Look, let's be honest: HoYoverse has dominated the subculture market with a string of hits like Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero. Now, they are throwing their hat into the ring with a new title focused on monster collection and training. The core of 'Honkai: Nexus Anima' revolves around 'Anima'—monsters that provide various utility functions—and a system where you grow stronger through bonds, specifically via 'Simsang' (Imprints) acquired from those you connect with.

My time in the open-world hub 'Iya Village' was, quite literally, defined by Anima. I used them to glide, reach new heights, uncover hidden secrets, engage in combat, and even socialise with the villagers. The real charm I discovered during this test was how the bonds you forge and expand personally serve to widen the entire game experience.

Honkai: Nexus Anima kicks off with a rather peculiar twist. The game hammers home that twin entities were shattered by the 'Honkai,' and these broken bonds scattered across the world to become 'Nexus Anima'—creatures imbued with origin energy. It also drops heavy hints about countless 'Zhenwang,' 'Canzhu,' and dimensions, teasing a sprawling narrative of future encounters.

The problem? It’s a massive dump of lore that makes the tutorial experience feel somewhat disjointed. While the controls, settings, and combat deployment aren't inherently difficult, the relentless onslaught of jargon—a classic HoYoverse pitfall—makes it hard to stay focused on the context.

That said, 'Iya Village' was genuinely intriguing. If you're a veteran of HoYoverse titles, you’ll recognise familiar faces like Kiana, Carole, and Otto from Honkai Impact 3rd, or Blade from Honkai: Star Rail. Plus, roaming the village with various animal-inspired 'Anima'—each with unique designs and skills—made me want to collect them all just for the sheer convenience they offer.

Some of these characters, including those from previous entries, can be used as 'Simsang' through story progression or Gacha. Simsang act as support in combat, often creating synergies with the signature Anima of the characters they represent. While collecting Anima is crucial, the game heavily emphasises the need to gather these Simsang to project your influence onto the battlefield.

Crucially, some key events shift based on your choices, altering rewards and unfolding narratives. You can even rewind to explore different paths. It’s a completionist's dream, allowing you to go back and polish off your completion rate without needing back-ups or convoluted systems.

Each Anima sports different attributes, traits, field skills, and combat skills. You'll even spot 'Chroma' variants with different colours while exploring, encouraging you to hunt for as many species as possible. Their abilities allow you to scale buildings, land safely, or reveal hidden text, making the traversal of Iya Village a joy.

However, you’ll inevitably run into combat. This is why players have dubbed it 'Honkai-Chess'—a mix of the Honkai IP and Auto-Chess mechanics. You act as an auto-battler tactician, placing units and factoring in Simsang synergies. It’s convenient as it removes complex inputs, but the system feels like it needs a serious overhaul for the endgame.

The concern stems from the nature of the auto-battler genre. Once you've placed your units, you're mostly a spectator, save for the occasional Simsang skill activation. Standard battles and capture missions are brief and repetitive; once you adapt, you're essentially just watching the same animations play out over and over.

Even the 'Apex Club,' which features roguelike-style upgrades, didn't quite fix this. You can run consecutive battles and spend coins at a shop to boost your stats. An Anima that was level 20 a moment ago could easily hit level 200 with a bit of luck in the shop.

However, unlike traditional auto-chess games, there’s a lack of diverse tactical upgrades or skill variety. Rewards are mostly just level-ups or one-off stat boosts. The catharsis of finding the 'perfect build' through RNG and strategy just isn't there yet. The game needs more dynamic skills or effects to keep players engaged during the downtime of combat.

There are other complaints, such as the lack of combat speed toggles or multi-run shortcuts. Yet, the joy of discovering unexpected bonds, collecting Anima, and finding clues hidden in the world makes up for it. The fact that you can transcend Anima by catching them in the wild—rather than relying solely on Monetization—is a massive plus for new players.

Since it’s part of the 'Honkai' IP, the potential for crossover and narrative depth is high. HoYoverse has a history of weaving their series together, and even in this test, the inclusion of familiar faces has piqued my interest. There’s work to be done, but the bonds HoYoverse has built make this a project worth keeping an eye on.