How Honkai: Star Rail is blazing trails

The Honkai series began with game developer HoYoverse more than 10 years ago. With the addition of Honkai: Star Rail , fans can now experience a new dimension in this storied game universe.

We spoke to David Jiang, the producer of Honkai: Star Rail , about his design concepts and choice of cast for the game.

Most of the development team are actually fans of train travel.

– David Jiang, producer of Honkai: Star Rail

The previous Honkai game – Honkai Impact 3rd – was set on Earth and the Moon, whereas Honkai: Star Rail covers an entire universe. Why did you decide to make that change?

Jiang: We started to think in the scale of the universe in Honkai Impact 3rd , when Dr. MEI said that “Every star in the sky is an enemy.”

We envisaged that sentient life on every planet face choices in their advancement, such as whether to expand to other stars or evolve into a digital form. And the way they answer these questions will determine the future of each civilisation.

Different civilisations will take on different forms.

There is something very romantic about visiting different civilisations on the Astral Express. Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration for the train?

Jiang: We spent a lot of time thinking of a mode of transportation that’s more interesting than spaceships.

Then we thought about trains. There are plenty of railways around the world that run through beautiful terrains, and most of the development team are actually fans of train travel.

After trying it out myself, I found that the experience of riding a train and taking in the scenery along the way was a perfect match for the romantic fantasy theme of the game, so we decided to make train travel a key element.

Gaze upon the stars of the universe.

The antithesis of justice is not evil, but a different kind of justice.

In Honkai: Star Rail , each of the celestial beings – Aeons – represents a concept or philosophy, such as erudition, trailblazing and abundance. How did you come up with this?

Jiang: When an individual or a civilisation follows a certain path in the universe to its ultimate conclusion, they evolve into a type of transcendent existence – Aeon.

Aeons represent different paths, and each character in the game resonates with one particular Aeon. This actually reflects one of our creative principles: The antithesis of justice is not evil, but a different kind of justice.

Speaking of characters, there are many familiar faces from the Honkai series in Honkai: Star Rail , such as Welt Yang and Himeko. Why is that?

Jiang: At first, we wanted to link the Honkai series together through one character. In Honkai Impact 3rd , teacher Welt Yang travels through the Stargate, which is how he ends up in Honkai: Star Rail .

Himeko, on the other hand, is a valkyrie who could have been a scientist in Honkai Impact 3rd . We wanted to explore this what-if in Honkai: Star Rail , and so we came up with the idea of putting Himeko on this journey in the stars.

Of course, I should stress that Honkai: Star Rail is a brand-new title and the plot is independent. This is why, apart from Welt Yang, other familiar names in the series such as Himeko, Seele and Bronya Zaychik appear as completely new characters here.

Travel with Himeko in the prologue.

Even the rubbish bins – and the Easter eggs we put in there – are part of the immersive experience.

Herta’s Simulated Universe allows players to explore the secrets of the Aeons through a virtual space. How does this virtual space fit into the game?

Jiang: The Simulated Universe is a space that players will spend a lot of time exploring, perhaps over half of their overall playing time.

We created the Simulated Universe alongside the main plot, and they will be updated in tandem in the future. The Simulated Universe will intersect with the central storyline, and information we couldn’t include in the main plot will also be added here.

How many secrets are hidden in the Simulated Universe?

The rubbish bins of Belobog have once again grabbed the fans’ attention. Why did you decide to put the focus on them?

Jiang: We wanted to give players a more immersive experience with more to discover. So we kept adding Easter eggs, and highlighting the rubbish bins is actually the most intriguing idea.

We will also add even more explorable elements to other maps in the future. So make sure you poke around, especially on the Xianzhou Luofu.