HoYoverse's Twin Tales: Genshin Impact vs Honkai
Lost twin-seeking twins are a hot trend across HoYoverse’s popular RPGs. The companion characters in both Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail boast diverse companions and voluminous worlds. The latest updates bring even more characters to both games, with new faces joining the already sizable rosters. As the games continue to expand, which twin stands stronger in terms of future updates based on the current overview?
Genshin Impact: The Traveler's Journey
HoYoverse’s partner characters range from Teyvat locals to Stellaron Hunters. There’s plenty to go around in terms of variety, and each character has their own stories to tell. A comparison of the games’ main protagonists, The Traveler and Trailblazer, reveals quite the contrast. While their differences make choosing a favorite a matter of taste, the Trailblazer shows more hope in terms of future Honkai: Star Rail updates. Here’s a break down of the two in terms of story, design, and gameplay to help you decide which twin you prefer.
The Twin's Tales
The Traveler and Trailblazer are the only playable characters in both Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. Each has an umbrella term for their superpowered self, but that’s largely where the similarities stop.
We know very little about the twins, as most of their story unfolds as the world of Teyvat or Stellaron open up. The Traveler is one of a pair of twins who awaken in the world of Teyvat, better known as ‘Mimizam’ by its inhabitants. The twins, referred to as ‘Avatars’ or ‘Whispers’ awaken with their original memories intact, despite their apparent death on Earth, and set out to find their sibling.
Meanwhile, the Trailblazer is awakened by Stellaron Hunters, who can form a bond with a Pilot. Trailblazers join a team of experienced hunters who navigate the galaxy and seal Stellarons – portals that release enemies that generally threaten the safety of Stellaron.
Both travelers have saved their respective worlds from powerful enemies before meeting the player and their companions. We can assume they both have a similar level of skill and talent by simple virtue of being twins. However, the twins differ in their backgrounds and abilities, providing a chance to compare them as playable characters.
The Traveler's Abilities
The Traveler’s design is quite celestial and foreign, given how the world of Teyvat sees them as foreign beings. They are one of Reshaphim, twins associated with the element of Water, and possess an ability associated with them – ‘Sparkle’. Fire, Earth, and Wind are the other three elements associated with the twins, with each ability tied to one of the four. The Traveler can switch between these four elements with the press of a button, but this feature extends to both offense and defense.
That being said, the twins can run into each other and cast their respective element to a nearby area, allowing players to increase the damage dealt. While some enemies require a specific element to defeat, units tied to a specific element (such as Indigoist in Teyvat and Beluga in Stellaron) can serve as backup spells for their specific element when necessary. The Traveler’s damage potential is not as high as other characters however; the rarity of switching elements generally means it’s better to use spells from their unlocked units.
The Trailblazer's Abilities
The Trailblazer has the opposite problem: Since they can only switch between two forms, they are more versatile in battle. Each form has unique abilities, providing the choice to fight in both defensive and offensive manners. The ‘(Hyegun) Lover form’ heals all allies and destroys enemies, while the ‘(Hyegun) Guardian form’ deals damage to enemies while buffing the trailblazer.
In any case, the main the draw of both games is not the playable characters, but the vast casts around them.
The Vast Casts
Both games have a nearly endless pool of characters both new and old to join the player on their respective journeys. In terms of sheer number of characters, Honkai: Star Rail has the edge. It has two characters from the Southern Cross, together with five Stellaron Hunters, a Mole named Rena, and the Trailblazer, totaling 12 characters.
On the other hand, Genshin Impact has the lead in terms of story and development. The Starblessed of Honkai: Star Rail are not among the trailblazers.
