Honkai Impact 3rd

Honkai Impact 3rd
File:Honkai Impact 3rd Logo.png
Developer(s)	miHoYo
Series	Houkai Series
Platform(s)	Mobile game
Release	CN: October 14, 2016 TW: May 18, 2017 JP: February 22, 2017 KR: October 17, 2017 SEA: November, 2017 NA and EU: March 28, 2018
Genre(s)	Action role-playing, hack and slash
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Honkai Impact 3rd is a free-to-play 3D action role-playing mobile game developed by miHoYo. It is the third entry in the Houkai Series and spiritual successor to Houkai Gakuen, using many characters from this previous title in an all-new separate story. The game is notable for incorporating a variety of genres from hack-and-slash and social simulation to elements of bullet hell, platforming, shoot 'em up and dungeon crawling across multiple single and multiplayer modes.

The game first attracted a large fanbase in Asia before spreading globally: first released in China in late 2016, it reached 1 million downloads in Japan 11 days after release, and 35 million total international downloads as of April 12, 2018. The game has been released in Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe, and supports multiple languages including Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, French, German, and Indonesian.

In addition to the mobile game, the storyline of Honkai Impact 3rd spans multiple supplementary media including an anime series, multiple manhua series, and promotional videos.

Gameplay

The core gameplay of Honkai Impact 3rd has players control a team of up to three characters, known as "Valkyries", to fight against various enemies. During battle, players may freely move their character around the battlefield and switch between their three deployed Valkyries on the fly to adapt to various enemy types. Each Valkyrie has unique attack, evasion, switch, and ultimate skills, as well as a rock-paper-scissors-based character type to fulfill different team roles. Valkyrie stats and skills can be customized with various weapons and equipment. New equipment (known as "Stigmata"), weapons, and Valkyries can obtained either through in-game crafting or through a gacha system.

The singleplayer game modes utilizing this core gameplay system include the "Story" campaign, consisting of short stages punctuated by dialogue and FMVs, and "Open World", allowing exploration of a large open-ended field to gather materials and complete various challenge tasks. The game also features various multiplayer cooperative and competitive modes utilizing this style of gameplay such as "Co-Op Raid", where players team up to unlock legendary weapons, "Memorial Arena", where players compete against a set of bosses for the highest score, and "Dirac Sea", where players attempt to progress as far as possible through a gauntlet of battles to compete for high scores.

Outside of battles, Honkai Impact 3rd allows players to interact with the Valkyrie and Stigmata characters through the "Dorm" mode. Upon completing character specific tasks, different characters may be able to move into the dorms, whereupon new character information and dialogues between those characters can be seen. Players can craft various pieces of furniture and design the layout of the dorm rooms to increase the comfort of the Valkyries and Stigmata therein. Greater comfort levels allow players to level up their dorm limits for more elaborate decoration. Players are able to visit and view each others' decorated dorm layouts.

Secondary gameplay mechanics include various minigame modes incorporating bullet hell, platforming, and shoot 'em up elements that allow players to gather various crafting and experience materials. Additionally, incremental game elements are used in the "Base" mode to passively farm crafting materials and increase character stats.

Limited-time seasonal events may also include gameplay styles such as dungeon crawling and battle royale not normally seen in the other main gameplay modes.

Plot

Setting

The story of Honkai Impact 3rd is set during a version of the present day that is plagued by cataclysms known as "Honkai Eruptions". The world is infested by a malice known as the "Honkai", monsters that can take a wide variety of forms and intend to destroy humanity. The Honkai are led by entities known as "Herrschers", superpowered human beings that have been infused with Honkai energy and have accepted the will of the Honkai. As a result of the Honkai, multiple organizations have formed in response, including Schicksal, an international organization led by Overseer Otto Apocalypse that deploys trained women known as "Valkyries" to combat the Honkai, and Anti-Entropy, a former branch of Schicksal that rebelled against the organization and dispatches mechs to fight the Honkai. Other factions include World Serpent, who desires harmony among humanity and the Honkai, and ME Corp, a corporation once owned by Mei Raiden's father, Ryoma Raiden.

Story

A triad of Valkyries-in-training, Kiana Kaslana, Mei Raiden, and Bronya Zaychik, board the Selene, a flying battleship that has been taken over by hostile forces. While stopping the battleship from crashing, Bronya is suddenly controlled and turns hostile, forcing Kiana and Mei to subdue her. Following a successful mission, the girls are put through a graduation exam, during which Kiana is contacted by a mysterious voice informing her of her lost parents, Siegfried Kaslana and Cecilia Schariac.

The Valkyries are soon dispatched to Schicksal's Oceania Branch to recover the Gem of Desire following a local Honkai Eruption that decimated the area. The trio soon discovers Wendy, who was implanted with the Gem of Desire and triggered the Honkai Eruption due to her hatred of Schicksal for crippling her. Bronya is controlled again and attacks, causing Wendy to transform into a Herrscher. Although Mei and Kiana are able to subdue both girls, Anti-Entropy forces appear and Bronya kidnaps Wendy and Mei. The Valkyries subsequently track Anti-Entropy to the hijacked ME Corp with Bronya's assistance, whereupon Bronya destroys the biochip in her brain to free her from Cocolia's control and enable the Valkyries to escape with Mei and Bronya, leaving Wendy behind.

While searching for a way to revive Bronya, Theresa Apocalypse creates a virtual datascape to find data on the biochip, during which Kiana is transported to a recreation of Siberia during the year 2000 in the midst of the 2nd Honkai War. Kiana meets virtual recreations of her parents, Siegfried and Cecilia, and while Siegfried is badly injured, Kiana and Cecilia team up and successfully defeat the 2nd Herrscher, Sirin. Upon Sirin's defeat, it is revealed that the events that Kiana experienced were a hallucination created from Kiana's desires by Sirin, and Kiana is captured by Fu Hua and taken to Schicksal HQ.

To save Kiana, Theresa, Mei, and Himeko ally with Anti-Entropy forces and storm Schicksal HQ, breaching its defenses with the Selene and the Hyperion. While the Valkyries are successful in infiltrating Schicksal HQ, Rita Rossweisse and Fu Hua manage to capture Himeko and Tesla, and Otto Apocalypse successfully reawakens Sirin using Kiana's body as a host. Sirin dispatches Mei, Theresa, and the Anti-Entropy forces and engages Fu Hua in combat, stealing the 3rd Herrscher's power in the process. Himeko and Tesla, with Fu Hua's help, obtain a vial of anti-Honkai serum and a prototype Battlesuit imbued with a Herrscher's power. Overcoming her fears, Himeko dons the Battlesuit and arrives to engage Sirin, fighting her to a standstill. Einstein uses the Selene's cannon on Sirin, forcing her to retreat into Imaginary Space with Himeko being pulled in soon after. During the ensuing duel, Himeko injects the anti-Honkai serum into Sirin, causing her to revert to Kiana. Suffering massive losses, the remaining Valkyries and Anti-Entropy retreat, and the world is left devastated in the wake of Sirin's attack. Himeko and Kiana both go missing.

Four months after Sirin's attack, Mei, Theresa, and Bronya attempt to meet with an intel dealer named Gray Serpent in Arc City who claims to have seen the Herrscher of the Void, unaware that Otto Apocalypse had dispatched Rita to obtain his information as well. Rita seemingly kills Gray Serpent and steals his cybernetic implants, leading the Valkyries to capture a cyborg girl called the Ningyo. Before they can extract the Ningyo's information, Rita intercepts the Valkyries, steals the data, and formats the Ningyo's memory. While Einstein and Tesla attempt to retrive the Ningyo's lost memories, the team is contacted by Cocolia, who convinces them to help find the Gem of Desire. Gray Serpent, seeking payment for the Valkyrie's theft of the Ningyo, hacks into the Selene. When Bronya follows Gray Serpent into virtual space, he traps Bronya in a data labyrinth formed from her memories to deter her. Although Bronya is able to escape, she witnesses a record of the 1st Herrscher, Welt Young, and Einstein battling the World Serpent, who is sealed within the Sea of Quanta.

Bronya, Theresa, and Einstein travel to The Deep, where Bronya is reunited with Cocolia and childhood friends Rosalia and Liliya. Cocolia informs the trio that the Gem of Desire was lost in the Sea of Quanta, and must be retrieved. While Einstein prepares to enter the Eye of the Deep, a portal leading to the Sea of Quanta, Bronya attempts to reconcile with Cocolia. When Einstein discovers Cocolia scheming with Gray Serpent, Gray Serpent attacks Einstein and she vanishes. A massive swarm of Honkai emerges from the Eye of the Deep and attacks, leading Bronya to dive into the Sea of Quanta alone. In the Sea, Bronya is greeted by Joachim, a fragment of Welt Young. Joachim sends Bronya to multiple pocket universes as a test, during which Bronya is reunited with Seele Vollerei, Bronya's childhood friend who mysteriously vanished years ago. After clearing the pocket universes, Bronya is attacked by Seele, possessed by her alter ego and desperate to escape the Sea of Quanta by freeing the World Serpent. Bronya subdues Seele and the two engage an immensely powerful Honkai Beast in combat. Bronya claims the Beast's Gem after its defeat, becoming the Herrscher of Reason.

Characters

Valkyries

Valkyries start off as girls with remarkable Honkai resistance. They are then recruited by Schicksal and given training to become super-human soldiers tasked with fighting the Honkai and defending humanity. The player starts the game as the Captain leading the Squad V Valkyries of the Far East Branch.

Kiana Kaslana (キアナ・カスラナ, Kiana Kasurana)

Voiced by: 陶典 (Chinese); Rie Kugimiya (Japanese)

Kiana Kaslana is a young, brash, and sometimes absent-minded Valkyrie and serves as the protagonist of the Honkai Impact 3rd story. She was a student of Chiba Academy in Nagazora City during the 2014 Outbreak, and managed to subdue Mei Raiden who was transformed into a Herrscher. Theresa Apocalypse enrolled her into St. Freya High after the Nagazora Outbreak was contained. Kiana has a special love interest in Mei as well as a special personal quest of looking for her father, Siegfried Kaslana who went missing when she turned 12. It is later revealed that "Kiana" is actually a clone of the real Kiana Kaslana named K423, created from the DNA of Siegfried Kaslana and Cecilia Schariac as a vessel to hold Sirin, the 2nd Herrscher.

Mei Raiden (雷電 芽衣, Raiden Mei)

Voiced by: 纯良少女小菊花酱 (Chinese); Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese)

Mei is the daughter of Ryoma Raiden, the CEO and director of ME Corp (Massive Electric Corporation), and was once respected and idolized by her classmates in Chiba Academy. However, she quickly became ostracized and isolated when her father Ryoma was framed for accusations of fraud and economic crimes by Cocolia. Mei was transformed into Herrscher of Lightning, the 3rd Herrscher, and initiated the 2014 Nagazora Outbreak that wiped out the entire city of its human inhabitants before being subdued by Kiana. Theresa also enrolled her as a student of St. Freya High to mold her into a Valkyrie.

Bronya Zaychik (ブローニャ・ザイチク, Buronya Zaichiku)

Voiced by: hanser (Chinese); Kana Asumi (Japanese)

Bronya was born in Siberia in 2000 but was orphaned during the 2nd Honkai Eruption in the same year. She was forced to fight as a child soldier and proved to be a lethal killer. In 2012, she was caught by Cocolia (whom she was sent to assassinate) and admitted as an orphan in Cocolia's orphanage. It turned out that Cocolia was working with Anti-Entropy and running tests on the orphans. Bronya was subject to the test as well, resulting in the destruction of her limbic (emotive) centers and crippling of her legs. Nevertheless, Bronya returned to the real world with a strange robotic symbiont known as Project Bunny 19C. Following her expedition into the Sea of Quanta, Bronya gains the power of a Herrscher and becomes the Herrscher of Reason.

Himeko Murata (無量塔姫子, Murata Himeko)

Voiced by: 林簌 (Chinese); Rie Tanaka (Japanese)

Himeko Murata's father was a bio-tech researcher working for Schicksal. She was prodigious and managed to gain admission to Caltech in physics but chose to end her academic career and join the Schicksal Valkyries after her father was killed in a freak accident during his research on the Honkai. Despite her low Honkai Resistance, Himeko made up for it with hard work.

Theresa Apocalypse (テレサ・アポカリプス, Teresa Apokaripusu)

Voiced by: Sky花玲 (Chinese) ; Yukari Tamura (Japanese)

Theresa is a vat-grown clone of the legendary Valkyrie, Kallen Kaslana, spliced with the genes of a Honkai beast named Vishnu, created in 1972 by Schicksal Overseer Otto Apocalypse. Due to reasons unknown, she was unable to mature beyond the age of 12. Nevertheless, Otto adopted her as his granddaughter and named her Theresa Apocalypse. Theresa proved herself to be a skilled Valkyrie. She fought in the 2nd Honkai Eruption and survived, and went on to establish St. Freya High in the Far East.

Fu Hua (フカ, Fuka)

Voiced by: BananaMace (Chinese); Minami Takayama (Japanese)

Fu Hua was the class monitor of Kiana, Mei, and Bronya's class in St. Freya High and also considered by Theresa and Himeko as the best student of the school.

Sakura Yae (八重 桜, Yae Sakura)

Voiced by: Ayane Sakura (Japanese)

A miko of Yae Shrine from 500 years ago. Sakura's younger sister, Rin Yae, was sacrificed by the citizens of Yae Village to appease the gods, causing her to slowly resent the people she swore to protect. After discovering Kallen Kaslana and nursing her to health, the two became close and started a relationship. However, her possession by the 12th Herrscher forced Kallen to seal her away alongside the Herrscher of the Erosion. Sakura Yae is the main protagonist of the Open World mode "Sakura Samsara".

Kallen Kaslana (カレン・カスラナ, Karen Kasurana)

Voiced by: Nana Mizuki (Japanese)

A member of the Kaslana House from 500 years in the past. The most powerful Valkyrie in existence at her time, Kallen defected from Schicksal when she discovered the horrific experiments that Schicksal was performing, fleeing with a box containing the will of the 12th Herrscher, the Herrscher of the Erosion. She is rescued and nursed to health by Sakura Yae and the two form an intimate relationship, but she is forced to put down her lover when Sakura becomes possessed by the 12th Herrscher.

Rita Rossweisse (リタ・ロスヴァイセ, Rita Rosuvaise)

Voiced by: Aoi Yuuki (Japanese)

Rita is a maid at Schicksal headquarters, an S-rank valkyrie, the vice captain of team Immortal Blades and is an adjutant of Durandal. She is a top-class assassin and combatant and is later revealed to be Otto Apocalypse's primary enforcer. Rita, befitting of a maid, is consistently polite to everyone around her, including her enemies, and displays a penchant for cleanliness. However, she is also ruthless, methodical, and cunning, unafraid to get her hands dirty and take down anyone in her path. Rita serves as a major foe to the Valkyries after they defect from Schicksal.

Rozaliya Olenyeva (ロザリヤ・アリーン, Rozariya Ariin)

Voiced by: Aoi Koga (Japanese)

The oldest of Olenyeva twins. She and her twin sister, Liliya created their own idol duo called Vodka Girls. She is cheerful compared to Liliya.

Liliya Olenyeva (リリヤ・アリーン, Ririya Ariin)

Voiced by: Yuu Serizawa (Japanese)

The youngest of Olenyeva twins. She is quite emotionless and slow-voiced compared to Rozaliya.

Seele Vollerei (ゼーレ・フェレライ, Zeere Fererai)

Voiced by: Mai Nakahara (Japanese)

A girl from Cocolia's orphanage and Bronya's best friend. She is a coward and shy person, but is very warm and spirited when she's with Bronya. She's often bullied by Sin Mal, who keeps on calling her "stupid". Seele is later revealed to have a stigmata residing within her body, that causes her to have 'her another violent personality'. After learning that Bronya is chosen as a subject of Cocolia's X-10 experiment, she quickly volunteers to take over her place. However, she enters a quantum state and her body disappears into the quantum world while being experimented.

Schicksal affiliates

Otto Apocalypse (オットー・アポカリプス, Ottoo Apokaripusu)

Voiced by: Akira Ishida (Japanese)

The Overseer of Schicksal who created Theresa and adopted her as his own grandchild. Despite his seemingly charismatic appearance, he is known to those outside of Schicksal for his cruel and ruthless persona, and it is later revealed that his true goal is to attain power within his control akin to that of a god by awakening the 2nd Herrscher sealed within Kiana's body then suppressing her by awakening Kiana's soul within her, creating a human with Herrscher powers.

Ai-chan (戦艦AI, Aichan)

Voiced by: Yui Horie (Japanese)

An artificial intelligence who controls the system of Schicksal.

Siegfried Kaslana (ジークフリート・カスラナ, Jiikufuriito Kasurana)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese)

Kiana's biological father who went missing when she was 12. He wields the weapon known as the Judgement of Shamash, the full power of which he used against Sirin during the 2nd Honkai War and was subsequently killed by due to the weapon inflicting mortal injuries on himself. Siegfried sports a playful, generally laidback and carefree personality and is known by his colleagues as a womanizer. An illusion of Siegfried appears to Kiana during her hallucinations.

Cecilia Schariac (セシリア・シャニアテ, Seshiria Shaniate)

Voiced by: Yuu Kobayashi (Japanese)

Kiana's deceased biological mother. Known as the most powerful Valkyrie in existence at her time, Cecilia was killed when Schicksal bombed Siberia during her battle with Sirin, the 2nd Herrscher, in the 2nd Honkai War. She appears before Kiana during her hallucinations, and displays a gentle, loving sense of care towards Kiana.

Durandal (デュランダル, Dyurandaru)

Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (Japanese)

An S-rank valkyrie who wields Black Orchid and White Lily, the weapon used by Cecilia.

Anti-Entropy affiliates

Voiced by: Misa Katou (Japanese)

Albert Einstein (アインシュタイン, Ainshutain)

Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga (Japanese)

Nikola Tesla (テスラ, Tesura)

Voiced by: Ayana Taketatsu (Japanese)

Joachim Nokianvirtanen (ヨアヒム, Yoahimu)

Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya, Mariya Ise (young) (Japanese)

Herrschers

Welt Yang

The 1st Herrscher. Known as the Herresher of Reason

Voiced by: Sakura Tange (Japanese)

The 2nd Herrscher, also known as the Herrscher of the Void. Sirin has the ability to command space and immerse the space and entities around her into a pocket dimension of her own creation. During the 2nd Honkai War, Sirin was killed by Schicksal when Schicksal bombed Siberia, killing both her and Cecilia Schariac. Her DNA was later used to create K423, a clone of Kiana Kaslana that houses Sirin's soul within her. Sirin was reawakened by Otto Apocalypse when K423 was captured by Fu Hua and subsequently infused with massive amounts of Honkai energy, but is ultimately subdued by Himeko, causing her to relinquish control of her body to Kiana. Sirin displays an arrogant, demeaning personality, treating humanity like insects and toys that she intends to destroy.

Mei Raiden

The 3rd Herrsher. Also known as the Herrscher of Lightning

Wendy (ウェンディー, Wendii)

Voiced by: Ryouko Maekawa (Japanese)

The fourth Herrscher. A crippled young girl who has been infused with the Gem of Desire. The operation that Schicksal performed on her to implant the Gem of Desire caused her to lose the ability to use her legs, spurring hatred towards Schicksal deep enough to cause a Honkai Eruption. She eventually forms a bond with Bronya, who was similarly mistreated by others, but when Bronya is hijacked by Cocolia and attacks, Wendy's feelings of betrayal cause her to transform into a Herrscher. She is ultimately defeated by Kiana and Mei but is captured by Anti-Entropy forces and taken to ME Corp for further experimentation.

Development

Graphics and art

Honkai Impact 3rd features 3D animated characters with anime-style cel shading. In-game, the playable character (usually Valkyries) is shown from a third-person angle. Weapons are also depicted in 3D models and are actually displayed during fighting, with some weapons displaying special attack effects. The game also includes 2D illustrations of stigmata, many of which are historical characters who are depicted as young female versions of the original.

Cinematics

The game also includes several animated stills as well as fully rendered cinematic cutscenes in key points of its plot. These in-game plotline cinematics include Will of the Herrscher, Final Lesson, and Cyberangel: ZERO Exception Another video, Reburn was released earlier than Will of the Herrscher and Final Lesson though it would appear that it takes place later in the plotline. miHoYo also released a number of MMD videos where game characters dance to Japanese pop music as part of their technical demo portfolio, including Kiana Kaslana dancing to Gokuraku Jodou (by GARNiDELiA), Mei Raiden dancing to Kimiiro ni Somaru (by Nishizawasan-P), and Yae Sakura dancing to Tougen Renka (by GARNiDELiA).

Audio and music

The music of Honkai Impact 3rd is written, composed, and played internally, featuring fast-paced techno beats as well as atmospheric melodies to match the fast-paced combat. Several feature songs for in-game cinematics were also written by miHoYo and sung by celebrity singers, including Befall sung by Shang Wenjie, Nightglow by Tanya Chua, and Cyberangel by hanser, the Chinese voice actor for Bronya Zaychik.

Lead characters also have voice acting available in Chinese and Japanese.

Manga

Honkai Impact 3rd also features an ongoing serialized manhua of the same name in Chinese and in English. The manga narrates story arcs that supplement (instead of repeating) the in-game plot, and often include back stories of many characters such as Bronya Zaychik, Theresa Apocalypse, Yae Sakura, and Kallen Kaslana. Several in-game battlesuits worn by the Valkyries are also illustrated in the manga as well.

Reception

IGN reported that Honkai Impact 3rd gathered a total of 35 million downloads worldwide as of March 28, 2018.

External links

Official website-asia