MiHoYo has sparked excitement among fans with a teaser for a new Honkai game that hints at a Pokémon-like experience. The teaser, unveiled during the Honkai Star Rail Concert livestream on May 4, showcases familiar characters such as Kiana from Honkai Impact 3rd and Blade from Honkai: Star Rail, engaging in battles with creatures and monsters. This has led fans to speculate that the game could involve Pokémon-like battling, auto-chess strategy, or monster-collecting mechanics.
The inspiration for this game seems rooted in the popularity of creatures within MiHoYo's existing titles. In Genshin Impact, players can capture and house creatures in the Serenitea Pot, and events like "Fabulous Fungus Frenzy" allow players to participate in beast tamer tournaments. Similarly, Honkai Star Rail's "Aetherium Wars" event incorporates the game's turn-based mechanics with monsters, mirroring Pokémon's core concept.
The teaser also hints at a broader inclusion of characters from the Honkai series, ending with silhouettes that fans believe could include Aventurine from Star Rail. While the game is described as a "brand-new Honkai Game," enthusiasts are eager to see if characters from Genshin Impact might also make an appearance. Though details are scarce, the trailer strongly suggests that characters from Honkai Impact 3rd and Honkai Star Rail will be featured.
Is this Honkai Nexus Anima?
Speculation is rife that this could be the rumored Honkai Nexus Anima, which MiHoYo recently trademarked. The timing of the trademark filing and the teaser has fueled these theories. Moreover, job listings from HoYoVerse in September 2024, mentioning roles like "Character Concept Art (Anthropomorphic Animals)" and "Scene Concept Art – Honkai IP Pre-research" for fantasy spirit companions, seem to align with the teased game's theme.
While fans are buzzing with excitement, the lack of official confirmation leaves many questions unanswered. Is this truly Honkai Nexus Anima? What kind of gameplay can we expect? Despite these uncertainties, the anticipation for MiHoYo's next project is high, given their track record of delivering engaging and innovative gaming experiences.