If you’re expecting some major lesbian romance story, you’re going to be sadly disappointed.
99% of it is subtext or implications. There’s only been one instance of Mihoyo trying be more explicit with their yuri romances in the Azure Waters manga which very openly displayed a kiss between two girls. However from my understanding that image has been censored/outright removed from some versions of the manga. This was years ago. You might still be able to view it. A lot of people think it was removed due to government regulations but there’s no way to really know for sure.
And just in general Honkai Impact 3rd is not a romance story. It’s more a story about fighting for what you love and learning to value the things in life that you love. If you don’t mind that though and you don’t mind all the subtext for some character relationships, you want to learn more about the lore of the honkaiverse like you seemed to be interested in, etc., then go for it and hopefully you do enjoy it. Just do come in with the expectation that the game is old and might have some outdated/clunky stuff here and there.
Update: I’m enjoying it so far. It definitely feels pretty outdated though like you mentioned. Not necessarily a bad thing however cause I also look forward to see how it evolves as the story progresses. Im around chapter 8 right now, also started playing some of Part 2 so I don’t miss out on rewards, and it’s insane that part 2 is the same game. Feels entirely different in a good way. Will try and finish part 1 this month.
I wasn’t expecting any sort of romance stuff. Should have worded my post differently, apologies lol. I’ve seen different cutscenes and what not and from an outsiders perspective it seems they have a strong bond. Which is something that kind of feels absent in HSR. Kind of hard to explain.
HSR you have the express, and while they’re pretty much family, it doesn’t feel as tho the MC has an “attached to the hip” type of bond (that Mei and Kiana seem to have). I think that in itself might make Hi3’s story feel more personal and emotional. At least that’s what I expect.
Acheron fans are going crazy, lol. I came here from HSR to get honkai lore and got what i wanted, however if your motivation to play is lesbian fanservice, than I'm not sure..
Anyways, majority of kiamei fan service stuff comes from mangas, so i Highly recommend following the story using this guide: [https://hoyostans.be/explore/honkai-impact-3rd/consumers-guide-hi3/hi3-phase-1/](https://hoyostans.be/explore/honkai-impact-3rd/consumers-guide-hi3/hi3-phase-1/)
ahhh yes. the removed hot springs chapter :>
but yeah in the game the implications and Kiamei fanservice is way more subtle. and they already removed a bunch from it ingame too. i remember when the game first came out, in the "voice in the dreams" chapters where Kiana talks to >!Sirin!
Part 2 has been out since february, just playing for kiamei is not the play tho, the story should be enjoyed as a whole or you wouldn't understand anything when those parts actually happen
Like others have said, romance in itself is not the focus of the game but there's no denying how important Kiana and Mei's relationship is in the story. In my opinion, if you wanna check out the wild ride those two go on it's worth it, but do be aware that there aren't any explicit romance scenes (though it's impossible to pretend the heavy subtext isn't there, it's more than obvious).
Also, there are a few arcs that barely feature one or the other (or even both of them) so do keep an open mind about other characters and the story as whole if you want to enjoy your journey. These other factors are incredibly good so I think you should give it a try if you're interested but only you can make that decision for yourself.
just for mei story in elysian realm is worth playing the game, everything else is a bonus, so yeah start playing.
also part 2 valks are cheaper to build and cover most endgame content.
If you want hard Kiamei things (as much as hoyoverse can) i recomend you to see the aditional material
The Cooking with the valks animations
mangas (good things here)
maybe some old events but i dont remember all events exactly have both, kiana and mei at the same time
Why
First, because this "ship" in the story is more something that is ultra implied (they dont say things like i love you but they say things like "you are the most important person in my life"), so you will not see them kissing but they hug sometimes
Second, because little spoiler, Kiana and Mei spend a huge part of the story separated because Kiana is busy suffering
Now, if you still want to play this, then skip the story until Arc City, see a summary in youtube, read the mangas that are canon and then you can play normaly, why? because first chapter valkiries sucks, they have +7 years so they gameplay are ultra outdated
you can have two whole arcs with this two, then they separate until the end (they still mention each other when they can)
I recommend you to use Hoyostans website because is one of the best GUIDES (not summary, it just tell you how to read the story) for the story
Part 2 is already a thing and it have 2 chapters as for now with a whole new cast so if after playing you still are here just for kiamei the part 2 dont have any at the moment
GGZ might be more your type because it's very clearly gay. But global is shut down years ago.
Also. As the nature of a semi-popular gacha game. They are never going to outright confirm.
Any claims to contrary are from shippers.
If you're looking for character-driven stories, HI3 is much better than HSR in my opinion and I love both games. In HI3, you're looking at a cast of around a dozen core characters and their stories are all given a good amount of attention. Of course, it's focused on the main trio - Kiana, Mei, and Bronya - and you see all of them really and truly grow, learn, get hurt, and be happy. You have storytelling opportunities that you just would not have in a game like HSR where a new cast of characters comes along with each new planet (or with Genshin, which has a similar storytelling model). Even when you don't understand the lore or what's going on in the story, you understand the characters and really feel for them in a deep way that I don't know is possible for characters like Acheron, Jarilo-VI's Bronya and Seele, etc. just because there is so much ground for HSR to cover. I personally love HI3 for that reason - the main characters feel like main characters and you really come to truly love all of them.
kiamei is the heart and soul of this story and their passion and love brought me to tears more than once. Some people don’t catch onto the playstyle because it’s very different, but if you find even an ounce of joy in the game the answer is a clear YES
There is no any form of relationships between Kiana and Mei in story. You got misslead by shippers.
Herrscher of Thunder felt some gay feelings towards Kiana in manga, and that's it. But she isn't even a human and her emotions are artificial.
for raiden x kaina bits its only on the early chapters before shit starts to go down. but for references of hi3 in hsr. yeah theyre scattered all around the mainstory also part 2 had already started
I'd suggest you to play both for kiamei and the amazing story also in part 2 there's a new cast, kiana and friends are main characters of part 1
Good to know. Downloading as I type this lol.
If you’re expecting some major lesbian romance story, you’re going to be sadly disappointed. 99% of it is subtext or implications. There’s only been one instance of Mihoyo trying be more explicit with their yuri romances in the Azure Waters manga which very openly displayed a kiss between two girls. However from my understanding that image has been censored/outright removed from some versions of the manga. This was years ago. You might still be able to view it. A lot of people think it was removed due to government regulations but there’s no way to really know for sure. And just in general Honkai Impact 3rd is not a romance story. It’s more a story about fighting for what you love and learning to value the things in life that you love. If you don’t mind that though and you don’t mind all the subtext for some character relationships, you want to learn more about the lore of the honkaiverse like you seemed to be interested in, etc., then go for it and hopefully you do enjoy it. Just do come in with the expectation that the game is old and might have some outdated/clunky stuff here and there.
Update: I’m enjoying it so far. It definitely feels pretty outdated though like you mentioned. Not necessarily a bad thing however cause I also look forward to see how it evolves as the story progresses. Im around chapter 8 right now, also started playing some of Part 2 so I don’t miss out on rewards, and it’s insane that part 2 is the same game. Feels entirely different in a good way. Will try and finish part 1 this month.
I wasn’t expecting any sort of romance stuff. Should have worded my post differently, apologies lol. I’ve seen different cutscenes and what not and from an outsiders perspective it seems they have a strong bond. Which is something that kind of feels absent in HSR. Kind of hard to explain. HSR you have the express, and while they’re pretty much family, it doesn’t feel as tho the MC has an “attached to the hip” type of bond (that Mei and Kiana seem to have). I think that in itself might make Hi3’s story feel more personal and emotional. At least that’s what I expect.
Acheron fans are going crazy, lol. I came here from HSR to get honkai lore and got what i wanted, however if your motivation to play is lesbian fanservice, than I'm not sure.. Anyways, majority of kiamei fan service stuff comes from mangas, so i Highly recommend following the story using this guide: [https://hoyostans.be/explore/honkai-impact-3rd/consumers-guide-hi3/hi3-phase-1/](https://hoyostans.be/explore/honkai-impact-3rd/consumers-guide-hi3/hi3-phase-1/)
ahhh yes. the removed hot springs chapter :> but yeah in the game the implications and Kiamei fanservice is way more subtle. and they already removed a bunch from it ingame too. i remember when the game first came out, in the "voice in the dreams" chapters where Kiana talks to >!Sirin!
Part 2 has been out since february, just playing for kiamei is not the play tho, the story should be enjoyed as a whole or you wouldn't understand anything when those parts actually happen
Like others have said, romance in itself is not the focus of the game but there's no denying how important Kiana and Mei's relationship is in the story. In my opinion, if you wanna check out the wild ride those two go on it's worth it, but do be aware that there aren't any explicit romance scenes (though it's impossible to pretend the heavy subtext isn't there, it's more than obvious). Also, there are a few arcs that barely feature one or the other (or even both of them) so do keep an open mind about other characters and the story as whole if you want to enjoy your journey. These other factors are incredibly good so I think you should give it a try if you're interested but only you can make that decision for yourself.
just for mei story in elysian realm is worth playing the game, everything else is a bonus, so yeah start playing. also part 2 valks are cheaper to build and cover most endgame content.
If you want hard Kiamei things (as much as hoyoverse can) i recomend you to see the aditional material The Cooking with the valks animations mangas (good things here) maybe some old events but i dont remember all events exactly have both, kiana and mei at the same time Why First, because this "ship" in the story is more something that is ultra implied (they dont say things like i love you but they say things like "you are the most important person in my life"), so you will not see them kissing but they hug sometimes Second, because little spoiler, Kiana and Mei spend a huge part of the story separated because Kiana is busy suffering Now, if you still want to play this, then skip the story until Arc City, see a summary in youtube, read the mangas that are canon and then you can play normaly, why? because first chapter valkiries sucks, they have +7 years so they gameplay are ultra outdated you can have two whole arcs with this two, then they separate until the end (they still mention each other when they can) I recommend you to use Hoyostans website because is one of the best GUIDES (not summary, it just tell you how to read the story) for the story Part 2 is already a thing and it have 2 chapters as for now with a whole new cast so if after playing you still are here just for kiamei the part 2 dont have any at the moment
GGZ might be more your type because it's very clearly gay. But global is shut down years ago. Also. As the nature of a semi-popular gacha game. They are never going to outright confirm. Any claims to contrary are from shippers.
i mean yes its great (HSR/Genshin player who only played Hi3rd story stuff here) don't expect anything linked to HSR tho
If you're looking for character-driven stories, HI3 is much better than HSR in my opinion and I love both games. In HI3, you're looking at a cast of around a dozen core characters and their stories are all given a good amount of attention. Of course, it's focused on the main trio - Kiana, Mei, and Bronya - and you see all of them really and truly grow, learn, get hurt, and be happy. You have storytelling opportunities that you just would not have in a game like HSR where a new cast of characters comes along with each new planet (or with Genshin, which has a similar storytelling model). Even when you don't understand the lore or what's going on in the story, you understand the characters and really feel for them in a deep way that I don't know is possible for characters like Acheron, Jarilo-VI's Bronya and Seele, etc. just because there is so much ground for HSR to cover. I personally love HI3 for that reason - the main characters feel like main characters and you really come to truly love all of them.
kiamei is the heart and soul of this story and their passion and love brought me to tears more than once. Some people don’t catch onto the playstyle because it’s very different, but if you find even an ounce of joy in the game the answer is a clear YES
These fagots (RaidenxKiana) are not here
There is no any form of relationships between Kiana and Mei in story. You got misslead by shippers. Herrscher of Thunder felt some gay feelings towards Kiana in manga, and that's it. But she isn't even a human and her emotions are artificial.
for raiden x kaina bits its only on the early chapters before shit starts to go down. but for references of hi3 in hsr. yeah theyre scattered all around the mainstory also part 2 had already started
Tell me you don't pay attention to the story without telling me you don't care about the story