Honkai: Nexus Anima Hands-On Preview: I’ve Discovered My Next Obsession

Fans of the creature-capture genre in gaming have a year to celebrate in 2026, with a number of high-profile releases, and Honkai: Nexus Anima is set to join the list when it launches later this year.

The latest spin-off in the hugely successful Honkai series, Nexus Anima arrives as the fifth instalment in the series, featuring characters from Honkai Impact 3rd and Honkai: Star Rail.

I’ve never actually delved into the Honkai series previously, but as a creature-capture and Pokémon fanatic, Nexus Anima peaked my interest and, having spent time playing the game in a preview session provided by Hoyoverse, it’s bad news for any social plans that may emerge post-launch.

Honkai: Nexus Anima Is My Next Obsession

The initial approach is pretty standard for the genre. The world is occupied by Animas, creatures that are caught using Nexus Skien, a thread-like contraption that captures the creatures you defeat to add to your collection.

It’s all fairly as you’d expect, following the same veins that have proven to be integral to the success of titles in the genre over the years, and, to be fair, I welcomed the fact that it didn’t tread into a different direction with the capture mechanics.

Instead, the main difference in Honkai: Nexus Anima compared to other creature-capture titles is the battle system, which doesn’t adopt the turn-based approach that has become a staple of the Pokémon franchise, nor is it open-world like Palworld.

In Honkai: Nexus Anima, battles are completed from a top-down perspective on a board. Here, Animas are deployed into different positions based on their stats, with some being front-line attackers, others being more tanky protectors, and some casting attacks from a distance.

Animas in battle fight automatically and accumulate energy, which, when fully charged, results in them using their Skill, which can be result in a flood of damage, healing, or similar.

Admittedly, this approach may not be for everyone, but I liked the fact I could let it play out on its own, for the most part, which will certainly be a welcome feature for those who play on mobile devices.

A World to Explore

Aside from the creature-capture elements, Honkai: Nexus Anima features what we’ve come to expect from a Hoyoverse title with a vast world to explore, filled with challenges and sidequests to complete, which undoubtedly stands as one of the title’s biggest strengths.

Another staple of Hoyoverse titles is also present with Gacha systems, though I didn’t really try these out too much while playing the preview, as I was far too preoccupied with trying to catch every Anima I came across. In my limited experience though, it’s fairly simple, you roll for a new Anima, immediately adding whichever emerges to your collection.

The characters were another major strength, ranging from the standard eye candy to the downright bizarre, including one character who had a loaf of bread for their head. Additionally, the story already had me hooked in a similar way to how Digimon Story: Time Stranger lured me in completely.

All in all, it’s another Hoyoverse title I can’t wait to play more of and one I’m eagerly anticipating the release of. Alongside Petit Planet, it’s fair to say that Hoyoverse has me hook, line, and sinker, with both titles set to dominate my spare time when they are fully released.

Check out the story cinematics video for Honkai: Nexus Anima below.

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