Honkai Impact 3rd, which was Hoyoverse's big action RPG before Genshin Impact ate all the money in the universe, is gearing up for a relaunch of sorts with its Part 2 update, a massive patch bringing a whole new storyline. It's coming to PC and mobile this Thursday, February 29, and I can already tell I'll end up trying this Hoyo game too, especially now that it's on Steam (with 72% positive reviews, if you're curious).
Genshin Impact is still a gaming mainstay for me, and while I wasn't keen on the Zenless Zone Zero beta, I did thoroughly enjoy Hoyoverse's most recent release, Honkai Star Rail. Honkai Impact 3rd is something I've only ever known by reputation, so Part 2 presents an appealing jumping-on point.
Not knowing a thing about what happened in Honkai Impact 3rd Part 1 and Part 1.5, I'm going to sum it all up as: a lot of stuff went down and there were some really cool impact frames. Part 2 takes us to a metropolis on Mars where we'll follow a new gang of characters led by three girls: Senadina, Helia, and Coralie. The panda-colored girl fed up with it all is Coralie, and my immediate favorite.
The game's previous protagonist, Kiana, seems to have been sidelined, and this dramatic change, as well as some other updates in Part 2, has some long-time Honkai Impact 3rd fans feeling a little worried. But again, I don't know what's going on here, so to Mars we go.
Another big draw with Part 2 is how it revitalizes an already fast-paced combat system. Hoyo says it's improved enemy AI and focused on aerial attacks this time around, and the attack animations for the new characters look slick. I also like what I've seen of the city and art style so far, and Hoyoverse soundtracks pretty much never miss, so Part 2 is sure to get at least a tentative trial from me. I'm already a little scared of its many currencies, but I'll almost never say no to a free action RPG.
You can watch the hour-long Part 2 special program for more details straight from the devs.
Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts veterans have a slick new action-RPG coming this year, and it's now confirmed for a global release.
