Gone are the days of 2020 when Genshin Impact first made waves by bringing the gacha genre to the mainstream. Back then, everything HoYoverse did was seen as a breakthrough. Fast forward five years, and there are now plenty of other games competing for the top spot, one of the most notable being Honkai: Star Rail, another HoYoverse title, which recently launched its highly-anticipated Amphoreus update.
As the fifth main region in the game, the story writers and world designers had big shoes to fill after the massive hit of Penacony. To add to this challenge, Amphoreus has long teased a mysterious identity where things worked quite a lot differently than what we know about Star Rail’s universe so far.
The Immersive World Building Of Amphoreus
From the very beginning of the stellar journey, Star Rail has consistently fed the idea of Aeons and Emanators to us. The world within it consists of many paths, and each one has its own Aeon (a god). Furthermore, normal people who get permission from the Aeons to take power from the path itself become Emanators, much like Acheron in Penacony, and more recently, Madam Herta in Amphoreus. While the first four planets released in the game had completely different stories, they still followed this concept of Aeons.
Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at Amphoreus and learned that the people of this world didn’t even know about the existence of Aeons or the world beyond the skies. All they knew was that Amphoreus was created by twelve Titans, and they were the only gods that existed. It felt like an entirely new game where the rules I learned so far didn’t apply. Of course, there’s a mystery beneath it that connects it all together, but first impressions count for a lot.
I’m a sucker for good lore, so when I learned this foundation of Amphoreus, I instantly realized what a massive task it was to bring it all together and make sense. But of course, HoYoverse is known for its storytelling. The first step for this was giving each Titan a personality, even if we were not going to talk to some of them. It didn’t take long for the dialogue to make me realize exactly what each Titan stood for – they even had an entire area dedicated to the history of the Titans, where you could learn everything that the Chrysos Hiers knew. Next came the scenery, and the intimidating Kephale statue and the story behind it is all I needed to understand how dire the situation is.
The final step that made me fall in love with Amphoreus was the character personalities and the variance in how HoYoverse narrates its stories. At one point, a random pool of water explains Amphoreus’ past to us, then it switches to a beloved character doing it, keeping the storytelling fresh. That combined with character personalities ranging from the cuteness of the three little sisters to the boldness of Aglaea, and from the calm nature of Castorice to the aggressive nature of Mydei, it all had me hooked.
Amphoreus’ Music Complements It Perfectly
At this point, I’d be more surprised if HoYoverse didn’t have top-tier music whenever it releases a new area in any of its games. Music is one of HoYoverse’s strongest assets, and it also serves as the cherry on top for Amphoreus. It starts off with mysterious music as you land in the abyss called Janusopolis.
Next comes the notes that can instill fear in anyone as war is at your doorstep, followed by peaceful melodies relaying the beauty of Okhema City. Finally, you enter the Castrum Kremnos area, and you’re greeted with mournful codas as you witness the ruins of a city that once thrived with pride now lay ravaged by war.
Amphoreus surpassed my high expectations, and this is just the beginning of the biggest story in Honkai: Star Rail so far. The narrative will span eight updates and see its finale in Version 3.7. I’m excited about it, but also worried that future updates might struggle to measure up.
Honkai: Star Rail is a free-to-play RPG from the creators of Genshin Impact. It follows on from Honkai Impact 3rd, and includes both new and returning characters, battling to save the universe from a malevolant force.