However, Honkai Star Rail is throwing all those gibberishly named materials at me and every treasure chest opened pops so many things my mind attaches no meaning to, I am still enamored by it! I am still waiting for every little 10 minute break to spend a little more time in it. All this while the character designs are not speaking to me either, even though I love JRPGs otherwise.
So, what is it that is bringing me back to it repeatedly and making me write this post here? The answer is its total and complete commitment to telling a story and building a mysterious and curiosity-inspiring world! Regardless of its gatcha based hook systems the game is first and foremost committed to telling a story. This focus on telling stories is so refreshing in the mobile-game space that it has hooked me. Prior to this the last game I experienced which was completely riding on its stories was Nier:Reincarnation by Yoko Taro. In fact that game felt so new, unique and fresh that I was in awe of it at that time. I could not fathom how a seasonal model or service based game could rely on a supply of interesting short stories all throughout the year. Apparently, people can write compelling stories faster than I imagined or there is a very talented team behind that game.
Since Nier, this is the only other time where I have a pull to play again just to see what happens next and not for any other gameplay hook or reason at all.
Going forward I hope Honkai StarRail can keep up this commitment to story and it would be super interesting to witness and learn how a stroy based game thrives or plans to thrive in live service model.
As of now, I am just happy to explore the world. Looking forward to see it evolving and delivering compelling stories ahead!
