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Genshin Impact studio shows off two stylish new games at Summer Game Fest

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This story is part of our Summer Gaming Marathon series.

HoYoverse, the Chinese game development studio that brought us Genshin Impact, has shown off a double feature of trailers for two new stylish games at Summer Game Fest: Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero.

Summer Game Fest: HoYoverse Honkai: Star Rail World Premiere Trailer

The fourth installment in the Honkai series, Honkai: Star Rail is a space RPG that takes players aboard the titular interstellar train to an exotic realm. They will play in teams of up to four characters as they travel to various new worlds and fight against intergalactic monsters.

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A second closed beta for Honki: Star Rail was announced back in April, and there haven’t been any further updates about the game other than the stunning new trailer, which you can check out above.

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Zenless Zone Zero is a new IP that’s just as futuristic as Honkai: Star Rail, only the characters are grounded in a post-apocalyptic Earth. This game takes place in the near future, where dangerous and mysterious calamities called the Hollows have laid waste to the old civilization and rendered every city unable to fight back against them — except for New Eridu.

Summer Game Fest: HoYoverse Zenless Zone Zero World Premiere Trailer

Players control a character known as a Proxy, who fights alongside the citizens of New Eridu, each of which have different beliefs and reasons for wanting to eliminate the Hollows and bring the world back to its former glory. Some characters carry swords, while others have guns, bazookas, and even robotic thruster legs. Zenless Zone Zero was announced a few weeks ago, along with an invitation for interested players to sign up for a beta test.

The release date for both games is currently unknown.

Cristina Alexander
Cristina Alexander is a gaming and mobile writer at Digital Trends. She blends fair coverage of games industry topics that…
Does Honkai: Star Rail have co-op?
Two anime characters with glowing hearts.

Coming from the same team that brought us Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail shares a lot in common with that mega-hit. The most noticeable is the art style and gacha mechanics, but what about the ability to play co-op? After you've added friends to your friends list, will this game let you actually jump in to help your friends out and explore the world together? Let's see how you can, and can't, help your friends out in Honkai: Star Rail.
Is there co-op in Honkai: Star Rail?

The sad reality is, unlike Genshin, there's no direct co-op mechanic in Honkai: Star Rail to allow you and any number of friends to join up together. That begs the question, though, as to what the point of having a friends list even is. Well, while you can't directly help, or be helped, by a friend, there is a way you can assist one another.
How to use a friend's Support Characters
Any person you add to your friend list will be selectable to summon in one of their Support Characters to join your party. There are a few restrictions to this system, though. For one, that Support Character will only stick with you for a set period of time, and they can only be used in Calyxes and Caverns of Corrosion. Additionally, any Support Character you take will have their level scaled to your level, meaning you can't borrow an overpowered unit to carry you through any encounters.

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How to add friends in Honkai: Star Rail
genshin impact studio shows off two stylish new games honkai star rail

After Genshin Impact took the world by storm in 2020 and put developer MiHoYo on the map, the team has been working diligently in the background on a new title called Honkai: Star Rail. This is technically the fourth game in the Honkai series, though it features an entirely new cast of characters and story to allow anyone to jump in. It looks and plays quite similarly to Genshin, with the same addictive gacha mechanics, so plenty of fans are likely interested in giving this new entry a shot. But to experience the game in the best way possible, you'll want to bring some friends along. Here's how you can add friends in Honkai: Star Rail to make playing together a breeze.
How to add friends in Honkai: Star Rail

Before you can even access the option to add any friends in Honkai: Star Rail, you first need to play solo for a bit. Once you've done a few main quests and reached the Astral Express during the "Today is Yesterday's Tomorrow: The Voyage Continues" quest, you can enter the Star Rail hub. Once here, simply tap the icon of the phone at the top-left corner of the screen.

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Here’s how you can play Summer Game Fest demos on Xbox this month
Severed Steel

If you were one of the many who witnessed the recent Summer Game Fest from the comfort of your home and wish you could get to try a few of the demos then your wish is coming true (at least if you own an Xbox console). Xbox confirmed that it is once again teaming with Geoff Keighley's summer event to bring select demos from the show floor to Xbox One and Series X/S consoles for a week.

From June 21 through June 27, Xbox owners can try out over 30 demos for upcoming unreleased games that appeared at Summer Game Fest. This is the third time that Xbox has teamed with the event to bring a part of the experience home.

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