After meeting Herta's many puppets in Honkai: Star Rail, the Trailblazer will soon meet her real form in Version 3.0. Known as The Herta, she is the 5-star form of the Ice Erudition character, who's said to be living at the edge of the cosmos and overseeing the activities at the Space Station. The fact that Herta is showing her real form in Honkai: Star Rail soon may mean that there will be a problem that needs her attention.
Based on The Herta's splash art, she is a beautiful, tall woman sporting a long dress and a witch's hat. Interestingly, her weapon is a staff that's shaped like a giant key, which many Honkai: Star Rail fans pointed out resembles Sora's Keyblade from the Kingdom Hearts franchise.
The Herta's Key-Shaped Weapon Could Open the Door to an Interesting Honkai: Star Rail Crossover
|
Name & Star Level |
The Herta (5-star) |
|---|---|
|
Element & Path |
Ice, Path of Erudition |
|
Release Date |
Version 3.0 (January 15, 2025) |
Just like her 4-star version, The Herta is also an Ice-type character following the Path of Erudition, which means that she can deal AoE damage to multiple enemies. Some leaks claim that 5-star Herta might not have follow-up attacks in her kit, but she could allegedly apply Clue stacks to make enemies more susceptible to damage. It's likely that The Herta will have cool animations with her unique staff for her Skill and Ultimate during combat.
Lore-wise, the significance of Herta's key-shaped staff is still unknown, and could be addressed in Honkai: Star Rail Version 3.0's story. Meanwhile, this could also open up an opportunity for Honkai: Star Rail to do a Kingdom Hearts collaboration for a Keyblade-inspired weapon cosmetic for Herta. While some fans might feel skeptical about this possibility, it's worth noting that HoYoverse has had interesting collaborations with other video games in the past, such as Genshin Impact turning Horizon Zero Dawn's Aloy into a playable character, and a roundtable discussion between the creators of Zenless Zone Zero and Street Fighter 6. So, tapping Square Enix and Disney for a potential Keyblade skin for Honkai: Star Rail might not be that farfetched, and this could also be a great marketing tactic for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 4.
Honkai: Star Rail also has an upcoming Fate/Stay Night collaboration releasing next year, which could debut a playable character from the popular franchise.
Likewise, HoYoverse shares some similarities with Square Enix in terms of gameplay experience. The Final Fantasy series alone has open-world exploration, turn-based and hack-and-slash combat, and party systems that most HoYoverse titles have. Kingdom Hearts' whimsical vibe could be a good match with Honkai: Star Rail, especially if one looks at Penacony's cartoonish characters and dream-like surroundings. The Square Enix title also deals with themes of defeating darkness and bringing balance to the world, which is also similar to Trailblazer's mission throughout Honkai: Star Rail.
HoYoverse puts a lot of importance on equipping ideal weapons to characters, but it has yet to introduce weapon skins, which could enhance players' experience. After all, HoYoverse has already come out with multiple character skins in games like Genshin Impact, so it's only logical to focus on customized weapons next. It would also be cool if the weapons had special perks from the skins, like adopting the Keyblade's magic abilities, and seeing how this could appear during combat.
Realistically, it might take some time before HoYoverse pulls off a potential Square Enix and Disney collaboration with Honkai: Star Rail, especially since it's gearing up for its next major arc in Amphoreus. But considering Honkai: Star Rail's financial success and current story pace, HoYoverse still has plenty of time to refine gameplay and prepare for more exciting crossovers.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 90%
- Released
- April 26, 2023
- ESRB
- Teen / Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Simulated Gambling, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Publisher(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
WHERE TO PLAY
They call them, "Aeons" in this galaxy. They construct reality, erase stars, and leave their marks on countless worlds. Together with your companions you'll travel across the galaxy on the Astral Express, following the path once traveled by the Aeons. From here, you will explore new civilizations, meet new comrades, and begin new adventures among countless fantastical worlds. All the answers you seek will be uncovered among the stars.
Well what're you waiting for? Are you ready to begin this trailblazing journey?
Honkai: Star Rail is a new HoYoverse space fantasy RPG. Hop aboard the Astral Express and experience the galaxy's infinite wonders filled with adventure and thrills.
Players will meet new companions across various worlds and maybe even run into some familiar faces. Overcome the struggles together caused by Stellaron and unravel the hidden truths behind it! May this journey lead us starward!
- Engine
- Unity
- Cross-Platform Play
- Limited
- Cross Save
- All platforms
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC, Android, iOS
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Turn-Based RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 83 hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
