HoYoverse announces their new creature-collecting title, Honkai: Nexus Anima

HoYoverse, the team behind the global gacha successes Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero, have officially revealed their next game, the creature-collector Honkai: Nexus Anima. First teased in May this year, the game has since been officially announced with a new website, a cinematic trailer, and a gameplay trailer. This reveal comes not too long after HoYoverse confirmed it would be discontinuing PS4 support for Genshin Impact.

The game focuses on Anima, the adorable little animal creatures that populate the world of Honkai: Nexus Anima. Across both trailers, we’re shown a wide variety of these companions, with 30 showcased in more detail on the official site. Each Anima belongs to an Aspect group, with the revealed groups including: Satiation, Hate, Light, Memory, Dark, Love, War, Change, Beauty, Peace, Right, Insatiability, Competition, Regret, Weakness and Pride. Much like Pokémon types, Anima of the same Aspect share visual and thematic similarities. Among the most eye-catching are the Satiation Anima, all inspired by different foods. There’s the pudding-themed Puddlipup, the strawberry jam-covered Vulberry, the honey-mustard-smeared, fry-carrying Frigull, and, my personal favorite, the half-ramen bowl, half-seal Pupanoo.

Also revealed are the Anima’s corresponding traits, like Striker, Cherubim, or Hothead, along with their heights and their energy, which is measured in joules. How the Anima’s Aspects and traits affect gameplay is unknown, with the trailers showing off snippets of tactical duels between Anima, but my money is on a system with a type match-up mechanic.

The website also shows off some of the three types of characters: Sovereigns, Novarchs, and “other characters.” The latter are described as people you will encounter on your journey, each accompanied by their own Anima friends. More intriguing, however, are the Sovereigns and Novarchs, who embody the Aspects of the Old World and the Aspects of the New World respectively. Each character has a small bio that hints at their unique pasts and motives. It’s not a lot to go off, but it seems to refer to a larger, overarching story that will give depth to the game beyond just cute creature-fighting.

Honkai: Nexus Anima doesn’t yet have a release window, but it’s clear the project is well into development with HoYoverse having just opened up pre-registrations for the first closed beta. For now, fans will have to wait patiently to see when they can get their hands on the game.