surprise. But did miHoYo do it again?

Short answer? Yes. If you have any love for character-based RPGs and can put up with its free-2-play constraints, you might have a new addiction on your hand.

But read all about it here in our Honkai Star Rail review.

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Honkai Star Rail review – 8.5/10
Honkai: Star Rail is one of those games I picked up, not really having any expectations. I knew from playing Genshin that I'd at least get a very polished, fun game with lots of mechanics to mess around with.

I didn't expect the amount of heart and soul I found here. But I should've because Genshin also had a lot of playful detail and love put into it. But all of it hits differently in a more curated, linear experience.

While the way progression is set up will eventually be really grindy, it hasn't worn off yet. That is thanks to a simple but really functional and fun combat system. Even after 30ish hours, it didn't get old.

The challenge for miHoYo going forward is now delivering content at a steady pace.

It took a while for Genshin Impact to get the ball rolling, but I hope the smaller, more compact format of Star Rail allows them to push out new chapters at a steady pace.

There really is not much I want to complain about here, at worst some of the game's more grindy aspects are inoffensive.

If you're just looking for something to play idly on the side or an RPG to be obsessed with, Honkai: Star Rail is probably your best choice.

Honkai Star Rail is available for free on PC and Android and iOS, you can register a new account here.