Honkai: Nexus Anima's Gamescom demo shows the Palworld-like has potential

• After getting hands-on with Silver Palace, I also had the chance to try out Honkai: Nexus Anima
• With its recent Evolution Test letting players get hands-on for the first time, it's still growing and changing
• But can it win over a Hoyoverse newcomer like myself?

I've never really been a Hoyoverse superfan. Of course, I don’t hate it either, but I’ve simply never gotten into the worlds of Genshin Impact, Zenless Zone Zero or Honkai: Star Rail. With that said, I can appreciate the vibrant, Pokémon-style world of Honkai: Nexus Anima and what it does to distinguish itself from Hoyoverse's existing catalogue.

I got the chance to go hands-on with Honkai: Nexus Anima at the same time as Petit Planet (more on that later), and while I was initially sceptical, it won me over by the end and made me think that it has plenty of potential beyond its Palworld-like roots.

What’s it all about?

The story is your typical Hoyoverse setting, featuring a battle between light and dark, a variety of bizarre terms thrown around very freely, and plenty of colourful, intricate environments, costumes and character designs. Truth be told, while I complained about Silver Palace’s setting being a tad generic, if you’ve ever played Genshin Impact, then this will hit all the same notes.

Basically, there are Anima you need to collect and battle. Some are infected by a strange force of darkness that needs cleansing, and beyond that you’ll battle it out with other collectors while exploring the city of Ilia and its surrounding areas.

But that simplicity is not necessarily a bad thing. This is the kind of setting some people will really get into, and which others will treat as a backdrop to the gameplay.

Pokémon Auto Chess?

Honkai: Nexus Anima's gameplay takes a different approach to Hoyoverse's other efforts. Rather than real-time ARPG battles, you’ll be dropped into Auto Chess-style fights against opposing groups of Anima (Pokémon, basically). By synergising their elements and using supporting characters’ special abilities, you’ll overwhelm and outfight your opponent by customising your lineup of the Anima you’ve collected already.

But where Nexus Anima really stands out is in the exploration gameplay that really puts Pokémon to shame. As you tool around the city of Ilia, you’ll be able to use your Anima either as mounts or to activate their abilities, which helps you traverse the city. Whether that’s picking locked doors or leaping over obstacles, it feels as though these creatures are actual companions and not just collectibles.

Exploration is also quite fun, focusing on a much smaller space compared to the different regions of Zenless Zone Zero. Each district of Ilia has its own music and atmosphere, alongside side stories and areas to explore. It’s not quite GTA V, but it certainly has its charms.

There is a surprising depth to the gameplay, though. Beyond just using your Anima’s abilities for traversal, it’ll also unlock new dialogue options, something which your stats (yes, like Fallout) can also do! While Honkai: Nexus Anima has been dismissed as just HoYoVerse’s version of Palworld, I can’t help but feel it has a bit more going for it.

Each districts sings its own tune

Honkai: Nexus Anima does a great job of both evoking the retro style of games like Pokemon and Digimon, while also having the dramatic flair of Hoyoverse's other releases. And there's distinct music for each district, plus night versions of each track, which helps to really make Ilia feel like it’s a welcoming hub world for players to explore.

About the only thing I could complain about is that the sound effects can sometimes be a bit basic and flat. But equally, if you’re playing a creature collector of this nature, you’re probably used to a few technical drawbacks.

And why is it actually quite funny?

I know that MiHoYo’s style of humour doesn’t always land with folks, but I think Nexus Anima may be the exception. Virtually everybody in Ilia’s behaviour verges on the deranged, and incidents like a receptionist admitting the so-called ‘happiness committee’ intentionally leaves money lying around for kleptomaniac heroes to collect are just the tip of the iceberg.

Some Anima designs certainly verge on the absurd. Take Kaffiend, a coffee-addicted Koala that carries it around in an IV bag mounted on a pole (don’t worry, he’s drinking it through a tube, not injecting it) and which can regularly be seen crowding the coffee shops of Ilia. Or how about Furrari, a cyborg(?) cat with wheels that zooms past at high speed, or the Petrilogs, which are wooden-like Anima that can be found posed in static positions all around the city.

Yes, there are definitely some Anima that look... suspiciously familiar (hm, Hoppelon, a group of small creatures looking like Greek hoplites, now where have I seen that before?) But overall, Nexus Anima does some surprisingly original things with the concept.

Am I a full Hoyoverse convert yet?

My time with Honkai: Nexus Anima was very much ‘drop in and have a go,’ and although I barely touched the story, that’s more a testament to how much there was to do just wandering around Ilia alone. I reckon that this will be a big hit. Maybe not on par with MiHoYo’s other major releases (that’s a high bar to clear), but it has the same level of polish and quality that will draw players in.

Will I make a return to it? Probably not. Sadly, autochess just isn’t my style of combat, and that still forms a core part of the overall gameplay. But I’ll certainly give props where it’s due, as Honkai: Nexus Anima is the first time I’ve ever had to write up the phrase ‘coffee-addicted koala.’

But while we're getting together our notes and prepping plenty of hands-ons and other stuff from Gamescom over the next week, why not take some time this weekend to try some of our suggestions? The latest list of the five new mobile games to try this week is now live!