Honkai Impact 3 Review | Taking Mobile Anime Games to a Whole New Level!

Cute anime girls, high-res graphics, and addicting gameplay? Oh my! Don’t we all look for these elements in the mobile games that we play? Fortunately for us, the game developers over at miHoYo have us covered, as they bring us the next-gen mobile anime game Honkai Impact 3! But what exactly is in store for us in this one-of-a-kind smartphone game? Join us as we do a quick run-down and review!

Honkai Impact 3 focuses on the story of Kiana Kaslana, a member of the elite force called the Valkyrie Unit. Together with her comrades Raiden Mei and Bronya Zaychik, Kiana must use all of her abilities and skills to save the world from the invasive enemy force known as the Honkai!

The gameplay for Honkai Impact 3 follows an action-based mechanic. Players can move Kiana around the map using a virtual directional pad, and then they can launch attacks on the enemies using an attack button on the lower right of the screen.

Kiana can also use ultimate attacks and special moves such as sidestepping to evade enemy attacks. When timed correctly, successful evasions can trigger a Time Fracture and cause enemies to slow down significantly, allowing Kiana to get a massive combo in!

Eventually both Raiden Mei and Bronya Zaychik also join your team, and each feature their own strengths (Mei deals higher damage to Honkai Beasts, while Bronya specializes in ranged attacks). Use their unique skills to your advantage!

Raiden Mei joins the party!

Valkyrie units can be powered up in several ways. You can level them up by grinding for EXP or by using tech chips…

… equip them with hard-earned weapons …

Bronya Zaychik prefers her trusty mecha as a weapon – along with a beam cannon.

… and by adding Stigmata to each character. Stigmata grant passive stat boosts, and higher-level Stigmata can possess additional bonuses known as Prefixes. Although challenging at first, learning the science and art of Stigmata can spell the difference between success and failure!

Now, you may start wondering, “what’s the catch?“. The game does have its share of challenges: the installer is a hefty 900+MB file, and the game tends to slow down when a Honkai swarm appears. Also, much like the previous miHoYo game “Guns Girl Z“, the game-ending weapons and equips can only be obtained by buying in-game supply crates.

An ever-important supply crate

But these obstacles can be worked around fairly easy enough, and the game promises not only addictive gameplay mechanics but also an intriguing anime storyline complete with popular Japanese voice talents! Check out this short gallery for a closer look at the game and see the awesomeness for yourself!

Pros:

Gameplay mechanics are easy to learn and feature plenty of customization
Smooth anime-style animation and rendering of stages
Excellent character design with high-caliber voice acting

Cons:

Large installer file and significant memory usage
The concept of using Stigmata and rerolling Prefixes requires mastery
Pay-to-win concept, or at least players need to regularly join timed events to get end-game items

Final Verdict: 7.5/10

Honkai Impact 3 is a must-download and must-play game for anime fans and gamers alike! The gameplay is action-packed, the graphics are rendered beautifully, and Kiana and friends are the icing on the cake! So take out those phones and get your armada ready for combat!

Honkai Impact 3 is available free for download on iOS and Google Play.