Honkai Impact 3rd, developed and published by miHoYo Limited, is a mobile game that was recently converted to Steam and PC. Honkai Impact 3rd is a next-gen 3D cel-shaded anime action game where you can experience epic stories and intense battles with Valkyries. Honkai are shadows of civilization that aims to exterminate the world. Honkai’s will grew with civilization until it wished to inhibit its progress, and thus created Herrschers, humanoid beings that possess unthinkable strength. To help stop Honkai and save the world, the player will assume the role of a Captain who commands a memorable cast of the Valkyries. In this review, I will be reviewing the Steam version as it is vastly different than the original converted PC version by miHoYo.
Compared to the original version of Honkai Impact 3rd, the Steam version is very different than its original counterpart. Because the game was released in China and miHoYo is not monitoring the Steam version, many of the story parts are omitted from the game compared to the original. Those who have played the original game may see this different, however, if you have not played before, it may not be as noticeable to you. When I was playing the Steam version, I was informed of the differences from friends who have played the original version for a long time. For me, it was not a hindrance by that much, but if you are a longtime fan, it may be dissatisfying for you if you try out the Steam version.
The story of Honkai Impact 3rd is actually very confusing. The game starts off with the main character, Kiana, on a ship fighting Honkai Beasts. It is a very epic start, however, there is no other context given and you are left with some confusion. As you progress through the story, you get introduced to other characters along the way you can add to your team. I feel that the story is quite confusing to understand if you do not invest many hours into Honkai Impact 3rd. The story may make sense way later if you have been playing for a longer amount of time, where I spent about 2-3 weeks playing this game for about 1-2 hours every other day. Others may be able to understand it or are totally interested in the lore, but as an outsider, I think that the story is hard to pick up and understand. This may also take into account how many hours you put into it as well.
The controls of Honkai Impact 3rd are not as intuitive on a computer compared to a PC as well. Since it is a mobile game, I do not think that miHoYo did a good job converting the controls from mobile to PC. If you have a controller, it may be best to play this game with a controller compared to the keyboard as the key bindings are a bit awkward and untraditional. You also do not get to use your mouse at all for camera or other types of movement.
While this game has a story plot, it also allows you to have different units in the game through a gacha system. You are able to roll for different characters with in-game currency depending on the banners shown in game. The rates for these banners and prices for the rolling are not as generous as other gacha games, but miHoYo is known for giving little chances for these rate-up banners and characters. It is possible to play this game free to play, and it may feel challenging not gaining enough rewards because of being free to play, the content is able to be cleared still as long as your characters a built and given items.
With gaining more characters to your party, you are also able to level up and build your characters so they become stronger. There are different types of classes for different characters, and each one can wield their own unique abilities and weapons that allow you to make them stronger. By equipping new weapons, you can gain new abilities that can add to your stream of combos in combat.
The visuals are amazing. The aesthetics of the characters and the world that is built around those characters are very unique and different compared to other games I have played similarly. The colors are bright and it catches your eye. The cinematography is also very attractive as it is fully voice acted and the animation is smooth.
Specifically for the Steam version, you are unable to log in using your miHoYo account. You cannot link it and are only allowed to use your Steam credentials. This can cause problems for those who want to link their data together between platforms. There is no cross-progression between your original miHoYo account and the Steam version. Players will have to start over completely if transferring onto this version. If you wanted to link and use your miHoYo account, it is better to download the game off of the original Honkai Impact 3rd website. Another problem occurring with the Steam version itself is daily logins. It is troublesome to obtain your daily login rewards as it takes you to a third-party website, but you are only allowed to use your Steam credentials for your account on Steam. The third-party website requires a miHoYo account and you cannot link them together, which causes the problems of obtaining your rewards.
Overall, Honkai Impact 3rd is a mediocre game. The story may be confusing, but its visuals do make up for it. The controls for the keyboard are stiff and clunky, but if you add a controller that may fix your problem. It is very disappointing about the cross-platform progression between Steam and the original games though, alongside the problems with claiming certain rewards. This could be a major downside to those who wanted to play the game on Steam but were previously playing the original mobile game. For newer users though, if you could overlook the reward system problems and parts of the story being omitted from the original game, it may be sufficient enough to enjoy the game. Honkai Impact 3rd is a game that takes up a lot of time and grinding to make sure your units are strong and have great abilities and weapons to be able to continue through the game. It would be best if you had a lot of time on your hands before trying Honkai Impact 3rd as it is a time commitment. All in all, Honkai Impact 3rd has great cinematography and visuals, though the game itself may not be everyone’s cup of tea, such as mine.
For more information, please visit: https://honkaiimpact3.mihoyo.com/global/en-us/fab
I really love playing video games! Growing up, my dad introduced me to video games, the first being Street Fighter. I have always been surrounded by them growing up and even now. They really impacted my life allowing me to share this commonality with my friends and new ones. I play a wide array of games, mostly PC, but sometimes PS4 and Nintendo Switch. Some of my favorite games are Final Fantasy VII, League of Legends, Persona 5, and Stardew Valley. As of recent, I've been playing Fall Guys and Among Us as well!
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