Honkai Impact 3rd

Honkai Impact 3rd introduced in 2016 the visual style and approach to action RPGs that the studio miHoYo later developed into the much more famous Genshin Impact. The player controls a group of heroines fighting against a mysterious entity called Honkai, moving through anime-styled environments and combining fast attacks, dodges, and each character's special abilities in clearly structured missions and story chapters.

Touchscreen controls rely on a virtual joystick for movement and buttons for attacks and abilities; combat is fast and visually impressive, with an emphasis on fluid combo chains and switching between characters in the team. The visual presentation, with its striking anime character designs and elaborate combat animations, was among the best mobile action RPGs had to offer at the time of release, and thanks to this the game quickly built a loyal player base even outside Asian markets.

It is a gacha title – characters and their upgrades are obtained through random draws paid for with in-game or real currency, a model players should be aware of before deciding whether to try the game. The free-to-play core of the game is playable without spending money, but obtaining stronger characters without paying requires significantly more patience. Honkai Impact 3rd remains an actively supported title with regular content updates.

Why play it: For fans of anime action RPGs and gacha systems who accept that fully unlocking favorite characters comes with patience or payment.