As seen on, , and, Cat is here to bring you coverage from all corners of the video game world. Hailing from the crooked spires of London, Cat is an experienced writer and journalist. Star Rail also hosts side missions, some of which act like Mass Effect-esque loyalty missions for characters you meet, giving you an insight into their backstories while allowing you to bond with them further.Ĭat Bussell is a Staff Writer at TechRadar Gaming. The rest of the cast is compelling, too, with very few one-note characters among them. Dan is distant and brooding, while March is peppy - true to form, both have angsty backstories that offer rewardingly dramatic payoffs.

Though most characters need to be acquired through the Gacha system, the game starts you off with Dan Heng and March 7th, who represent two sides of the dysfunctional duo coin. Star Rail gives you some great buddies, too. The central premise of Honkai: Star Rail is absolutely charming What is important is the game’s ability to whisk you away on a magical road trip with some fictional buddies. Many proper nouns and MacGuffins are thrown in there, too, but they’re not important. You travel from world to world, writing about wrongs and fighting injustice. You are the Trailblazer, an adventurer touched by fate who travels the universe on a magical space train called the Astral Express. The central premise of Honkai: Star Rail is absolutely charming. There’s much to enjoy amongst Starrail’s stories and systems, but don’t make the mistake of committing more than you can afford Take the journey Whatever you do, however, be mindful that the game is a double-edged sword. For me, it’s a matter of deciding how much time or money you’re willing to part with and sticking to your resolution - an approach I’d strongly recommend to any potential Trailblazers out there. That’s not to say that spending money on a gacha game is wrong or immoral. I’ve set myself an ironclad “no spending” rule, and I advise you to do something similar. Somehow, I’ve not given Hoyoverse any money and have acquired all of my currency through grinding. Spinning the gacha roulette in the hope of getting a cool new character is great fun, but it comes hand in hand with all the traditional foibles and dangers of gambling. However, I can only do so with the significant caveat that playing the game takes a strange kind of discipline. I recommend Star Rail to fans of turn-based games and high-concept future fantasyĭespite all this, I can recommend Star Rail to fans of turn-based games and high-concept future fantasy, and charming anime silliness. After all, the next rush of dopamine that comes with pulling a rare character or item could only be a debit card transaction away.

To play Honkai: Star Rail is to engage in constant psychic combat with the title’s tantalizing gacha Skinner Box. The turn-based combat makes for a fun grinding process, but the temptation often lingers in the back of the mind. However, as you grind to acquire more Stellar Jade currency for your gacha pulls, the possibility of spending your cash to expedite the process casts a long shadow over proceedings. Granted, it sometimes requires patience, but you can play through all of Star Rail’s content without parting with a cent. There are also frequent events and recurring side content that grants premium currency to players. By logging on and completing daily quests, you can amass the resources necessary to advance the story and to gain access to new characters with relative ease. Star Rail is designed to make a free-to-play approach completely viable.

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