Group text chats are like hydras: delete one and somehow two more will take their place. Love or hate them, they are part of every user’s life. Apparently they are also part of the sci-fi world of Honkai: Starraila space adventure game from Genshin effect developer, Hoyoverse. Honkai: StarrailThe universe isn’t that different from ours in that sense. Between saving worlds and battling cosmic creatures, the characters text each other constantly, and their unhinged conversations showcase each character’s unique charms.
The mobile and PC game follows the Trailblazer, a young person with cosmic powers who goes on an interplanetary adventure after boarding an interstellar train called the Astral Express. On their travels, they are accompanied by two friends: a bubbly girl named March 7, who loves selfies, and a cold swordsman named Dan Heng, who prefers to stay indoors and read. In the earlier parts of the game, the three embark on an important expedition that could decide the fate of an icy planet and all who call it home.
Given the dire conditions, the Trailblazers should probably be using their phones to communicate important information to other characters, such as quest updates, but they mainly use it to shoot the shit. Fans noticed these conversations and people share their favorite clips on places like TikTok. In the conversation shown in the shot below, famed intergalactic scientist Herta asks the Trailblazer to test some of her new technology, to which they reply “beg me~”.
When you board the Astral Express, you participate in a group chat that includes all passengers, so everyone gets important announcements. At one point, you’re thrown into another group chat with investigators only to find out they broke a rule by adding you, which resulted in you being punished by their boss, Asta. In another conversation, a sweet boy named Arlan texts you, but then he runs out of money on his phone, so the chat ends abruptly. Later, just text cute emojis back and forth with March 7, making her even more loved by everyone in the chat.
While these kinds of conversations often serve a gameplay purpose by starting quests, they also serve as a sweet and silly means of characterizing individuals and teaching us about the greater culture of this world.
Even outside of conversation, cell phones are a staple of life on the Astral Express and the planets beyond. When you pause the screen, your character will automatically check their phone and each character will have their own unique case. In Belobog, a big city at the start of the game, you can interact with a phone booth, and an omniscient narrator will simply tell you that the only reason you think it’s new is because you’re from the mobile era. The prominence of mobile phones in the game feels like a cute third-wall-breaking acknowledgment of how many people are playing Honkai: Starrail. While mobile players are tapping along on their phones, they’re texting all their friends.