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Turn-based RPGs can face difficulties during the design process when figuring out how to convey physical momentum. In an environment where actions are decided by button taps and menus rather than real-time physics, the connection to physical movement can feel inauthentic. When HoYoverse designed Honkai Star Rail‘s massive fire-breathing dragon that accompanies Castorice, lead game designer Chengan An says the team looked beyond typical fantasy tropes for inspiration.

Instead of looking at other mythical creatures or cinematic moments, the development team found a surprising inspiration in high-performance sports cars. Speaking to GameSpot during HoYoverse’s Media Tour in Seoul, South Korea, Chengan An mentioned that Castorice and her colossal dragon are some of his favorite characters.

While a giant dragon spraying flames across the battlefield looks undeniably striking, the developers realized early on that visual fidelity alone doesn’t capture the sensation of actually commanding a dragon. “Let’s take Castorice, for example. When we designed the giant dragon, beyond the cool visual presentation and some special effects, we also have detailed design in terms of the player’s controls.” 

The team realized that there’s no basis in humans’ physical memory when it comes to commanding a dragon. Players understand what a dragon attack looks like because they have spent decades watching them in movies, but that’s done passively. “When it comes to a giant dragon bursting fire, actually no one has ever experienced it in person, right?” Chengan said. “That’s actually an experience based on films or in dramas. However, in films or dramas you can only watch what the directors have already shot for you. You still cannot control the dragon to burst into fire, like first-hand.”

In many action games, dragon attacks could be controlled with a reticle or a trigger. In a turn-based title, however, players are more restricted with their options, having to stick to straightforward commands. “You only need to tap the button to burst into fire,” Chengan confirmed. “We get inspiration from our real life, that is, the engine of a sports car.”

“When we drive or listen to the sound of a sports car, and you speed up a gear, and the engine is riding, then when you switch the gear, you can hear a very powerful impact of sound. We’re inspired by this phenomenon,” he noted.

Chengan An wanted to replicate that distinct mechanical cadence. As the RPMs climb through one gear, there’s a sudden release at the shift point and then an immediate surge in the next gear. That loop became the inspiration for Castorice’s dragon flame. 

“When you switch the gear, you can feel the super-strong impact of speeding up. This is our inspiration. We turned it into the dragon, so you can experience it [breathing] the fire and you can see the gradual process. Each time you play Castorice, you can feel the gradual process and instant burst of attack, and then players look forward to playing it again and again,” he explained.

For HoYoverse, the engine metaphor represents a wider approach to character and combat development. While the game takes place across space, Chengan An noted that the best design ideas come from outside fantasy media. “You can see inspiration can be not only from games or dramas, but also drawn from your everyday life.”

The fantastical turn-based ability being tied to the grounded, real-world kinetic escalation of a sports-car engine is just one way that HoYoverse turns a standard input prompt into an attack that players feel more connected to, despite Honkai Star Rail’s limited possibilities given the genre of the game. I don’t necessarily feel the sports car influence when playing as Castorice, but with Chengan An’s contextual comments, it’s easy to see how real-world moments are shaping every corner of Honkai Star Rail, even if we don’t always realize it as players. 

“}]] [[{“value”:”Turn-based RPGs can face difficulties during the design process when figuring out how to convey physical momentum. In an environment where actions are decided by button taps and menus rather than real-time physics, the connection to physical movement can feel inauthentic. When HoYoverse designed Honkai Star Rail’s massive fire-breathing dragon that accompanies Castorice, lead game designer Chengan An says the team looked beyond typical fantasy tropes for inspiration.

Instead of looking at other mythical creatures or cinematic moments, the development team found a surprising inspiration in high-performance sports cars. Speaking to GameSpot during HoYoverse’s Media Tour in Seoul, South Korea, Chengan An mentioned that Castorice and her colossal dragon are some of his favorite characters.

While a giant dragon spraying flames across the battlefield looks undeniably striking, the developers realized early on that visual fidelity alone doesn’t capture the sensation of actually commanding a dragon. “Let’s take Castorice, for example. When we designed the giant dragon, beyond the cool visual presentation and some special effects, we also have detailed design in terms of the player’s controls.” 

The team realized that there’s no basis in humans’ physical memory when it comes to commanding a dragon. Players understand what a dragon attack looks like because they have spent decades watching them in movies, but that’s done passively. “When it comes to a giant dragon bursting fire, actually no one has ever experienced it in person, right?” Chengan said. “That’s actually an experience based on films or in dramas. However, in films or dramas you can only watch what the directors have already shot for you. You still cannot control the dragon to burst into fire, like first-hand.”

In many action games, dragon attacks could be controlled with a reticle or a trigger. In a turn-based title, however, players are more restricted with their options, having to stick to straightforward commands. “You only need to tap the button to burst into fire,” Chengan confirmed. “We get inspiration from our real life, that is, the engine of a sports car.”

“When we drive or listen to the sound of a sports car, and you speed up a gear, and the engine is riding, then when you switch the gear, you can hear a very powerful impact of sound. We’re inspired by this phenomenon,” he noted.

Chengan An wanted to replicate that distinct mechanical cadence. As the RPMs climb through one gear, there’s a sudden release at the shift point and then an immediate surge in the next gear. That loop became the inspiration for Castorice’s dragon flame. 

“When you switch the gear, you can feel the super-strong impact of speeding up. This is our inspiration. We turned it into the dragon, so you can experience it [breathing] the fire and you can see the gradual process. Each time you play Castorice, you can feel the gradual process and instant burst of attack, and then players look forward to playing it again and again,” he explained.

For HoYoverse, the engine metaphor represents a wider approach to character and combat development. While the game takes place across space, Chengan An noted that the best design ideas come from outside fantasy media. “You can see inspiration can be not only from games or dramas, but also drawn from your everyday life.”

The fantastical turn-based ability being tied to the grounded, real-world kinetic escalation of a sports-car engine is just one way that HoYoverse turns a standard input prompt into an attack that players feel more connected to, despite Honkai Star Rail’s limited possibilities given the genre of the game. I don’t necessarily feel the sports car influence when playing as Castorice, but with Chengan An’s contextual comments, it’s easy to see how real-world moments are shaping every corner of Honkai Star Rail, even if we don’t always realize it as players. “}]]  Read MoreGameSpot – All Content