Honkai Impact 3rd
Introduction
Honkai Impact 3rd is a mobile game made by MiHoYo, a company known for the more popular and recent game Genshin Impact. Despite having both "Impact" in their titles, gacha mechanics and a similar artstyle, they are actually separate properties in terms of gameplay and plot. Also, it should also not be confused with Honkai Star Rail. Even though they have very similar characters, it takes place in a completely different universe.
I never played Genshin myself, but Honkai? Oh boy... I can tell you all about it. In fact, I've been playing it ever since the pre-login campaign of 2018.
It all started one day when I saw an ad on Youtube. The 3D animation is what sold me (I was in my last year in college animation at the time), so I decided to give the game a go.
I soon became invested in not only the game's story, but also the setting as well: it reminded me of RWBY because it had monsters that threatened mankind, and the only people who can stop them wielded special weapons capable of slaying the beasts.
Soon, I played it all the time. Eventually I had to leave Girls Frontline and Fate Grand Order behind because I felt the character development, the worldbuilding, and the story events in Honkai Impact were too good for me to pass up.
So far, I've participated to most of the events on Honkai Impact, finished every story chapter so far, and reached the maximum level... twice. You can say I'm more invested in the game than the fandom itself, but I can say the same in anything I enjoy.
Summary
You see, the plot of the game revolves around this particular phenomenon called the Honkai. Their goal is to push back mankind's progress, and they do so by going around destroying things. They've been doing this since the dawn of human civilization, and no one knows for sure why. And the fact that they can zombify people isn't really helping with man's constant struggle.
But humans, being humans themselves, refused to see the lives of their kind get taken away by such mysterious abominations. It should not be a surprise that a few organizations have formed throughout history to fight back against the Honkai.
One of these organizations is Schicksal, known for using special stigmata-powered human soldiers known as Valkyres to fight against the Honkai. To become one these days you need to learn and train at Freyja Academy, whose principal is the granddaughter of Schicksal's Overseer.
The main story focuses on the three girls who attend the academy together. Throughout the plot, they separate and cross paths together. But what situations the girls have to go through in order to protect humanity have a lot to do with the game's lore coming to the forefront. Not only dark secrets are covered, but also glimmers of hope as well...
Characters
Kiana Kaslana
The main protagonist. She is a clone who seeks to become a well-respected Valkyre. At one point, she became possessed by the Herrscher of the Void and wrecked havoc. She is also very bad a cooking. She wields a pair of pistols as her signature weapon, but she can also wield a baseball bat and a giant sword.
Raiden Mei
The secondary protagonist and Kiana's love interest. As the Third Herrscher, she manipulates the power of lightning. When it comes to cooking skill, it is a sharp contrast to Kiana's. Her signature weapon is the katana.
Bronya Zaychik
A former child soldier, Bronya has been sent by the head of her orphanage on a spying mission. She ends up tagging along with Kiana and Mei, and has proven herself to be a reliable Valkyre. Throughout the story, she becomes the Herrscher of Reason during her search for her long-lost friend Seele. While she is capable of using all kinds of firearms, the giant cannon of the robot she calls "Bunny" is her signature weapon.
Honkai Watch
Coming soon, hopefully...