A new <em>Pokémon</em> competitor is arriving with <em>Honkai: Nexus Anima</em>, an upcoming creature-collecting adventure game developed by HoYoverse, the creators of games like Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, Zenless Zone Zero, and many others. This title will be set in the larger Honkai universe, though it will have a unique story and gameplay style not seen in other entries in the series. Honkai: Nexus Anima was announced last year and has been in production even before that, but now, we’re starting to see more official details about it arise as the company gears up for launch.
In fact, HoYoverse held special free playtests for Honkai: Nexus Anima during July, in a beta test called the Evolution Test. This allowed participating members to check out some of the gameplay features it will have once it arrives, and it permitted the developers to test server capacity, get feedback, and much more. Honkai: Nexus Anima is widely seen as a Pokémon lookalike due to the fact that it’s a creature-collecting game, but there are some core differences that make it stand out, some of which make it even better than Nintendo’s long-lasting IP.
Honkai: Nexus Anima Offers A New Take On Creature-Collector Battles
Instead of following the traditional turn-based combat system of the core Pokémon games, or perhaps even real-time action-based battles, like those in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Honkai: Nexus Anima takes on a completely different approach to battles with the creatures you collect, known as Anima. The main structure for monster combat in the upcoming HoYoverse game, called Nexus Battles, happens within a top-down auto-battler arena, where your goal will be to place your Anima across the board in a strategic manner.
Among the Anima that you pick, each one of them has a role they perform best at during combat, so it will be vital to build a varied team capable of executing different functions, so as to keep balance. Even so, there is space to tweak the team depending on your opponent, so you can go a bit more aggressive with high DPS units, or perhaps stay on the safe side, with more tanks than damage output. These roles are known as Traits.
In addition to the Traits, which each Anima has, Honkai: Nexus Anima also features a system called Aspects, which is the equivalent of the different types system in Pokémon. Aspects in this game are the closest thing you’ll get to an element, and they are represented by concepts like Love, Hate, Memory, and War. These Aspects have unique effects and, among themselves, have synergies that you can exploit, giving it even more strategic depth than you’d expect.
Honkai: Nexus Anima Has A Stunning Open-World
Another impressive feat that Honkai: Nexus Anima has achieved is making a rich open world that is worth exploring in a variety of ways. You’ll be free to explore the town of Iia on foot, riding an Anima through the streets, or perhaps even taking to the skies with gliding and flying Anima that assist you. Overall, it seems like HoYoverse is drawing from some of its best exploration elements seen in games like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail.
HoYoverse is also bringing other elements from these games to the open world in Honkai: Nexus Anima. The town of Iia is but one of many different destinations that will be explorable, and they are rich and bustling. You never really get a sense that the map is large for the sake of being large and, unfortunately, empty, as the world is heavily populated by NPCs and Anima, as well as highly decorated.
This map isn’t just for show, however, as it will be full of different activities and interactions you can partake in. Some Anima you encounter may be available for a Nexus Battle, while others can give you side quests and activities to give you more resources. There is a lot more to Honkai: Nexus Anima than simply battling, and exploration pushes all that forward.
Honkai: Nexus Anima Has A Lot More To Offer Than Battles
Even though Nexus Battles are the core mechanic leading the game, there is a lot more to do in Honkai: Nexus Anima than simply fighting other Anima. Quests play a huge role in the upcoming RPG, and they come in all different shapes and sizes. As you explore Iia, you can talk to different characters and perhaps help them if they need assistance or even set off to uncover secrets that you find across town.
You can also take on different gameplay challenges that are extremely varied. There are racing challenges using specific Anima, photography challenges, management challenges to expand certain businesses in Iia, room-wrecking challenges, balloon-popping challenges, and more. If you’re ever tired of the Nexus Battle system, know that there’s always a huge variety of gameplay options waiting for you in Honkai: Nexus Anima.
If you don’t want to get too competitive and ultimately want to relax playing the game, you can also do that. Among the activities found in Iia are smaller tasks centered around helping NPCs. You can help a character recover their Anima stuck due to a faulty water hydrant or find and recover an item an Anima has lost. Honkai: Nexus Anima seems to be catering to different types of players and moods altogether when it comes to gameplay.
Honkai: Nexus Anima Doesn’t Shy Away From The Honkai Franchise
As a player of both Honkai: Star Rail and former player of Honkai Impact 3rd, I found it most interesting how Nexus Anima found a good balance between honoring the franchise while also making it its own game. If you’ve never played anything from Honkai before, you’ll fit right in as it requires no previous knowledge from the series and adapts concepts from that universe into its own purposes. For example, characters follow Paths in Honkai: Star Rail, and while these aren’t openly acknowledged in Nexus Anima, they are somewhat represented by existential concepts like Aspects.
At the same time, characters from that universe we already know and love make an appearance under the title of Eidos. For example, one playable character is Otto Apocalypse from Honkai Impact 3rd. The Stellaron Hunter Blade is also featured alongside his powerful Bladehound companion. There are also discussions about Kafka appearing in this upcoming game.
Nexus Anima does well referencing other titles within its series while keeping things unique—there are certainly more new characters than those brought back from previous releases. Nonetheless, returning characters provide fun treats for fans while paying homage frequently.
Honkai: Nexus Anima Is F2P & Will Continue To Grow After Launch For Free
A strong suit of this game is that it’s free-to-play with ongoing free patches expected after launch. Like many titles under HoYoverse’s umbrella,<NexuAnimastrong>> will be downloadable without charge but will include gacha mechanics focused on Eidos characters and their respective pets.
Players must pull from banners for additional characters.
The game can still be enjoyed without spending any money at all since players can earn resources through regular gameplay for pulls on banners.
Similar to both Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail,NexuAnimastrong>> will likely follow regular updates bringing new content—both narrative-driven and gameplay-focused.
If these two titles serve as any indication,NexuAnimastrong>> may introduce new regions along with story arcs annually—meaning Iia could just be beginning!
You’ll likely spend hundreds of hours playing this game over time without needing DLC purchases since all updates come freely.
Each patch renews aspects within this title providing reasons for players returning regularly.
This longevity makesNexuAnimastrong>> distinctly different from traditional Pokémon games.
