Honkai Impact 3rd

Honkai Impact 3rd is a free-to-play 3D action role-playing game developed and published by miHoYo (with publishing outside mainland China under Cognosphere, d/b/a HoYoverse). It is the spiritual successor to Houkai Gakuen 2, using many characters from the previous title in a 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. It features gacha mechanics. It was first released on mobile devices and later ported to Microsoft Windows.

A massive expansion of the game, titled Honkai Impact 3rd Part 2 was released on February 29, 2024. Built upon the existing game, the update marks the start of the second major story arc of the game, with new characters, reworked UI, an updated engine, and a shift from a mission-based structure to a limited open-world structure.

In addition to the game, the storyline of Honkai Impact 3rd spans multiple supplementary media including a series of animated shorts, multiple manhua series, and promotional videos.

Etymology
The word "Honkai" based on the Japanese 崩壊 (ほうかい, "collapse" or "decay"), pronounced "hōkai", which is the direct translation of the Chinese 崩坏 (bēng huài) used in the original Chinese title. The "Impact" part of the title is absent from both the Chinese and Japanese versions, and is only used in English marketing.

In-game, the term 'Honkai Impact' (also 'Honkai Eruption' or 'Honkai Outbreak') refers to a large-scale Honkai disaster that coincides with the birth of a Herrscher.

Gameplay
Honkai Impact 3rd has players control a team of up to three characters, known as Valkyries, in real-time combat against various enemies. During battle, players may freely switch between characters and move around the battlefield. Each Valkyrie has unique attack, evasion, switch, and ultimate skills, as well as a type. The three main types: Mecha, Biologic, and Psychic, are based on a rock-paper-scissors-based system, wherein types are advantaged and disadvantaged depending on both the enemy type and their own type. The two additional types, Quantum and Imaginary, are disadvantaged over each other, neutral towards the above three types, and advantaged over themselves. A third additional type, Stardust, is advantaged towards itself and neutral to all other types. Valkyrie stats and skills can be changed with various weapons and equipment, which can be improved by using in-game resources. New equipment (known as Stigmata), weapons, and Valkyries can obtained either through in-game crafting or through a gacha system.

Single-player game modes include the Story campaign, consisting of stages punctuated by dialogue in cutscenes and full motion videos (FMVs); Chronicles, a series of brief side stories that explore Valkyries' backstories or other aspects of the world; and Open World, allowing exploration of several large open-ended fields to gather materials and complete various challenge tasks, coupled with their own storylines.

The game features various multiplayer cooperative and competitive modes, such as Memorial Arena, where players compete against a set of bosses for the highest score across the server; Abyss, where players attempt to progress as far as possible through a gauntlet of battles to compete for high scores against others in a small group, etc. Players are able to join groups of other players, called Armadas, which allow for more opportunities for events and rewards. Armadas allow for limited requesting of materials and resources from other players in the Armada.

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 other's decorated dorm layouts.

Secondary gameplay mechanics include various minigames incorporating bullet hell, platforming, and shoot 'em up elements that allow players to gather various crafting and experience materials. Limited-time seasonal events may also include gameplay styles such as dungeon crawling and battle royale which are not normally seen in the main gameplay modes.

Weapons
Each Valkyrie can equip one type of weapon. The weapon types in the game are dual pistols, blades (katanas), heavy (cannons), greatswords, crosses, fists (gauntlets), scythes, lances, bows, chakrams, javelins, drive cores (yo-yos,) rapid-fire crossbows, rocket hammers, chained blades, and mechanical staffs.

Players can obtain weapons through shop purchases, crafting, and the gacha system, among other methods. After players obtain weapons, they can upgrade the weapons to improve their attribute effects.

After reaching player level 50 and weapon level 50, some weapons can be further upgraded into PRI-ARMs, changing their design, attributes, and effects. However, players will not be able to increase the maximum weapon level until reaching player level 81.

Stigmata
Each Valkyrie can equip three Stigmata. Players can increase their characters' attack, defense, critical chance, and other attribute effects while those characters wear various Stigmata.

The Stigmata system can be divided into three types: top, middle, and bottom, which correspond to the types of attack, defense, and auxiliary. Players can also activate different set effects when wearing two or three Stigmata of the same set. Players can obtain Stigmata through the gacha, stage completion, events, and crafting. After players obtain a Stigmata, they can enhance, upgrade, and refine it to improve the Stigmata's stats and effects.

Item enhancement
Players can enhance Valkyrie stats by enhancing (leveling-up) weapons and Stigmata. Stigmata level up requires a different EXP item type than weapons. Upon enhancement, the equipment can get a better attribute effect bonus.

Item upgrading
Players can improve the attribute effect of equipment by upgrading weapons and Stigmata. All weapons or Stigmata can upgrade the star level through an upgrade. After upgrading, the maximum level limit increases, allowing stronger effects. More advanced weapons and Stigmata require more advanced upgrade materials. Players can obtain upgrade materials by challenging stages, pulling in the gacha, and purchasing in stores.

Currency
The main currencies are crystals and coins, which have various non-premium obtaining methods. Asterite is a currency obtained from various miscellaneous sources throughout the game and can be exchanged for supplies in specific shops. Many of the game's gameplay modes and events each have their own corresponding currencies and shops.

Setting
Honkai Impact 3rd is set in an alternate version of Earth, plagued by catastrophes resulting from the Honkai. The Honkai is largely viewed as a malevolent force with a will of its own. It has the ability to corrupt humans (ranging from mind manipulation and diseases to turning them into undead creatures), create various monsters, and imbue certain individuals with god-like powers, enabling them to trigger apocalyptic events. These super-powered humans are known as Herrschers. The Honkai is a cyclic phenomenon, returning to test civilization on Earth each time it gets too advanced.

The game takes place in the year 2015 of the Current Era, with the technologically-advanced Previous Era having ended 50,000 years prior. In the Current Era, various global factions exist to combat or take advantage of the power of Honkai. These include Schicksal, a European-based peacekeeping organization that deploys human warriors known as Valkyries to combat the Honkai; Anti-Entropy, formerly the North American branch of Schicksal that objected to the use of human soldiers in favor of mechanized robots; and World Serpent, a shadow organization that has been manipulating events since the end of the Previous Era.

Three Herrscher awakenings (or Impacts) have already occurred in the Current Era: the Herrscher of Reason, who became the leader of Anti-Entropy instead of fighting humanity; the Herrscher of the Void, who was defeated by Schicksal and Anti-Entropy in 2000; and the Herrscher of Thunder, who was prevented from fully awakening and sent to train as a Valkyrie at Schicksal's St. Freya Academy.

Non-player characters

 * Kevin Kaslana (Voiced by: 🇨🇳 Qin Qiege, 🇯🇵 Satoshi Hino). A member of the 13 Flamechasers of The Previous Era, ranked 1st, also the current head of World Serpent and the first Kaslana, codenamed "Deliverance". His strength allowed him to eliminate a lot of Previous Era's Herrschers. He acts as an antagonist throughout the majority of the story.
 * Otto Apocalypse (Voiced by: 🇨🇳 Zhao Lu, 🇯🇵 Akira Ishida). A 500-year-old human genius, head of Schicksal for most of that time. He acts as the main antagonist in the first part of the story. He had a strong affection for Kallen Kaslana and was primarily motivated by his goal to revive her.
 * Welt Yang (Voiced by: 🇨🇳 Dai Chaohang, Nuo Ya (young), 🇯🇵 Yoshimasa Hosoya, Mariya Ise (young)). The second Herrscher of Reason and the current head of Anti Entropy, whose true name is Joachim Nokianvirtanen. He inherited his name from the first Herrscher of Reason.
 * Frederica Nikola Tesla (Voiced by: 🇨🇳 Le Xiaotong, 🇯🇵 Ayana Taketatsu) and Lieserl Albert Einstein (Voiced by: 🇨🇳 Qin Ziyi, 🇯🇵 Mitsuki Saiga) are Anti Entropy scientists that frequently help the main cast. They have been involved in Anti-Entropy leaving Schicksal and research on the 9th Divine Key. They age slower due to complications during the latter's events.
 * Su (Voiced by: 🇨🇳 Yang Chaoran, 🇯🇵 Takahiro Sakurai). A member of the 13 Flamechasers, ranked 7th, codenamed "Bodhi" and MOTH scientist/doctor. He is a friend to Kevin. He is the perceived antagonist of the manga volume "Second Key", during which he sends Durandal through tribulations in a bubble universe called Seed of Sumeru.
 * Dr. MEI (Voiced by: 🇨🇳 Juhuahua, 🇯🇵 Miyuki Sawashiro). A previous era scientist who led humanity's effort against the Honkai, creating various projects to combat the phenomenon. She bears a resemblance to the Current Era's Raiden Mei, but is otherwise unrelated. She had a romantic relationship with Kevin Kaslana.
 * Cecilia Schariac (Voiced by: 🇨🇳 Fumeng Ruowei, 🇯🇵 Yū Kobayashi). One of Schicksal's most powerful Valkyries and mother to Kiana Kaslana, she plays a significant role in the events of the Second Honkai War. She is a main character in the manga "Second Eruption".
 * Siegfried Kaslana (Voiced by: 🇨🇳 Peng Bo, 🇯🇵 Tomokazu Seki). A Schicksal Knight and father of Kiana Kaslana. After the events of the Second Honkai War, he acted against Schicksal and World Serpent. Later, they captured him and kept him in the Kaslana Stigma Space.
 * Kalpas (Voiced by: 🇨🇳 Kinsen, 🇯🇵 Yūsuke Kobayashi). A member of the 13 Flamechasers of the Previous Era, ranked 6th, and codenamed "Decimation". He has been fused with the Honkai Beast Asura. He is most likely not human but rather an alien humanoid.
 * Kosma (Voiced by: 🇨🇳 Chu Huazheng, 🇯🇵 Chiaki Kobayashi). A member of the 13 Flamechasers of the Previous Era, ranked 9th, and codenamed "Daybreak". He has been fused with the Honkai Beast Vishnu.

Development
The production team for Honkai Impact 3rd grew from a 7-person start to employing over 200 employees in 2018. miHoYo offers small amounts of in-game currency to users that fill out surveys about their experience in the game, allowing the game's developers to adjust future events and tweak the game. As a result, Honkai Impact 3rd is under a continuous-update system, patching bug fixes and changing or adding content multiple times per year. The game has had many significant changes since launch, including rewriting the entire first two chapters of the story in a December 2018 update. The developers stated that their decision to make Honkai Impact 3rd be in the free-to-play monetization system (rather than a premium, or paid, game) with the purpose of making the game more available to players. Devil May Cry and Bayonetta significantly affected the game makers' ideas for the fight system of Honkai Impact 3rd.

After a few years of users emulating Honkai Impact 3rd on computers and an update making emulation more difficult, the game's official PC version was developed, releasing to the public on 26 December 2019. A massive expansion of the game, titled Honkai Impact 3rd Part 2 was released on February 29, 2024. Built upon the existing game, the update marks the start of the second major story arc of the game, with new characters, reworked UI, an updated engine, and a shift from a mission-based structure to a limited open-world structure.

Manga
Honkai Impact 3rd features an ongoing serialized manga of the same name in Chinese and in English. The manga begins before Chapter 1 of the main game story arc that aims to supplement and flesh out the in-game plot, and often includes character origins. Several in-game battlesuits worn by the Valkyries are illustrated in the manga as well. The manga has three prequel titles and one main title.

Anime
Cooking with Valkyries, a non-canon slice of life cooking television animated series of Honkai Impact 3rd featuring 19 short episodes, was released from July to September 2020. The bilibili releases are available in Mandarin Chinese, while the Japanese broadcast versions are in Japanese.

ELF Academy, another non-canon anime of Honkai Impact 3rd with 10 episodes, was released from July to September 2021, and also contains Mandarin Chinese and Japanese voice acting. This series is about ELFs (Equipment: Living Form), which are autonomous weapons created to replace living soldiers, going to school and interacting with each other.

Reception
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 IGN reported that Honkai Impact 3rd gathered a total of 35 million downloads worldwide as of March 28, 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, with voices in Chinese and Japanese.

In an article from 2017, Ungeek.com says that the game has some later-game systems that are unintuitive, and cites the large download size for a mobile game as a negative. The review praised the game's visual quality and the ease of learning to play the game, as well as the overall quality of the game, and positively recommended it. The article mentioned that the quality of the game was comparable to console games.

Controversies
On 22 April 2021, as part of the 3rd anniversary of the game's global server, a music video titled "Brilliant Bright" in collaboration with Myth & Roid, was released on miHoYo's Honkai Impact 3rd YouTube channel. While the video featured characters wearing bunny-girl outfits, none of the outfits were actually made available in-game - the cosmetics were solely for the purpose of the video. The backlash from the Chinese players was immediate and severe, with many considering it insensitive and unfair to release content for international players only.

The special video from Honkai Impact 3rd was removed from their channel, although the video itself is still available online, through fan reuploads. The Japanese band Myth & Roid have pulled out from the collaboration, and also had their special video single removed, but Brilliant Bright will still be available through streaming platforms and will be released as their digital single. In the game, any content related to 3rd-anniversary bunny girls, with the exception of the correlating event stigmata, are now removed as according to the game's official statement and was instead given 500 crystals for every GLB player as compensation. Chinese server players were given greater compensation (10 focused supply cards = 2800 crystal), despite not actually having any content removed in the Chinese version.