Every video game genre has a dominant title or franchise, and nothing exemplifies this phenomenon more than the “monster collecting” genre and Pokemon. This series has been going strong for almost three decades, spawning nine generations of mainline titles and a wealth of spin-off games in different genres and platforms. Some games have tried to challenge Pokemon for its throne, like Palworld and Temtem. Now, the popular gacha game developer Hoyoverse is taking a crack at it.
While Pokemon is the undisputed frontrunner, it wasn’t what pioneered the genre. Games like Shin Megami Tensei predate it by over a decade, with gameplay that lets players encounter monsters and tame them through combat. However, Pokemon seems to have perfected the formula, with more appealing and adorable critters and a more lighthearted storyline aimed at a younger audience. However, Pokemon seems to be facing fan backlash in recent years for being too easy or not having enough fresh and innovative features in its new releases. As a result, it seems like other developers are circling the franchise in the hopes of getting a piece of the Pokemon pie.
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Honkai: Nexus Anima is Another Pokemon Challenger
HoYoverse seems to be gunning for the critter collector crowd with its upcoming title Honkai: Nexus Anima. A teaser trailer for the game shows Honkai Impact 3rd’s Kiana Kaslana walking around with what looks like a pastry turned into a dog and encountering Honkai: Star Rail’s Blade, with a companion of his own. The two critters then face off in battle. There’s not much to be gleaned from the clip, but it essentially confirms that the game will be a Pokemon-like title. Players will likely have the chance to control different characters across the HoYoverse while training and battling all sorts of critters.
Honkai: Nexus Anima is a Logical Step Forward for HoYoverse
HoYoverse’s mainline titles are already filled with adorable critters. Honkai: Star Rail has creatures like the Ingenium Dog Diting, Mem, and Amphoreus’ Chimeras. Meanwhile, Genshin Impact has a huge roster of pets one would find in real life, like dogs in various breeds, weasels, and foxes. Zenless Zone Zero has Bangboos and adorable little cats, while Honkai Impact 3rd also has various mascots, with the most popular ones being the Homu Family.
The Pokemon format has also been used in Honkai: Star Rail before in the Aetherium Wars event. During this part of the Jarilo-VI storyline, players could use various creatures, like Antimatter Legion troops, Fragmentum Monsters, and even the Silvermane Guard, to engage in turn-based creature combat with other trainers. All things considered, it’s no surprise that the HoYoverse’s next game will be a creature-collecting and battling game. The studio has the assets and the experience it needs to build a game that could appeal to fans of that genre.
Honkai: Nexus Anima’s Release Could be Timed Perfectly
The next mainline Pokemon title will be Pokemon Legends: Z-A, which will release late this year. However, there is no definite date just yet. Honkai: Nexus Anima could get the attention of fans if it beats Pokemon to the punch by launching earlier. The hype for Palworld and Temtem has also died down in recent months, which is something that Nexus Anima could also capitalize on.
How Honkai: Nexus Anima Could Stack Up Against Pokemon
Pokemon has a roster of over a thousand species of creatures, and counting. Honkai: Nexus Anima can’t realistically compete with Pokemon in this regard just yet. Honkai: Nexus Anima needs to lean into a niche gameplay feature, like Palworld does, if it wants to carve its place in the genre. Palworld captured the hearts and minds of fans by introducing base building, putting Pals to work, and battling in real-time. Perhaps HoYoverse could leverage the popularity of its existing characters and provide unique advantages for each trainer. It will be interesting to see the unique features that the Honkai: Nexus Anima team will come up with once the game releases, and whether such efforts will actually be enough to rival Pokemon.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 90%
- Released
- April 26, 2023
- ESRB
- Teen / Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Simulated Gambling, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Publisher(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unity
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Turn-Based RPG
