Honkai Star Rail: Developing Mobile Games on Xianzhou

On the rooftop of a grand building,

Kafka sat perched on the railing, overlooking the bustling city below.

The gentle breeze stirred her coat and hair, imparting a sense of languid ease. If only she had a glass of wine, it would have completed the ambiance, Kafka thought to herself.

In stark contrast, Silver Wolf beside her was intensely focused on the screen before her, rapidly inputting commands without blinking for what felt like ages.

Finally, the corners of Silver Wolf’s mouth curved upwards, revealing a triumphant smile.

"Success!" She pointed at a graffiti-like symbol on the screen, almost boasting as she addressed Kafka, "Remember this? It’s the digital graffiti I left at the space station [Herta], serving as a backdoor program to hack into it.

"Just now, I’ve accomplished my goal." As Silver Wolf spoke, she pulled down the goggles from her forehead.

Kafka smiled slightly. "So, what’s your next move?"

"Of course, it’s getting my hands on the ’Punklode Spirit’ game cartridge," Silver Wolf replied without hesitation. "There haven’t been any exciting new games lately; it’s been unbearably dull. Only this one piques my interest somewhat."

"Well then, good luck." Kafka raised his hand, mimicking a toast gesture.

With that, he continued enjoying these rare moments of tranquility.

Meanwhile, although physically present, Silver Wolf’s attention had already shifted to the space station [Herta] at the far reaches of the universe.

"Hey folks! As expected!"

"I already suspected that Kafka and Silver Wolf were just for us to try out briefly. They wouldn’t give such heavyweight characters right off the bat."

"What a stylish entrance—just one ultimate move wiped out all those Voidrangers!"

"Otherwise, our protagonist would seem completely useless!"

"With powerful characters like Kafka and Silver Wolf, you’ll definitely have to spend money to unlock them later."

"That’s understandable though. Considering the impressive effort put into their ultimate moves, it’s reasonable to support by paying a bit."

As Guinaifen continued progressing through the story, she actively shared her thoughts.

Now, the narrative shifted back to the protagonist’s perspective, and its pace finally slowed down.

The protagonist, March 7th, and Dan Heng introduced themselves to each other.

Next, March 7th led the protagonist towards the Master Control Zone.

Meanwhile, Dan Heng went to find Arlan from the Security Division.

The chat also became more lively at this point.

"I think we should observe more and see if any other characters appear later."

"No matter how Kafka is introduced, I’m determined to get her!"

"Young ones often overlook Silver Wolf’s worth, mistaking the protagonist as the true treasure."

"I want them all! Already saved up a month’s salary—hurry up and release these two characters!"

"Does the production team understand?! Give us the purchase link!"

As Guinaifen watched the barrage of comments, she followed the instructions and opened the character interface.

Her current team already consisted of two characters.

The protagonist Trailblazer and March 7th.

"Regardless, I’m definitely planning to roll for Stellaron Hunters when it comes out!"

"Not just because their ultimate abilities look incredibly flashy!"

"The characters on this screen should be our initial party members..."

"Besides the protagonist, there’s also March 7th, a member of the Astral Express Crew!"

Understanding the character stats was straightforward: health points, attack power, critical hit chance, damage multiplier, and so forth—common elements in many games. Guinaifen didn’t need to elaborate further.

"But what sets this game apart is—"

"Each character has different attributes and fates."

"Fam, check out Star in my team—the protagonist herself—is a Physical attribute Destruction Fate character, oh yeah!"

"As expected, Miss March 7th from the Astral Express Crew is an Ice attribute Preservation Fate character~"

While explaining her understanding, Guinaifen maneuvered the protagonist to pick up a baseball bat as a makeshift weapon.

Soon, they encountered the roaming Antimatter Legion.

This marked the first battle for both the protagonist and March 7th.

"Let’s take a look at their abilities."

"Honestly, Little Guizi here isn’t expecting much; just hoping they’re half as effective as Kafka and Silver Wolf would be great."

"After all, our protagonist is wielding a mere baseball bat, and Miss March 7th doesn’t seem particularly combat-oriented either."

In no time, energy levels filled up.

Guinaifen promptly activated March 7th’s ultimate ability.

Whoosh!

March 7th’s vibrant character portrait flashed briefly on screen.

[Ice Engraved Arrow Rain] initiated.

"It’s about time I get serious."

With a gentle swipe near her dress, an arrow formed from condensed frost appeared in March 7th’s hand.

"Have a taste of my prowess!"

Looking quite pleased, she placed the arrow on the bowstring, leaped into the air, and unleashed a powerful shot forward.

The ice arrow split mid-flight into numerous Pom-Pom dolls, raining indiscriminate bombardment upon the enemies.

Guinaifen’s eyes lit up instantly.

"Wow, just like Kafka and Silver Wolf, she has her own unique close-up animation!"

"Ooh, ooh, these skill effects are impressive too!"

"I adore energetic girls like Miss March 7th—just as cute as us!"

"That’s surprising! Could it be that every character has their own unique close-up animation?"

"Even without Kafka and Silver Wolf, starting with March 7th is still quite generous."

"In any other game, such a meticulously crafted character would easily cost at least 100,000 credits!"

"This game doesn’t even have an option to recharge yet—I’m dying inside!"