Honkai Impact 3rd Review

  I have been playing a mobile game fairly frequently for about a month now.  Usually, I would be all over reviewing these things after a few days but for some reason, I just have not got around to this one.  Originally I thought it was just the anime girls and I should feel bad about it, but after playing for a while Honkai Impact 3rd by miHoYo Limited I can safely say it has redeeming qualities. 

Let's Get Through the Mobile Crap

  At the surface of Honkai Impact is a mobile game.  Every log-in you are greeted with an incredibly busy screen. Exclamation marks telling you to go do stuff, which a lot of the times isn't 100% clear.  They are also pushing you here and there with ads to buy packs or premium currency.  The prices are of course high but they do offer a monthly log in that is pretty cheap for what you get, although it requires you to be dedicated. 

  The game has a base you can build, guilds you can join and a basic story screen to quest through.  You get daily log in rewards, daily achievements, daily... daily stuff. It's all that mobile crap that you can expect.  After trudging through all this ridiculous clicking to collect all the crap you get each day, you level your character, their weapons, and their skills.  That is once you collect the mats.  It is standard and if you have played any mobile games you have seen it before. Honestly, if they cut down on it the game would just feel cleaner.  Still past this is a pretty mindless but fun game.

What This Game is Doing Right

  The actual gameplay is a hack and slash game where you will play in a team of three Valkyrja.  While the hit combinations are pretty basic there are some that you can do that proc stronger attacks.  You also have ultimates and QTE buttons that proc other moves that do even more damage.  There is a rock, paper, scissors system that makes certain characters stronger against certain enemies so you want to pay attention to what you are fighting in order to do the most damage.  The system is simple enough to be mindless but has enough to it that there is some depth to each level.  On top of that, there is no autoplay. You are either playing the game or you are not, which I like. 

  On top of the basic story, which comes in three different difficulty modes, are several events and a few different modes.  It's the same basic combat system but the game provides a co-op mode and mode that is more of an open world.  Both of these add some dynamics to the game that I found compelling and is one of the reasons I am still playing when I have time.

  

  The main story isn't all that great but some of the off stories you get into have some actual content and what I found most impressive was cutscenes.  Some of the adventures are like mini-anime that added yet another layer.  It gave me a reason to play, I started to identify with some of the characters in a way most mobile games just fail to do completely.  Not to mention the dialogue isn't terrible and the graphics are pretty nice as well.

  On the surface, the game looks like any other mobile trash on the market but when you get past it, it's more than that.  It's a game with actual content that is pretty entertaining to play.  If you want a game where you can spend a few minutes at a time working through, that feels rewarding, and also gives you a reason to play it's definitely worth a try.  Even if you are looking for a decent hero collector its worth the play.  Unless the anime thing throws you off, its worth a try.

TL;DR:

  Yes, Honkai Impact has all the mobile crap and tries to use the "cute anime girl" card but it does it well.  It's a nice mindless hack and slash and is the first mobile game in a while I can recommend.