Honkai: Star Rail Sparkle Trailer goes so hard, even fans say they “can’t fix her”

Originally posted on Video Games on Sports Illustrated
By Marco Wutz | Last updated 2/28/24

There are plenty of Honkai: Star Rail characters that could need a therapist to work on some of their past trauma – Blade is obsessed with dying, Dan Heng is haunted by what he did as the Imbibitor Lunae, Jingliu aims to cut down a star with her sword, and Ruan Mei wants to become an Aeon. Fans are very much convinced that they could totally “fix” all of these characters.

For the first time, though, this resolve is wavering. Why? Because the upcoming Honkai: Star Rail character Sparkle has shattered it with the two most recent trailers for the game, in which she plays the main role. As a member of the Masked Fools we already knew that she’d be a handful, following The Elation and its creepy Aeon, Aha – and the story quests of update 2.0 completely confirmed that impression of a Joker type character.

Sparkle makes Blade and Jingliu look like well-adjusted members of society.HoYoverse

Both the Myriad Celestia Trailer “Sparkle: Behind the Curtain” and Sparkle Trailer “Monodrama” have amplified that depiction even further, though. “Behind the Curtain” explores what might be her backstory as a stage idol, which eventually led her down the Path of Elation as she was on the lookout for ever greater thrills and stages to shine on, losing her original personality among the countless roles she took on.

“Monodrama” is a straight-up psychedelic trip that shows Sparkle playing Russian Roulette with copies of herself, proclaiming herself to be The Elation – still laughing about that, Aha? – and generally falling down a spiral of insanity. It’s fantastic to have a character like her in the line-up, a real breath of fresh air – but yes: Even her most ardent fans admit: “I can’t fix her.”

Sparkle is going to join the roster on February 29, 2024, as one of the strongest support units available in the game. She also has the honor of completing the line-up of Quantum Type characters, which will be the first damage type in the game to sport members of each Path. Combined with her character being a mixture of the Joker and Emperor Palpatine inhabiting the body of an anime girl, she should prove to be quite popular.

This article first appeared on Video Games on Sports Illustrated and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: