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 3D action game developed by miHoYo with anime art style for the mobile platform and first released in China in late 2016. It is the third main title in the Houkai series. The game features full-3D rendering and action-based gameplay. The game attracted a fanbase in Asia, reaching 1 million downloads in Japan 11 days after local launch and 35 million downloads as of April 12, 2018, with further releases in Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe. The game was also released in multiple languages, including Simplified Chinese (original language), Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, French, and German.

Gameplay

File:Honkai Impact 3rd in-game screenshot.png

Valkyrie Himeko Murata facing several Zombies.

Players assume the role of the Captain of the Hyperion, a flying battleship constructed by Schicksal. The Captain then leads a squad of Valkyries of the Far East Branch in a linear campaign and other branch missions. The Captain chooses the missions, stages, or adventures to take and deploys Valkyries from the roster. The Captain has to suit up the Valkyries with various types of weapons and stigmata (genetic memory implants) to help them survive in fights against the Honkai, a supernatural entity that seemed bent on destroying humanity.

Some in-game loot is acquired via a gacha game mechanic where Crystals are used to acquire supply crates that provide various types of consumables and equipment. Events that offer limited-edition gear may become available during real-world holidays or occasions.

Fights are largely PvE, but players may engage in indirect competition via game modes like the Memorial Arena or Infinity Abyss where their Valkyrie squads are pitted against increasingly difficult enemies. Players who could defeat enemies with great technical skill and in the shortest time possible will earn higher scores in the leaderboards.

Combat mechanics

Combat mechanics in Honkai Impact 3rd reference those of Bayonetta and Devil May Cry action games. Valkyries are deployed into the battlefield and players control them via a 3rd person camera perspective.

• Attacks: Valkyries attack using basic attacks, combo attacks (performed by tapping a button sequence), or charged attacks (performed by tap-and-holding the attack button). Hitting enemies with basic attacks generate SP for the Valkyrie. SP is a form of energy that must be used to cast weapon skills or ultimates.
• Dodge and defense: Valkyries can evade or raise their shields (Bronya) to dodge or block enemy attacks. Ultimate evasions or perfect defenses are evasions or defenses performed at good timing, and trigger "evasion skills" with special effects that Valkyries can take advantage of.
• Switch and QTE: In most missions and challenges, Valkyries are deployed in teams of 3. The player can "switch" in a Valkyrie (and initiates a rest cooldown for the Valkyrie switching out that must be completed before she can be deployed again). Most Valkyries have a "switch" attack where she strikes the enemy when entering the battlefield. When certain effects are triggered, a special "switch" known as "QTE" may be activated for specific Valkyries (indicated by flashing light around her). Switching in the Valkyrie at that time allows her to perform the QTE skill that tends to be more powerful than the "switch" attack. A number of Valkyries and stigmata also confer "switch" out skills (such as Celestial Hymn).
• Ultimates: Valkyries have a special ultimate that usually costs a lot of SP to perform and have a lengthy cooldown.
• Weapon skills: Some weapons provide active skills that can be cast to deal more DMG, provide buffs, or inflict debuffs on the enemies.
• Passives: Many weapons, stigmata, and Valkyries themselves have passive bonuses that apply during the course of battle when the right conditions are present.

Plot

The following content is based on most up-to-date version (v3.0) released in the China servers. The game starts in the year 2016 with the first playable character, Kiana Kaslana. Other Valkyries such as Mei Raiden and Bronya Zaychik are then introduced and become available in the roster as the story progresses.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead!

Chapter I: Dusk, Girls, Battleship

Kiana Kaslana, a young Valkyrie in training, was dispatched on a mission to stop a runaway battleship the Selene from crashing into a city. While trying to bring the Selene under control, Bronya Zaychik became infected and turned against her friends. Kiana and Mei managed to subdue her. The Valkyries successfully reined in the Selene and steered it to St. Freya High School (where the girls were being trained to become full-fledged Valkyries).

Chapter II: Voice in the Dreams

The young trainee Valkyries Kiana, Mei, and Bronya prepared for their final examination, with Kiana experiencing strange dreams during sleep where a mysterious voice told her about her father Siegfried Kaslana who went missing several years ago and mother Cecilia Schariac whom she never met. The final exam was further complicated with the sudden visit of Rita Rossweisse, an agent dispatched by Schicksal HQ. Kiana managed to beat the final challenge with her friends' help only to pass out after the grueling fight and encountering the mysterious voice again.

Chapter III: Poem of the Wind

The newly minted Valkyries Kiana, Mei, and Bronya were then dispatched to Schicksal Oceania Branch to recover one of the four Herrscher gems, the Gem of Desire. Just before their arrival, a Honkai eruption took place and wiped out the Oceania Branch, leaving a survivor named Wendy, an ex-Valkyrie whose body was used as the vessel for holding the unstable Gem. The Valkyries then found out that Wendy caused the Honkai eruption as a result of her hatred against Schicksal for rendering her a cripple unable to walk. While the Valkyries struggled to defeat Wendy in her Wind Herrscher form, Bronya was again controlled by Anti-Entropy enforcer Cocolia (and Bronya's adoptive mother in the orphanage). Bronya and Anti-Entropy Titan mechs subdued and captured Wendy and Mei while Kiana was left behind.

Chapter IV: Betrayal has a Silvery Smile

Valkyrie instructor Himeko Murata, Principal Theresa Apocalypse, and Kiana then went on a mission to rescue Mei. The Valkyries infiltrated ME Corp (forcibly acquired by Anti-Entropy) to find Bronya guarding Mei. Bronya chose to disobey her adoptive mother Cocolia by burning out her brain chip, allowing the Valkyries to escape with Mei and an unconscious Bronya.

Chapter V: Tundra Reunion

To find a cure for Bronya, Principal Theresa went to the secret archives beneath the St. Freya cathedral. Kiana secretly followed and dove into the virtual archives as well, only to find herself in a historical rendering of Siberia in the year 2000 during the 2nd Honkai War. She met her father Siegfried Kaslana, Theresa (a historical rendition that did not recognize Kiana), and even her mother Cecilia Schariac.

Chapter VI: Babylon's Prisoner

Kiana entered the Tower of Babylon, a research facility operated by Schicksal, and fought alongside her mother Cecilia to defeat Sirin, the 2nd Herrscher and the cause of the 2nd Honkai Eruption. The true Principal Theresa suddenly appeared and questioned Kiana how she got into the archives. Fu Hua then entered the scene and revealed her true identity as a Schicksal agent with orders to subdue Kiana and bring her to Schicksal HQ, a floating island above the Mediterranean, which she did successfully.

Chapters VII and VIII

After her capture, Overseer Otto Apocalypse (the leader of Schicksal and one of the most powerful individual in the world) exposed Kiana to extremely high levels of Honkai energy to awaken the Gem of Serenity within her and bring back the 2nd Herrscher Sirin. It turned out that Otto never intended to fight the Honkai, but instead planned to use it for his own selfish ends. Theresa Apocalypse chose to rebel against Schicksal and allied her forces with Anti-Entropy scientists Einstein and Tesla to stop Otto. The assault on Schicksal HQ resulted in Tesla and Himeko being defeated and captured.

Chapter IX

Sirin (acting through her host body Kiana) wreaked havoc, defeating Mei and taking the Gem of Conquest from her. While the battle raged on, Fu Hua secretly freed Himeko and Tesla. The latter then ventured through the Helheim labs and located a prototype Godsbane battlesuit (Vermilion Knight: Eclipse) and an anti-Honkai serum. Himeko armed herself and arrived at the battle scene where she fought the 2nd Herrscher Sirin. In desperation, Einstein unleashed an underpowered blast of the anti-Honkai beam. Though appearing to be wounded, Sirin was able to seek refuge in Imaginary Space.

Benares, Sirin's dragon, then attacked the Hyperion. Himeko bested the beast, only to be dragged into Imaginary Space where the fully recovered Sirin fought her again. After a brutal fight, Himeko managed to deliver the anti-Honkai serum, freeing Kiana from Sirin's possession. Meanwhile, Theresa and Anti-Entropy forces were forced to flee Schicksal HQ when defeat seemed certain. Sirin's reawakening had initiated a global scale disaster that devastated the entire planet for four months. Only several large cities remained standing. The whereabouts of Himeko and Kiana, however, remained elusive.

Chapter IX: EX1

4 months passed after the reawakening of Sirin. Global devastation ensued, leaving only a number of metropolises, such as Arc City, as the last bastions of human civilization. The rebel Valkyries led by Theresa as well as Drs. Einstein and Tesla from AE tried to meet with an intel dealer named Gray Serpent in Arc City. Meanwhile, Overseer Otto Apocalypse of Schicksal dispatched Rita Rossweisse to hunt down the same info as well. Rita killed the Gray Serpent and laid down a trap to finish off the rebels. The rebels were forced to fight for their survival.

Chapter IX: EX2

The rebel Valkyries led by Theresa and Drs. Einstein and Tesla fled Arc City and tried to wake the Ningyo (a human quantum computer they acquired during their foiled mission in Arc City), but suddenly receives a call from Cocolia, Bronya's Matushka from her time in Cocolia's orphanage. Cocolia convinced the girls to meet her at a designated location to relocate the Gem of Desire. However, her transmission was interrupted by Gray Serpent (the one killed in Chapter IX-1 obviously being a duplicate of himself) who hacked into the battleship. Bronya tried to counter this threat and faced her inner demons once more.

Chapter X

The rebels arrived at the coordinates given to them by Cocolia, an underwater Previous Era ruin known as The Deep. The Deep happens to be the locale of the Eye of the Deep, an entranceway to the Sea of Quanta built during the Previous Era. Cocolia claimed to have lost the Gem of Desire in the Sea, and requested the rebels to get it back. After fighting off a Schicksal attack, the rebels tried to locate the Gem while Bronya refused to reconcile her differences with Cocolia given the latter's history of manipulating her to do harm to her friends (Wendy and Mei), though she remained on good terms with old friends in the orphanage (the Olenyeva twins Rozaliya and Liliya). On the day the girls were supposed to venture into the Sea of Quanta, Dr. Einstein went missing while an ancient terror emerged from the Eye. After a difficult battle, Bronya decided to enter the Sea on her own. The chapter ended with Bronya meeting a mysterious young boy in a strange environment.

Factions

The story of Honkai Impact 3rd takes place in a parallel universe.

Honkai

The Honkai is a supernatural phenomenon that manifests itself in many ways, including infectious diseases (and even digital viruses), infected humans (zombies), natural disasters, Honkai beasts, and Herrschers, possessed humans with superpowers that defy physical laws. The Honkai threat will be the primary adversary for the player (Captain of the battleship Hyperion). Interestingly, Honkai grows and evolves with human civilization and technological progress, and appears to be dedicated to its ultimate goal of destroying humanity. Ironically, energy is also extremely useful, and several human organizations have harnessed it to generate massive power.

Schicksal

Schicksal (German word for Fate) is a human organization established in Europe to fight against the Honkai. Three large families (Apocalypse, Schariac, and Kaslana) lead Schicksal. This organization eventually became one of the most powerful forces on Earth, with regional branches established throughout the world. Schicksal is ruled by an Overseer, who is also essentially one of the most powerful individual on the planet. The current ruling Overseer of Schicksal is Otto Apocalypse.

In addition to regional branches, Schicksal also has a number of military and research divisions. The Valkyries (or Valkyrja in Old Norse) were units of gifted female warriors who exhibited certain degrees of Honkai resistance. These warriors would eventually become the leading military arm of Schicksal and considered humanity's best defense for fighting the Honkai. Research labs and facilities such as Helheim and St.1504 to develop technologies that include advanced mechs and Honkai-powered weaponry.

An important Schicksal facility to the player would be St. Freya High, a Valkyrie training school established by Theresa Apocalypse (adopted granddaughter of Overseer Otto).

Anti-Entropy

Anti-Entropy (AE) used to be the North America Branch of Schicksal until it declared its independence in 1955 after the New York incident where dissident scientists Tesla, Einstein, and a Herrscher named Welt Joyce fought off Otto's attempts to keep them under Schicksal leadership. Unlike Schicksal, AE preferred fighting the Honkai using heavy-duty mech units instead of Valkyries.

World Serpent

A secretive organization named after Jormungand (also known as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent). The World Serpent does not believe in fighting the Honkai, and believes that humanity can only survive by finding out how to co-exist with the Honkai.

ME Corp

Massive Electric Corporation. This is a high-tech company once directed by Ryoma Raiden. Mei Raiden, one of the Valkyries controlled by the player, used to be the heiress to this multi-billion company until her father's fall from grace.

Locations

St. Freya High

A high school founded by Theresa Apocalypse for training gifted girls into Valkyries. Kiana, Mei, and Bronya start off in the Honkai Impact 3rd game as students here, while Himeko Murata works there as a Valkyrie instructor.

Nagazora City

A fictional locale of the 2014 Honkai Outbreak that transformed the city's residents into zombies or Honkai beasts. Nagazora is also where the headquarters of ME Corp (Massive Electric Corporation) was located.

Schicksal HQ

The headquarters of Schicksal, the most powerful organization on Earth, is a high-tech floating island complex in the skies above the Mediterranean. The location was introduced in Chapter 8 and serves as the second open world location in the game. Schicksal HQ is furnished with high-tech labs and factories, and is most likely the place where Overseer Otto Apocalypse himself resides.

Soukai City

A fictional city located in Shenzhou. It has a massive population, and St. Freya High can be found just nearby. The in-game company known as miHoYo can be found in this city as well.

Yae Village

A fictional village in Shinano Province. This is the location where the Sakura Samsara open world takes place.

Arc City

A fictional high-tech metropolis located in Shenzhou introduced in Chapter IX-1. One of the few surviving cities after the 3rd Honkai Eruption that took place in 2016.

The Deep

A fictional underwater ruin from the Previous Era at the Mariana Trench introduced in Chapter X. Despite it being deep underwater, the place is quite well-lit thanks to bioluminescence. The Eye of the Deep, a rift linking to the Sea of Quanta, can be found here.

Sea of Quanta

An imaginary space that serves as a pond collecting matter and flotsam from other parallel universes.

Timeline

The timeline of events of Honkai Impact 3rd can be referenced from its Story, Chronicles, and official manga.

• circa 50000 years ago: The high-tech, world-spanning human civilization of the Previous Era was defeated by the Honkai. The survivors went on to find the Current Era (modern world).
• 2717 BC: The first instance of Honkai-infested animals (Honkai beasts) was recorded.
• 14th century AD: Schicksal, an organization established in Europe, began to fight back against the Honkai using new weapons and achieved an advantage in the Honkai War.
• 1470 AD: Honkai initiated the Great Plague in Europe, killing millions of people. In the same year, Schicksal initiated an eastward campaign to conquer Asia.
• 1475 AD: The armies of Schicksal suffered a defeat against the Ming Empire in the Battle of the Kipchak Steppes.
• 1478 AD: Kallen Kaslana, a Valkyrie and legend of her times, was executed by Schicksal for theft of a key artifact.
• 1952 AD: 1st Honkai Eruption. The city of Berlin was the epicenter and the eruption essentially destroyed the city. The 1st Herrscher (codename: Ω, later given the name Welt Joyce) was recovered from this event.
• 1955 AD: The North America Branch of Schicksal declared independence and renamed itself Anti-Entropy.
• 1972 AD: Birth of Theresa Apocalypse, a vat-grown clone of Kallen Kaslana with some added Honkai genes.
• 2000 AD: 2nd Honkai Eruption. The event took place in Siberia at the Tower of Babylon (a research facility owned by Schicksal). To defeat the 2nd Herrscher (Sirin), Schicksal mobilized its entire Valkyrie forces and launched all its Honkai fissile munitions. Siberia and the Russian Far East were destroyed.
• 2014 AD: Honkai Outbreak in Nagazora. The event was contained and the 3rd Herrscher (Mei Raiden) was enrolled as a student in St. Freya High to be monitored by Schicksal.
• 2016 AD: 3rd Honkai Eruption. The event took place at Schicksal HQ itself when the 2nd Herrscher (Sirin) was revived in the body of a host. The world was devastated in the 4 months that followed, leaving only a few metropolises as the final bastions of human civilization.

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

Voiced by

陶典 (Chinese) and 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.

Kiana typically fights with dual pistols using the special House Kaslana gun kata. Her in-game combat outfits include:

• White Comet (3rd generation battlesuit)
• Valkyrie Ranger (school uniform)
• Divine Prayer (formal habit)
• Knight Moonbeam (4th generation battlesuit)
• Herrscher of the Void (a mysterious and powerful battlesuit)

Mei Raiden 雷電芽衣

Voiced by

纯良少女小菊花酱 (Chinese) and Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese);

Mei was born to 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 became a criminal following accusations of fraud and economic crimes. Mei was then transformed into a Herrscher (named by Schicksal as the 3rd Herrscher) and initiated the 2014 Nagazora Outbreak that literally 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.

Mei was trained, from an early age, in the kenjutsu of Hokushin-Itto-Ryu, and is considered a master in the blade arts. Her in-game combat outfits include:

• Crimson Impulse (3rd generation battlesuit)
• Valkyrie Bladestrike (school uniform)
• Shadow Dash (old school armor)
• Lightning Empress (elementalist battlesuit)
• Striker Fulminata (Augmented Combat Raiment developed by Dr. Tesla)

Bronya Zaychik ブローニャ・ザイチク

Voiced by

hanser (Chinese) and Kana Asumi (Japanese);

Bronya was born in Russian 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 defeated 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.

Bronya's Project Bunny allows her to wield vehicle-mounted heavy weaponry. Her in-game combat outfits include:

• Yamabuki Armor (3rd generation battlesuit)
• Valkyrie Chariot (school uniform)
• Wolf's Dawn (formal attire)
• Snowy Sniper (military garb)
• Dimension Breaker (customized game avatar)
• Black Nucleus (AE combat harness)
• Drive Kometa (Augmented Combat Raiment developed by Dr. Tesla)

Himeko Murata 無量塔姫子

Voiced by

林簌 (Chinese) and 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.

Himeko is a skilled 2-handed weapon user. Her in-game combat outfits include:

• Battle Storm (simple garb)
• Valkyrie Triumph (formal uniform)
• Scarlet Fusion (prototype Nexus battlesuit)
• Blood Rose (ballroom outfit)
• Arctic Kriegsmesser (pre-3rd generation battlesuit)
• Vermilion Knight: Eclipse (4th generation battlesuit)

Theresa Apocalypse テレサ・アポカリプス

Voiced by

Sky花玲 (Chinese) and Yukari Tamura (Japanese);

Theresa is a vat-grown clone of the legendary Valkyrie Kallen Kaslana spliced with Honkai beast genes 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.

Theresa has extraordinary strength that allow her to carry massive cruciform weapons around. Her in-game combat outfits include:

• Valkyrie Pledge (school uniform)
• Violet Executer (battlesuit)
• Sakuno Rondo (Japanese miko outfit)
• Celestial Hymn (formal dress)
• Blood Knight: Moonlight (4th generation battlesuit)

Fu Hua フカ

Voiced by

BananaMace (Chinese) and 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.

Hailing from Shenzhou, Fu Hua is a skilled martial artist and fights with punches and kicks. Her in-game combat outfits include:

• Valkyrie Accipiter (school uniform)
• Night Squire (formal outfit)
• Shadow Knight (4th generation battlesuit)
• Phoenix (a more traditional looking outfit)

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 is 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 and Final Lesson. 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 and Nightglow by Tanya Chua.

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

Manga

Honkai Impact 3rd also features an ongoing serialized manga of the same name in Chinese (original language) 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