HoYoverse is venturing into the creature collector space with Honkai: Nexus Anima, an upcoming “creature-collector adventure strategy” for PC and iOS. Registration for its first closed beta test has begun and will remain open until September 12.
The game will put players in the role of a “plane-hopping traveler who has escaped captivity, embarking on an all-new adventure” that brings the player into contact with “Anima companions with distinct personalities and forge bonds that carry through both exploration and combat.” Expect a journey beginning “in a tranquil town that opens into uncharted realms” and a story that involves uncovering “the mysteries of the protagonist’s past.”
The Anima and journeying aspect get a showing in Honkai: Nexus Anima‘s teaser trailer, which sees a bizarre unicorn-like creature leaving its owner’s side to help retrieve a wind-swept piece of paper. The chase shows off a few locations (a town with relaxing holiday destination vibes, areas with more greenery, a beach) and a large array of creatures (none as weird as the unicorn thing).
There’s also a four-minute gameplay video that previews various features and content, from Anima-based traversal and on-foot exploration to customizing your character and riding a swing with an Anima companion. One portion sees a cute raccoon-like Anima going to town on a room’s walls and furniture, presumably a demolition-themed sidequest or a mini-game (the text in the video is in Chinese).
For combat, it seems that Honkai: Nexus Anima is opting for the auto-battler/auto chess route, based on the last chunk of the video. “So that’s why we kept getting those strategic mini games for the events recently across the hoyoverse games huh?” quips one of the comments.
Honkai: Nexus Anima was originally teased in May during Honkai: Star Rail‘s anniversary concert, with media outlets noting that the teaser featured Honkai Impact 3rd‘s Kiana and Honkai: Star Rail‘s Blade (you can find their profiles among the website’s Animaster roster). The name of the game hadn’t been confirmed at the time, but fans had already spotted the creation of Honkai: Nexus Anima X/Twitter accounts prior to the concert.
If you’re still hungry for more details, below is a blurb from the press release and some official images:
In this world, Nexus is the unseen bonds woven between paired concepts, such as Love and Hate, Light and Dark, Life and Death, among many others. However, this balance is unexpectedly shattered when a sudden rupture severs those connections, scattering their remnant powers across the land in the form of Anima. From this fractured order, players embark on a journey: through missions and combat, they forge bonds with these Anima, unlocking abilities that reflect the unique concepts each embodies. Moreover, these abilities can be combined to create diverse battle tactics and influence how players explore and engage with the expansive overworld.
Source: Press release
