You can now sign up for the latest closed beta test for Honkai: Starrail (opens in new tab)the next game from Genshin Impact developer MiHoYo.
Announced in October 2021, Honkai: Star Rail is a “space fantasy RPG” that promises to let players explore “immense worlds of the unknown”. Associate editor Tyler Colp described it as “anime Mass Effect” last year, with thematic and possible direct ties to Honkai Impact 3rd, MiHoYo’s pre-Genshin Impact game.
“Unlike Genshin, Honkai: Star Rail isn’t really an open world,” he wrote in his June 2022 example. There are large cities and parts of planets to explore, but you don’t pick up berries and activate towers to reveal a huge world map. Instead, the focus of the game is on the turn-based battles. You and the robot enemies you’ll battle elemental skills back and forth and try to exploit each other’s weaknesses. It’s kind of like Pokémon but the Pokémon have white hair and catchphrases. Each character has an ultimate ability that comes with utterly ridiculous short animations that, frankly, reign.”
A release date for Honkai: Star Rail has still not been announced, but this will be the final closed beta test. This session gives players the chance to explore the Herta Space Station and two of the game’s “major destinations”, Jarilo-VI and Xianzhou Luofu. There will also be plenty of opportunities to jump into turn-based combat, and MiHoYo said there will be “many other new in-game features” that will show off different aspects of Honkai: Star Rail gameplay.
The latest, final Honkai: Star Rail closed beta test begins on February 10. If you want to watch it for yourself, you can sign up at hsr.hoyoverse.com (opens in new tab).
