r/houkai3rd • u/ConstantStatistician • 19h ago
Discussion Since all of HI3 is a giant prequel to HSR, how does this affect the long-term storytelling of HI3?
The first and most obvious implication is that at some point in HI3's storyline, Welt, Vita, and maybe other characters will have to leave their setting for HSR worlds, meaning there's a final scene with them where they won't be coming back. But more than that, being a part of HSR's greater setting imposes limits on what HI3 can do. You can't have a prequel running parallel with a sequel forever. At some point, the prequel will have to catch up with the start of the sequel and be forced to end.
Being a part of HSR's setting also means that HI3 will either have to stay in Earth's solar system or expand to the greater setting and begin planet hopping like HSR does, turning this game into a rehash of HSR. Either outcome will most likely lead to self-contained, episodic stories instead of the grand, overarching arcs we're used to. That's probably what the "epilogues" after the part 2 finale will be.
GGZ is the lucky one. It's completely standalone and unconnected to the Honkaiverse, meaning it can do its own thing for as long as it wants without being beholden to a game set in the future. But for better or worse, HI3 is now inextricably linked to HSR.
