As someone who loves gaming and has reviewed countless games over the past years, few free-to-play games have captured my attention quite like Honkai: Star Rail. The latest release from Chinese developer HoYoverse builds upon the success of their flagship game, Genshin Impact, while also forging its own identity with a fresh sci-fi setting and completely revamped turn-based combat system.
After spending dozens of hours exploring the imaginative worlds aboard the interstellar train Star Rail, I’m happy to report that this is one of the most polished and content-rich F2P RPG experiences I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing, and the fact it is free for anyone to pick up is simply incredible.
The first thing that stands out about Honkai: Star Rail is its instantly high production values across the board. The anime-inspired visuals are nothing short of gorgeous, with intricately detailed character models and environments bringing the game’s varied planets to life. From cyberpunk-esque cities to lush fantasy forests, HoYoverse’s talented art team has crafted a visually stunning game that looks great even on low settings.
The soundtrack is equally impressive, with fully orchestrated scores that heighten the sense of adventure as you journey between worlds. It is hard to express just how well-crafted this game is and feels like the team put real love and care into each aspect of the game. I can’t get over how much of Honkai: Star Rail is available just to download and play, and even though there is plenty you can invest in, the level of content that is available at no cost is staggering.
Complementing the presentation is Honkai: Star Rail’s narrative, which draws you in with an amnesiac protagonist and a colourful cast of companions aboard the titular interstellar train. It’s an intriguing sci-fi premise that continually expands in scope as you unlock more of the main character’s mysterious past.
The writing and localization are top-notch, with genuinely witty dialogue between party members. It’s apparent that HoYoverse has taken storytelling to the next level here, keeping cutscenes concise while fleshing out backstories via well-written textual logs. Even after 30 hours, the central plot still has me hooked, and that is saying something when most free-to-play games have me uninstalling them after five or less.
“Honkai: Star Rail raises the bar for free RPG experiences, boasting triple-A production values across its visuals, music, and writing.”
Of course, an RPG is defined by more than just visual splendour and narrative hooks—the gameplay needs to be compelling as well. This is where Honkai: Star Rail truly shines, with a turn-based combat system that offers tremendous depth without ever feeling overwhelming. Battles take place on a grid-based battlefield, with turn order determined by each character’s speed stat.
It’s a familiar setup, but HoYoverse keeps things interesting by allowing for combos between party members based on their elemental alignments. Discovering synergistic team compositions and timing skill rotations to maximize damage output provides endless fun.
Adding further complexity to the combat in Honkai: Star Rail is a gear set for each character that significantly impacts their battle capabilities. Outfitting your party with complementary equipment sets to boost attack, defence, or support abilities requires carefully managing the gear-crafting systems. Thankfully, the game provides clear guidelines on how to farm for materials, so the process feels rewarding rather than frustrating. And with special end-game raids that put your finely-tuned character builds to the test, the gear grind ultimately feels justified by the challenge it enables.
The gameplay loop in Honkai: Star Rail is a compelling mix of exploration, combat, and progression. As you embark aboard the Star Rail, you’ll travel to diverse planets, each with unique environments and challenges. The game’s turn-based combat system is central to the gameplay loop, offering strategic depth and rewarding teamwork between characters based on their elemental alignments. Additionally, the game features a gear customization system that allows players to tailor their party’s abilities to their preferred playstyle, adding a layer of complexity and long-term engagement to the experience.
Honkai: Star Rail is designed to keep players engaged for the long haul. As you explore and battle your way through the game, you’ll earn resources that can be used to craft and upgrade gear for your characters, providing a satisfying sense of growth and customization. Furthermore, the game’s end-game content loop offers additional challenges and rewards, encouraging players to continue honing their skills and optimizing their party compositions.
Of course, no free-to-play game nowadays would feel complete without some form of monetization, and Honkai: Star Rail is no exception. As with Genshin Impact, The dreaded gacha system makes an unfortunate appearance here, with players able to spend real money to unlock new characters and weapons randomly. However, as far as predatory F2P models go, HoYoverse shows some restraint.
Spending money by no means feels mandatory to progress in the game, and I never hit any unreasonable grinding walls in my 30+ hours. The gacha elements add more goals for committed players to work towards, and considering some of the cosmetics available in Diablo 4, Honkai: Star Rail manages things better, especially for a free game.
Honkai: Star Rail raises the bar for free RPG experiences. Star Rail’s fantastical journey between worlds aboard a cosmic train has firmly cemented itself as one of this year’s standout titles, boasting triple-A production values across its visuals, music, and writing. Approachable turn-based combat combines with deep party customization and gear progression to offer dozens of hours of compulsive gameplay.
While the monetization could be less aggressive, it hardly detracts from what is otherwise an incredibly polished product, especially in the free-to-play space. I eagerly await whatever new planets, adventures, and mysteries HoYoverse has in store for Honkai: Star Rail’s exciting future. All aboard!
