Graphics by Keischa Calumpiano
𝐇𝐨𝐲𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞(’𝐬) 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 Hoyoverse (miHoYo before rebranding), a Chinese game development company, has released several successful games over the past years. These include Tears of Themis, Genshin Impact, Honkai Impact 3rd, and their newest release: Honkai: Star Rail. Hoyoverse has accumulated a massive audience over time due to its games rising in popularity. It has dominated the gaming industry by storm — from trending on social media platforms to being nominated for prestigious awards.
Hoyoverse games have different aspects that make them popular such as immersive stories, lovable characters, great visuals, memorable music, and enjoyable gameplay. However, one of the key aspects to its success is the marketing. The company has multiple accounts across platforms like Twitter, Tiktok, Facebook, and more. They not only post updates, but they also interact with their community.
Another aspect to focus on is the gacha system. Genshin Impact, for example, has in-game items (like playable characters, weapons, etc.) that players can only obtain through spending in-game currency in the gacha system. This causes plenty of players to spend in-game currency, or even real money, hoping to get the items they want, leading to Hoyoverse earning profit from it and achieving financial success.
It is no surprise that Hoyoverse became a successful company. Its popularity inevitably caught everyone’s attention when a new game was introduced to the line-up.
𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐤𝐚𝐢: 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐥 On the 26th of April this year, Hoyoverse officially released Honkai: Star Rail (HSR). Though it is not a direct sequel to one of Hoyoverse’s games that shares a matching title (Honkai Impact 3rd), they both feature similar elements and characters, thus making it a spinoff. The game revolves around a sci-fi story with a playable protagonist (referred to as Trailblazer) traveling on a spacecraft with an appearance of a train called the Astral Express along with other characters to journey to different planets. As the game progresses, the player learns more about the history and secrets of the in-game universe and the other characters’ backstories.
When it comes to gameplay, HSR resembles both Honkai Impact 3rd and Genshin. The game features turn-based combat and exploration. It features a whole cast of playable characters with different abilities for combat segments. Players can obtain the characters in multiple ways: some after finishing certain quests, while others only through the game’s gacha feature.
Honkai: Star Rail is overall well-received, garnering plenty of good reviews and establishing a growing fanbase.
𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 Fans would inevitably compare HSR to its predecessors. The game sparked many discussions and arguments on the internet after its release. As the new release gets compared to the previous ones (mainly Genshin Impact), many pointed out how the developers managed to improve and fix their flaws in HSR.
The most notable improvement players praised consists of the game’s ability to be user-friendly through its UX and UI. Other comparisons were not entirely objective, as some debates centered around the genre and art style. While those points were valid, they depended on subjectivity. Furthermore, several arguments focused on the community instead of the games themselves, thus sparking conflict among players.
But at the end of the day, it all boils down to personal preference. Hoyoverse’s games all have different elements, making each of them unique. Players must know when to give praise and criticism when they are due.
With Hoyoverse’s latest game being a success, fans anticipate what the company has in store for future releases.
Sources: Shchur A. (2023). Genshin Impact phenomenon and its marketing strategy. https://hc.games/.../genshin-impact-phenomenon-and-its.../
Nabiilah N. (2023). 7 Things In Honkai: Star Rail That Should Exist In Genshin Impact https://gamerant.com/hsr-honkai-star-rail-things-that.../
Reyes J. (2023). Honkai: Star Rail - Review. https://sea.ign.com/.../review/honkai-star-rail-review
Orr J. (2023). Honkai Star Rail explained, including gameplay, gacha, and open world details.What you need to know about HoYoverse's newest game. https://www.eurogamer.net/honkai-star-rail-explained...
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