Honkai Star Rail has a clever solution to an old problem: turn-based JRPGs are cool as hell, but they don't always look cool as hell. Text-heavy menus, turn counters, buffs and debuffs and meters, skill descriptions and special attacks – these things are exciting when you play, but it can be hard to convince someone of that if they aren't already into turn-based combat. It just doesn't have the same kinetic appeal of something like Final Fantasy 16.
But Honkai Star Rail, the new game from Genshin Impact developer Hoyoverse, is always cool. It has the most dynamic and reactive turn-based combat of any JRPG I've played in years – I'd say since Persona 5, which managed to hook people who normally don't like turn-based games through its sheer charisma and style. Honkai Star Rail uses the rule of cool and some ingenious twists to make turn-based fights feel tense and action-packed, and I can't get enough of it.
