New Honkai Title Enters Final Closed Beta Before Launch

While some series focus on honing in directly on a gameplay niche,
others make their mark with constant reinvention, shifting and trying
out whatever’s hot at the current moment. While it may not always work,
with proper care, these titles can shift from trend-chasers to
iterations with proper value, introducing fans, new and old, to all-new
ways to play.

HoYoverse is one such studio, never shy about trying something new
with both original titles and new entries in their larger Honkai
franchise. The newest title in that franchise,
Honkai: Nexus Anima, is approaching its
final closed beta, implementing full playable versions of its creature acquiring, base
building, and auto-battler combat, a far cry from the action RPGs and
turn-based trades the franchise is now known for.

The More Things Change

At this point it’s becoming a little difficult to define the “Honkai
style” when it comes to actual gameplay, a fact HoYoverse doesn’t seem
all that afraid of. While the original heavy hitter for the studio,
Honkai: Third Impact, was an action RPG, the success of
Honkai: Star Rail has made it clear that what fans really
expect from the name Honkai is the sci-fi trappings and HoYoverse’s seal
of quality the studio is known for.

Continuing the trend of
constant change, Honkai: Nexus Anima feels like a mix of creature catcher and
auto-chess, a wild fusion of Pokémon and
Teamfight Tactics that feels strangely perfect. The game’s
final closed beta, which is currently open for registration and starts
on November 26th, will be as close to launch-feature complete as
possible, showcased in a new gameplay video that goes through all the
major mechanics.

Unlike other HoYoverse titles that ask players to pull for both
characters and their weapons, Nexus Anima focuses on both
larger characters with unique abilities, known as Eidos, and the
creatures used to make up teams, called Anima.

Obtaining an Eidos will grant an immediate copy of their matching Anima,
offering a series power boost and making pulling for Eidos directly more
outwardly profitable. Alongside pulling for some banner Anima, many can
be found and caught directly in the wild, providing the basis for your
team to be empowered by higher-tiered creatures.

Alongside the auto-battler combat, Nexus Anima puts a major
focus on exploration and personal base building, allowing you to spend
time with your Anima and potentially attract extra. Anima also provide a
variety of exploration benefits as you catch them, serving as mounts for
faster movement or mobility tools to open up otherwise inaccessible
areas.

The More They Stay the Same

HoYoverse is seriously skilled at making beautiful, out-of-this-world
settings that fuse fantasy and technology to great effect.
Nexus Anima seems to be their answer to other
exploration-focused titles that have released recently, with the extra
spin of creature collection doing wonders to incentivize that
exploration.

Despite how much HoYoverse has done to
define the baseline
of the modern Gacha space, it’s great to see them really shake things
up, offering a truly different vibe than the Action RPG hybrids that
dominate the space. While the rest of the genre is trying to play
catch-up, HoYoverse is giving the people what they never knew they
wanted.

Competing with HoYoverse polish is a struggle for their biggest
competitors, and while an auto-battler may seem like a small market, the
success of Teamfight Tactics across the globe makes it clear
there’s a market. Nexus Anima’s cozy side offerings make it the
perfect choice for the gamer who just wants something low-stress to log
into after a long day, a niche that’s only grown over the years.

Systems

Platform(s)

Android, iOS, PC

Developer(s)

HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)

Publisher(s)

HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)