When HoYoVerse first started going over some Honkai: Nexus Anima details, Pokemon came to mind. After all, it’s a creature-collecting and battling game. There’s more to it than that, though, and once you get into the actual game, it feels very different. After going hands-on with the Honkai: Nexus Anima Evolution Test beta, the differences in character creation and combat felt unique enough to be encouraging. The Honkai: Nexus Anima Evolution Test beta began a bit like other creature collecting games like Pokemon and HoYoVerse titles. We select our avatar from two options. However, from there it gets slightly more involved. Our avatar gets attributes, and the build let me select between three preset options that would influence response options. An “Evil Genius” would have an 8 in Intelligence and 2s in Charisma and Strength. To compare, a Muscle Master would get 7 Strength, 3 Charisma, and 2 Intelligence. We haven’t seen this sort of character development in a HoYoVerse title before, and it seems promising. Not to mention fitting, since we know in the world that the Anima monsters are tied to Aspects like Beauty, Courage, Hate, Joy, Love, Memory, and Strength. From there, our character heads off with a friend named Darsea and meets her Nexus Anima Umpurrella. It serves as an introduction to the creatures and opportunity to see how they work by borrowing the critter for a while, while showing how the earlier stat system comes into play. Instead of just going through a predetermined event with our avatar’s friend, we can select a food challenge, trivia contest, or try and draw her portrait. The stat selection at the beginning influences how well those would turn out, which meant I sent my “Evil Genius” to the quiz. However, as an early quality of life nod, there is a Peeker system that reminds you of your current points in each stat and lets you see possible success requirements for options when making a decision. In this instance, there seemed to be no barriers though, so I could have chosen any option and been fine. Screenshots by Siliconera Going through the trivia section wasn’t too trying. Especially as Darsea chimes in. It also proved helpful, as it offered insight into The Great Sundering, Aspects, and Anima. But it also leads into an opportunity to tame and bond with our first creature, a Nomnom. That involves a battle with the borrowed Umpurrella against three Nomnoms. Unlike in Pokemon, where we directly dictate characters’ actions in turn-based fights, Honkai: Nexus Anima involves placing characters into one of three lines in the field based on their traits and roles. So Umpurrella’s details right away already note it is a ranged Backline character tied to the Beauty attribute that is a Mastermind. Deploying her then leads to her automatically fighting and eventually using her AOE Der Sturm Sonate Battle Skill whenever she’s able. It’s more of a real-time strategy affair based on our deployed types. When a fight is done, if it’s possible to try and catch the Bond Target, you use a Nexus Skein to attempt to make it happen. Which is what made the Honkai: Nexus Anima Evolution Test beta seem so promising and left me feeling like it isn’t just another Pokemon style monster catcher and battler right away. It’s more about building up a team and strategy, then deploying them in proper positions. You want to put characters who belong to the Strength or Courage Aspect up front. Like the early Nomnom is a Satiation Protector that can heal itself and is designed to be in front due to that durability. A ranged unit with an AOE attack like Umpurrella should be in the back. Given this was only a beta, I didn’t get to do too much or get too invested with my characters in Honkai: Nexus Anima, so I mainly spent my time doing what I do in Pokemon to relax after getting through the campaign quests and reaching Iia. That is, I went around looking for new creatures to collect and experimented with some different groupings to see how some worked together. I found Corvariatio, a Blaster type Anima tied to Change, could be a handy one. Its Battle Skill doesn’t guarantee a certain passive or attack each time, but can be devastating if certain cards come up. Likewise, ensuring multiples of the same Aspect character are placed allowed for buffs, so playing the Competition Hoppelon in the Frontline position with its Pocket Bastion counterattack and shield with the fellow Competition Pomparrot in the back with its AOE Festival of Fireworks is a good idea since it boosts both of their attack speed. After checking out the Honkai: Nexus Anima Evolution Test beta, the character personalization and monster combat execution feel like they have such potential. Thinking in terms of squads and synergy seems interesting, like it’s set apart from other types of titles. Choosing our avatar’s attributes and seeing that affect choices also isn’t common in this genre. I’d love to see how this looks in the final build. Honkai: Nexus Anima is in development for PCs and mobile devices.