I just started playing Aether Gazer, but I'm having a problem: I can't seem to turn off HDR. I've set everything to medium-high, but the only feature I don't like is HDR (that annoying blurring effect). I'm playing the PC version. Can you help me?
Hi, I'm completely new to this subreddit. I quickly discovered an official PC version and I'm wondering if it's well optimized and runs smoothly. I've played other gacha games with good graphics. I played E.T.E. Chronicles on Steam and it runs at 60 FPS with the settings maxed out. I also played Honkai Impact 3rd at 60 FPS with medium settings (I'm not very demanding). Even Girls: Frontline 2 runs perfectly for me at 30 FPS (thanks to power saving on medium settings). If I can get Aether Gaze to run smoothly, it will be another GREAT game I'll add and recommend to EVERYONE!
I play with an Intel i5 7600, 8GB of 2666MHz RAM, and UHD Graphics 630. (I have an RX 6400 Low Profile SFF but I haven't activated it yet.)
I would like to share a personal story about the game. I’m 21 years old and I’m an emotional fan of Honkai Impact 3rd. I started playing in 2016 when I was an Evangelion-obsessed otaku kid. Most of my life on the internet was dedicated to focusing on the plot, the story, and the universe of the game, reading every piece of lore and trying to connect everything coherently.
The story was PERFECT, a linear narrative identical to the previous game, Houkai Gakuen 2. The game was the classic hack-and-slash RPG with waifus, mecha aesthetics, and yuri fanservice aimed at a male audience (which was mostly a tool to attract a broader otaku audience). I ENJOYED it, I LOVED it, I PROTECTED the story.
I never liked forced pairings like KiaMei or BronSeele. Before, it was fun and amusing to support them because they weren’t canon and it was supposed to be part of the appeal for somewhat perverted male fans (the original designs support this idea). But now when I see character pairings it makes me feel disgust and sadness. Everything has shifted because of new players, and it ended up killing the fun by turning into a VERY toxic sector completely disconnected from the original content of the game and the manga (remember that the yuri was originally otaku fanservice).
Going back to the main point… BEFORE, the story was perfect.
Now the game feels like it has a cast of characters designed for a new general audience coming from the HoYoverse ecosystem, like Honkai: Star Rail or Genshin Impact, which in my opinion damages the coherence of the universe.
Why did they continue Honkai Impact like this? Was it really that difficult to release a prequel campaign about the Second Honkai Eruption?
Starting a new story years in the future in Part 2 feels like a huge mistake to me. I understand they needed new ideas, but when a story ends well it doesn’t necessarily need to continue.
Part 2 disappoints me a lot. It feels completely alien and outside the original tone. It seems like they forgot what Honkai originally meant. Now anyone can train for six months, grab a flying hammer, and suddenly become the best warrior.
The characters themselves are debatable. I can defend them and I could even learn to like them.
But the real problem, in my opinion, is the constant use of Deus ex Machina by HoYoverse to avoid explaining inconsistencies.
“Deus ex machina” literally means “god from the machine” and refers to a narrative device where an unexpected external solution suddenly resolves a conflict in the plot.
By using this kind of device, they can introduce new characters without really respecting or explaining the established universe.
What I absolutely dislike about Part 2 is this:
I have a list and I could count the biggest inconsistencies on my fingers. I’m a hikikomori-type fan and I know what I’m talking about. I’m open to debating it.
If I have something positive to say about modern Honkai Impact 3rd, it’s the character events. I’m very interested in learning more about the Valkyries. That’s one of the most important aspects of a gacha game to attract and keep players.
I’m not sure if this is fair to say, but I feel sad and tired seeing how Honkai Impact 3rd is sinking into inconsistencies because of shippers, uncontrolled fanservice, and forced connections with Honkai: Star Rail.
It honestly feels like the most generic product from HoYoverse, where they can add whatever they want. They introduced copies of characters and reused emotional symbols from the fandom like Himeko’s sword “GodSlayer” or Aether’s glider. How is this supposed to be explained within the story or the universe?
That’s why I personally don’t like connecting it with Star Rail.
I honestly wish I could completely forget Part 2. I feel betrayed.
One of the things that made Part 1 special to me was how difficult it was for characters to become strong, and how dangerous the Honkai itself truly felt.
In Part 2 the power scaling and narrative pacing feel different. Some characters seem to reach high levels of power very quickly, and that changes the tone of the conflict.
I also wonder if this direction change was intentional, perhaps to make the game more accessible to new players coming from other HoYoverse games like Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail.
I might be wrong, which is why I’m interested in hearing other perspectives.
I’m not sure if others feel disconnected from the current state of the game. It feels slow, heavy, and frustrating. Whenever I hear about Honkai now, I feel nostalgic and melancholic. Seeing others talk and share about it sometimes makes me uncomfortable.
I’m opening this post to discuss it with you and see if it’s still worth returning to the game.
Feel free to ask me questions about my perspective.
Are we in a good place with the game? Is there a decline? Why does Honkai Impact no longer feel like Honkai Impact?
For players who followed the story from the early chapters, how did you experience the transition from Part 1 to Part 2?