SHINING BRIGHT

HONKAI: STAR RAIL is the new game in the HoYoverse, which looks to be smartly evolving mìHoYo's Genshin Impact megahit. 

- Tyler Colp

Honkai: Star Rail arrived right on time. Everything anime has exploded in the last few quarantine-locked years, especially in the West. People are recreating JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure poses on TikTok, posting edits of Chainsaw Man characters and streaming as anime girls on Twitch.

Free-to-play anime gacha games have massively grown too. It only took six short months for Genshin Impact to make $1 billion in revenue after it launched in 2020, cementing its status as one of the most successful mobile games around. It blends the charm of a big open world with the detailed combat systems of action RPGs. It’s a Breath of the Wild that never ends. And with every new update, it expands its map and its roster of playable anime people.

To me, and I suspect many others, Genshin Impact occupies a similar space in the Western gaming consciousness as World of Warcraft. It’s a distinct game with a distinct fandom, and almost everyone you talk to has heard of it or plays it. When new characters come out, social media fills up with fan art, cosplays and people commiserating on their gacha luck. Even if you only play games casually, Genshin Impact is practically inescapable.

Its continuing success has been amusing to watch, too. If you know what’s going on in 2016’s Honkai Impact 3rd,