Honkai Star Rail: Developing Mobile Games on Xianzhou

"'Listen, the dead are speaking.'"

These words appeared as a small caption beneath the video Guinaifen was about to play, causing her to sharply inhale.

However, she wasn't genuinely frightened by this line; her reaction was merely for dramatic effect. Had she not experienced the Xianzhou Luofu storyline, the phrase might have indeed seemed eerie and unsettling due to its ambiguity.

But now...

Ever since the release of the Black-Yellow short film, the meaning behind the statement "A person has five names, three come at a price" had become self-evident.

When Blade first uttered this phrase to Jing Yuan at The Shackling Prison upon their arrival at Luofu, it sparked extensive discussions among players.

At that time, Guinaifen also believed that "name" referred to someone's identity or title!

Considering Blade was a Stellaron Hunter, there must have been some profound meaning behind his words!

Now she realized that "name" was actually used as a quantifier!

What Blade meant was: There were five of us; three made mistakes and paid the price, while you, Jing Yuan, were correct.

With this interpretation, Blade's image transformed from a cryptic, aloof enigma into a straightforward, goofy character!

Consequently, watching Blade's PV—"Death Approaches"—became considerably less daunting.

"Let's first take a look at Bladie's skill effects before deciding how many souls to summon."

"What's with 'Bladie'? Xiao Gui, don't call him that randomly!"

"I've told you countless times, address me as Blade Bro outside!"

"Finally here, huh!!"

"Just finished drawing six souls; let's see how Little Gui is doing."

"I tried it briefly—it's insanely amazing!"

:!? "Strongest Destruction main character in this version!"

"The Hunt excels against single targets, Erudition against groups, but our Destruction can handle both effortlessly!"

As Guinaifen watched the chat's comments, she couldn't help feeling tempted herself. But she managed to suppress her eagerness to draw cards right away.

First, let's finish watching the trailer!

With each sweep of Blade's sword, leaving trails of vivid crimson on the ground, blooms of red spider lilies burst forth.

Words flashed briefly across the screen:

[WANTED]

Dead or Alive!

Blade bore his ancient blade with one hand and declared solemnly, "By this sword alone, I shall send you off."

Accompanied by electronic music reminiscent of Xianzhou's style, Blade embarked on a relentless killing spree.

"Burdened by sin...yet daring to judge me guilty.

"A world corrupted...yet presuming to call yourselves Xianzhou."

After clearing the path obstructed by cloud riders, he suddenly lowered his head, breath quickening.

"Huff...huff..."

Strands of black silk enveloped him, shifting the camera angle towards another direction.

Here, scarlet spider lilies bloomed profusely.

In their center sat a figure, cross-legged.

A white-haired man, seemingly trapped within this sea of suffering.

He lifted his gaze slightly.

Before him appeared a man adorned with dragon horns.

"Ying Xing!"

"Ying Xing and Dan Feng, heartbreaking!"

"You still can't forget him!"

"This music sounds similar to a segment from Jing Yuan's PV—does every member of the High-Cloud Quintet share this background theme?"

"Thank you to Dan Heng-sensei for his guest appearance."

In the next moment, Blade's pupils contracted.

A long spear had pierced through his chest.

Dan Heng, trembling uncontrollably before him, still held the spear firmly in his hands.

The scene briefly fell silent.

Then suddenly...

Blade burst out in wild laughter!

Simultaneously!

An intensely piercing sound of a suona echoed!

Instantly,

the palpable tension seemed to overflow from the screen!

"WTF is this instrument?! That sound is absolutely insane!"

"With that volume, I feel like my phone's gonna explode!"

"It's a suona, he incorporated a suona!"

"I never would have imagined hearing Xianzhou's oboe sound in Blade's PV!"

"Oh my god, this melody is insane!!"

"Whenever the oboe plays, everyone stands in awe!"

"Bao Jue for sure! This instrument can serenade you from birth to your seventh-day memorial!"

"The oboe takes Blade's madness to its absolute peak!"

"Before you atone for your sins..."

"My vengeance."

"Incessant and relentless!"

Blade descended from the heavens, wielding a blade bathed in flashing red light!

Upon landing, he instantly created a web of cracks radiating outward like spiderwebs on the ground.

Within each crack, there flickered crescent-shaped reflections of blood-red sword glows!

Simultaneously, fields of Otherworldly Flowers bloomed across the mountains and rivers in the background.

"Is this Blade's ultimate ability?!"

"The visuals are absolutely insane!"

Even Guinaifen couldn't help but exclaim in awe.

"I had no idea that his earlier trial appearance was just the tip of the iceberg! This ultimate ability is mind-blowing!"

"Dra-draw-draw!"

"I'm going all-in with five premium rolls; let fate decide which Eidolon I get!"

On Xianzhou Luofu's Exalting Sanctum square, Blade's promotional video had just finished playing on the large screens.

The crowd below erupted with excitement!

"Why does this PV feel like it's announcing my funeral?"

"Seriously, why make him so cool? How am I supposed to resist drawing Kafka now?"

"They're showing Blade's arrest warrant over there and his character PV here—is that even appropriate?"

"I wasn't planning to draw, but after hearing that oboe, count me in!"

Quickly, some individuals seized the moment and began summoning cards.

"I'll trade ten more years of my friend's singlehood for a guaranteed Blade pull!"

"Ahhh, got it! Got it! It really worked, no reroll needed!!"

"I summoned right when the oboe played—it landed as dual golds!"

"Woah, insane! Can we please play it again?"

Penacony, known as Robin,

extracted the background music from the promotional video and shared it within their musician group chat.

This group consisted of various renowned singers across the galaxy, all maintaining anonymity to avoid gossip and instead focusing solely on musical discourse and exchange.

"Could everyone please provide their thoughts on this piece of music?"

A few minutes later.

Active users in the group began responding: "What instrument is that? Incredible penetrating power! It seems to overshadow all other instruments!"

"If I'm not mistaken, it should be Xianzhou's traditional instrument—the suona. However, within Xianzhou culture, this instrument is typically used for funerals and weddings, rarely seen in formal performances."

"Huh? Rarely seen in formal performances? Are you kidding me?"

Since the group was anonymous, participants freely expressed their opinions without reservation, candidly sharing their thoughts on music-related topics.

One musician commented, "The sound of this suona is exhilarating; it feels like my mind is about to soar!"

"There's no grand philosophy behind music! Isn't its purpose simply to evoke emotional responses in people?"

"I dare say, this instrument isn't lacking elegance but rather, when it enters the scene, all other instruments become mere accompaniments!"

The first musician who mentioned the oboe replied, "Don't rush! I heard from my friend on Xianzhou that this piece alone is enough to demonstrate the oboe's value."

Soon after, another commenter chimed in:

"This must be the music from Blade's character PV in 'Honkai: Star Rail'! Just listened to it myself, truly impressive!"

"Is Feathered Spirit a game developer or a composer?!?"

"How can us musicians compete with this?"

"The music for this PV showcases a modern and fashionable vibe while still embodying a sinister feel, yet maintaining a hint of righteousness—get it? Feathered Spirit: Got it."