Games worth discovering
Genshin 2: Space Train
575 View2023-05-01
Warning ⚠️: Long Read Ahead (TLDR at the end)
Overview:
HSR is a turn-based RPG by the developer of the critically acclaimed Genshin Impact. You assume the role of a male/female character called Trailblazer and journey alongside with your friends to find your memories. The gameplay is a mix between open world exploration and turn-based battle, much like like Dragon Quest XI. It's also important to mention that unlike most turn-based gacha, I believe HSR is on the difficult scale and might prove challenging to casual players.
Firstly, the music and graphics are top notch, which is already expected from Mihoyo. The story and plot is decent. I also think we don't need to talk about VA, cutscenes character design etc considering most people who played this are familiar with Mihoyo's game.
Secondly, how F2P is it and how are the rates? Well, if you think Genshin is F2P and has decent rates then you'll probably feel the same way for this game. You can definitely enjoy the game without spending but you will forever be tempted to spend for gachas when looking at what whales have achieved. The dailies are quicker to complete compared to Genshin so this is a plus for casual players.
With those things out of the way, let's talk about the things I personally dislike.
1. Novelty
In any game, I believe that novelty plays a huge role in attracting new audiences and giving a good impression. Unfortunately, HSR doesn't have this because a lot of its aesthetics and mechanics are the carbon copy of Genshin with different names. It also seems that some mechanics are merged together to create an illusion of novelty. But of course I understand that novelty alone doesn't carry a game but it would be great to have considering how Genshin was said to be a revolutionary gacha and with how cliché the gacha market nowadays.
2. The Path and Elements
HSR has a diverse range of characters with different strengths and weaknesses. However, the sheer amount of its Paths and Elements are simply overwhelming. So what are Paths? It's essentially the 'class' that a character belongs to. Much like Genshin's support and DPS role, HSR provides players with a whopping 7 classes! All-rounder, Single target DPS, AoE DPS, Buffer, Shielder, Debuffer, Healer. Then there are 7 elements: Physical, Fire, Ice, Lightning, Wind, Quantum, and Imaginary. All these Paths and Elements but only 4 members in a party? I'm sure meta-chaser would have a field day with this game, but for casual players like me who just want to collect characters and know very little about meta, it can be quite unnerving. Although I'm sure some people might see this as a plus.
3. Break
Break is a mechanic in HSR wherein players deplete the white bar on top of the enemy's HP and cause it to lose one round and suffer a status effect corresponding to the element used to break it. The bar can only be depleted if you attack with the elements the enemy is weak to. I guess you can say it's almost similar to the Persona 5 weakness system but mixed with Genshin's elemental reaction. One of the reasons I'm not fond of this mechanic is that it feels like the game is forcing you to play the game in a very specific way where you have to break the enemies in order to win. Kind of like being punished for not adhering to the meta. Not using the mechanic would give you a very difficult time with the enemies. Early in the game, my team got wiped simply because I did not prioritise breaking the enemies first. Then again, I'm sure some people would enjoy this mechanic but personally I'm not a fan as it's a very one dimensional way to play.
4. Relics and Light Cones
Remember when I said HSR is similar to Genshin? This is one of them. If you've played Genshin, this equation would be easy for you to follow. Relic=Artifact, Weapon=Light Cones. Why don't I like it? It's unoriginal as it's similar to Genshin but worse. For Relics, they have main stats and sub stats. Unfortunately, unlike Genshin, the main stats are also random so farming would be twice as fun (not). Of course you can argue that there's a main stat selector but then again, it's very rare and limited. Light Cones are basically weapons in Genshin where they share the same gacha pool as the characters and can only be equipped by characters with Paths corresponding to the light cones.
5. Eidolon
When you pull a dupe character, you can upgrade the pre-existing character to enhance them with additional effect. Sounds familiar? Yes, it's Genshin's constellation. I personally hate this system as while it's not mandatory and more in the whale's territory, some of the bonuses provided are simply too good to pass up.
Conclusion:
Mihoyo fails to break the mold set by Genshin, seeing how vastly similar HSR to Genshin is. From the UI to game mechanics, it almost feels like they want to create a side cash-cow rather than an innovative turn based gacha. Admittedly, there are some QoL that you wished you had in Genshin like faster dailies and salvaging relics to turn them into points for more efficient relic levelling. Kudos to them for this.
TLDR; It's Genshin but in space with turn-based mechanics. If you like turn-based gacha games, Genshin, and space aesthetics, this game is for you. Is it a bad game? Well, it's definitely not your average run off the mill gacha but I expected something more from Mihoyo.
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Comments
Okay, if you are looking for a turn based rpg, with constant objectives, and some open world exploring (also because genshin is boring as all hell) play this game, it's fun, even if you don't like turn based rpgs, the game is super simple to learn, the only downside, is that the game has a gacha system, which is actually more balanced than in genshin, since there are more missions, you get more currency to use in the gacha.
clixr 1602024-03-17
This sci-fi RPG is nearly as good as Genshin Impact - Honkai: Star Rail Quick Review
PLAY IT OR SKIP IT?
Play it! Honkai: Star Rail is a sci-fi RPG that’s better than developer MiHoYo’s Honkai Impact 3rd and comes very close to the charm of the much-loved Genshin Impact. Star Rail’s immersive storyline, beautiful graphics, and deep turn-based combat have kept me thoroughly entertained.
TIME PLAYED
I played Honkai: Star Rail for seven hours. The tutorial took me around forty minutes, and the rest of my play time has been dedicated to various lengthy questlines. I’ve also acquired seven characters and leveled five of them to their current max of level twenty.
Jay Hunter11K2023-04-29
Yes, this game came first than GI and SR, but I feel like it's a mix of Genshin Impact and Star rail games. You will be surprised, but there are cute anime pulls. But there is no open world, here you are in the lobby and go on missions of various locations. So, well, I'll return to the open world, there is something like that here, a small map on which you can run until blue, but again I say, it is small, but diverse (in the style of the east), I still believe that you will get tired of running for a long time here. What about gachi? Gacha is, it's easy to farm, again we choose both a character and a weapon (Lord, save and save from such shit). The gameplay itself is interesting, but do not expect something straight from it "WOW," mission-mobs-boss-victory. A brief description of what awaits you in missions.
Yudachi5972023-08-23
View desktop siteTapTap looks better
on the app 
You should have compared it to honkai impact, since it is its orthodox sequel.
2023-05-14
Great idea but since Honkai Impact is closer to Genshin in terms of gameplay, I chose Genshin since they shared a lot of similarities from the UI to some mechanics such as Light Cones and Relics. I can't compare it in terms of plot since I don't really know Hokai Impact' s plot
2023-05-14
If only there was a dislike button 😔
2023-05-12
If only you can give a meaningful and well-thought response to my review instead of whining about dislike button 😞
2023-05-12