Tbh that's actually very rare kind of ending for MC to ended up like that in any kind of story either film, show, or video games. Most MC either ended up by living and become a hero/happy ending, get killed or seeing himself turn into villain 💀
i mean they will kill her again, if or without us, at this point i bet this is a tradition on mihoyo's part, like giving us depression, and cocolia being not that great as a parent in the end
I know that this secret end is supposed to be a comedic Easter Egg, but… there is just something about it that is just so, haunting about it. It scares me deeply. The implication that the MC just, does a whole lot of nothing, and the rest of the story plays out without them and because they’re not there to make decisions, the universe suffers for it. Again, it’s just very scary.
Universe doesn't suffer, he literally was able to live in peace as a researcher and was okay enough to think about what ifs. Herta lost interest and you didn't become some toy, Elio's prediction was literally shat back into his face, and overall the story may or may not have been any different. All this really proves is how completely nothing the MC is in the grand scheme of the world. Which is why they're the playable character I guess. No matter what dialogue you choose, things will still happen the way they will.
I don't really get the invitation himeko gave us and hertas research. I mean, going on the express is a type of research but less direct , would staying and letting herta directoy study you make more sense? Or at least join the express after herta gets bored of studying us . I hope someone can explain to me about the whole opportunity thing and why we're supposed to join the express and its benefits ig
@@HandleDeeezNutz Ehhh... the express literally had their demise. Hence what if you're on the station, would you be able to help in preventing their demise? And if you've come aboard the Express, would Herta still continue to hunt down Aeons with you? These are the things that would've gone very differently incase you come aboard
@@kokichishuici25 I think the keyword is Stellaron, both parties made contact with them albeit in different ways. Joining Astral Express makes more sense since they've had experience with Stellaron(s), while Herta just stores the Stellaron.
@@akasahi9315 where does it explicitly say that they lost or died? You guys keep bringing this demise demise stuff but I've read it 100x now and it doesn't imply anything aside from a peaceful life of a researcher thinking of what ifs. You guys don't understand, we literally have a character that can see or write out the future in the background, if you stayed and he didn't ask someone to force you to go, then you WEREN'T needed any more. It's like a play where an actor suddenly decided it'll just be a backstage guy, if the actor was Pedro Pascal or Keanu Reeves, the director would try his best to keep you on board, but if you were just a nobody ofc he'd just let you. Kafka's words were for you to choose the path you know you won't regret, and there's nothing in the narration saying the playable char regretted anything, he was just thinking of what ifs. One thing I'll budge on is the express having casualties (because honkai game) which would technically make a bit of sense, but not them losing or some shit. It's a good ending ffs. Keep your tragedy fetishes somewhere else.
Definitely, it's full of little jokes or diverging paths like this everywhere. It's like they gave free reign to the writers and they went nuts lol, i love it.
@@Vade4545 Depends. Is it set in stone that the game ends when the 7th Nation gets added? I think they will add a lot more before the story is finishes
I think no one talks about near the end of this, you can hear a reprise of "Take The Journey" but its more...sad and depressing. When you choose to join the Express, "Take The Journey" is a sad yet very uplifting and happy song. But in this version, you can hear the vocals and it just sounds so sad, a way of letting you know your actions have consequences. Such a brilliant way to impliment that.
If actions have consequences, then literally no matter what we do or don't do is considered trivial. Talk about paradoxical. At the end of the day, our choices are still our choices. Can't force us to take a path we don't want, no matter how good, and beneficial it is for us and everyone as a whole.
Exactly this, it's disingenuous to think anyone would suffer if you didn't get on the Express. As it turns out, were this not a game, you'd have died really fast and accomplished nothing. At least as a researcher you could have made a discovery that changed the world. You could have discovered the cause of stellaron corruption and found a way to reverse it.
I intentionally encountered this without knowing that it was basically a bad ending. At the time, I've heard the Trailblazer say "Reach the ending in your own way" or something to that effect like a dozen times, so when almost everyone says you should go on the Astral Express, I noticed that the quest didn't say something like "Talk to Himiko when you're ready to leave" and I wondered if staying was a real choice I could make. So after exploring the space station for a bit, I eventually talked to Herta and Asta again and asked them if I could stay. I had already spoken to Himiko before, though I didn't pick the option to leave. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a new option when I spoke to her again, though the game did kinda slap me in the face for actually picking it :v
@@nhancute3036 After the credits, I was taken back to the title screen. When I logged into my account, I was in front of Himiko again, only this time the option to stay on the space station was gone. I don't know if I could have triggered it again by talking to Herta and Asta again, because I decided to get on the train that time.
@@victoriaarison8543... It's not a temporary alternate ending by that logic, because once the cutscene is over the game literally ends and sends you to the title screen 😂
@@victoriaarison8543 Knowing some people, there is a non-zero chance that they would drop the game if they had to go through all the cutscenes again. I imagine they did It this way so the player isn't "punished" for exploring their options. There are certain things that you can completely miss depending on your choices, like Kafka's story quest, and as far as I know there is literally no way to replay it (on the same account) if you do.
@@ly-gamer7063 Im not sure that is the case. I think without Subaru Emelia is doomed but he isn't filling the role of MC in the world and so the world itself will be fine. Sword fella is the MC i think.
@@Sorestlor i know late response are super very wierd but, if you watched the season 2 of the series, you can understand why the existance of subaru is keeping their world meet its doom and not even that super op red guy can do about it.
Hoyoverse just casually throwing existential dread out there. Read about this ending somewhere else and came to watch, thinking I was prepared... "And you can't help thinking, if you had stepped onto the train, would anything have changed?" Hearing this when knowing what happens after stepping aboard...*shivers* Love HSR❤
I remembered that I did this on my alt account since I wanted 2 separate accounts to roll, and it honestly scared me. The games forces you to the loading screen and then the option to stay wont be there anymore, so any way you would have to join. Like Kafka said, you can’t really change fate. She already told us what our ending would be (kinda) in the beginning, so it would make no sense if she just let us stay in the space station like that. Even though it’s an Easter egg, the line “But those stories are no longer for you.” sends a chill down my spine to this day. Makes me wonder what would have happened. Did March find out about her past? Did Himeko have to die a brutal death once again? And did Elio ever predict the Stellaron Hunters demise?
@@ork_baker5957 the game forced you to the login screen and when you log back in it’s the same acc and you will be in front of himeko, but the option to stay will disappear.
I dont so understand but at the end of the game if u dont come with the astral express u will never see again March 7th , dan heng , himeko and the other ? And you will rest at never on the Herta space station that it?
Wow, they’ve really though of everything. Had we actually decided to stay, the Astral Express and even our rivals the “Stellaron Hunters” would have ended up getting violently molested by countless enemies, each stop requiring a sacrifice, moments where we were needed ending in a tragedy or severe injury, countless civilizations that could have been saved had the trailblazer chosen to join the dank engine express annihilated by monsters and so on. However, the most tragic of all these unfortunate ‘what if’ turn of events is that we would have never gotten those legendary trash can, closet, and the mini box nuke interactions. All of us feel absolute regret knowing that all of this could have been prevented had we just FOLLOWED THE DAMN TRAIN! Luckily though, in canon… we do. Whoever wrote that shit needs a fucking raise or I go on strike!
I played a lot of games similar to this and a few games have an option to stop becoming the hero and leads to bad ending. I guess a lot of people have thought of that already
@@HelloKittyRiceCooker nah, only himeko in HI3 main story is the dead one, in event universe(with kanchou existence), GGZ, and now star rail, she's still alive.
Losing it at how the leading role in this joke end roll is "asteroid " but also how Welt is credited with his actual birth name in this ending, this reminds me of one of those joke endings from Nier: Automata lol 🤣😭
Man this ending and this voice gave me the shivers. It feels like a good reference to the fallout endings, but really unexpected from a gacha. I really love this game, i hope they keep this quality of writting.
its just idk feels so real, like we lost what could have been, we didnt go on an epic adventure, just lived life as a common person, its like a life of regret i guess...also reminds me of evangellion a bit, a chosen one, but they decide to do nothing, idk its just sad, but ig that is life for most of us, most of us arent heroes or trailblazers, we are more like a space station researcher
@@xorsama you described it well. It has a tone of realism to it that makes it rather sad, because as you put it, most of us in real life would simply be a researcher than someone great like a hero, most likely wondering many “ifs” that will never happen, and people will move on anyway without you. It’s scary to think that even in real life, one decision that although we may think won’t have a big impact, will affect how our lives will play out… until we’re old and eventually wither, yknow. Sad stuff.
@@xorsama i dont play honkai star rail but i am planning to. (genshin has took up so much space in my phone so im waiting and saving up for a new phone so i can play both honkai star rail and genshin impact) but this is my opinion: i definitely find this ending really sad, i don't know but its as if the mc switched to an npc. it reminds me of one of those theories from genshin impact those kind of theories yk where fans go like (traveler's gonna break and go insane some day) i don't like those, im not sure maybe i just like the mc being actual heroes instead of going insane. but i feel like that theory is sort of similar to this one, the traveler goes insane and the trail blazer does nothing. both of them are really erm idk how to word it perfectly my first language isnt english but i guess kind of sad? bad? not cool? i guess yeah
@@amiaoamia no, it's just a troll cutscene that dev throw at us. You will be back at your last "checkpoint" but the dialogue for this cutscene will not be available anymore. It just one time cutscene from Dev.
In MC's voicelines, he said "What kind of life would I have lived if I didn't choose to board the Express... No, there's no such possibility," So this is the answer to that :>
1:33 The fact that this is the image you see as you load up Star Rail on console just hit me differently. It's not just a wholesome scene of the crew. This is image is due to you not "taking the journey". And this might be the last time you see these faces again...
As someone who plays Star Rail and Genshin on a PS5, i never once thought about it having a sad interpretation. In Genshin, the loading screen looks fine and normal, but I always wondered where was the MC in the Star Rail picture. Now I know that the perspective is actually the MC’s. It makes me sad, since March was waving at us, not knowing about her and her friends impending demise.
@@serotokin- it goes both ways. Have you not seen the alternate ending, this art would be us, the Trailblazers, jumping into the world of Star Rail and March waving at us as a greeting. Of course, humans have a tendency to remember the bad so we'll have this sort of hurt whenever we see this art.
If we weren't there for Jarilo-VI, then Himeko or Welt would've gone instead. And with Welt's abilities, they would easily have been able to take care of Jarilo-VI and last long enough to get stronger members in the astral express in future planets. But this is all a what-if. We don't really know what actually happens
@@oopsididitagain2077 I'm more of pretty sure they don't add any member. In the actual story. I mean we didn't bring bronya or seele we just leave And it seems mc power will always grow with more elements (i think) Now our mc made out of stelaron and the enemy is the stelaron. Noe Stelaron vs human or stelaron vs stelaron would have better chance of winning
@@randomperson4198 well, we can't really be pretty sure of anything. It's only been a single world, and we don't know what happens at the other worlds. That's the whole point of the secret ending. The thing is, people keep saying "oh no, something bad must have happened." But in reality, we don't know. We do know that Himeko accepts any and all into the Astral Express, and we almost got Serval to join in Jarilo-VI. There's no reason to jump to the bad end when a good ending is just as likely.
The implications of this secret ending take a much darker turn after the first part of the luofu storyline [ SPOILER ALERT ] . . . . . . . . . . Since Kafka reveals to the trailblazer that they'll have to face Nanook in the best and the worst timelines (and that that's where destiny ends unless Elio's script is followed, supposedly), it wouldn't be crazy to assume this is a neutral kind of bad ending. But, if the trailblazer didn't face Nanook in this one, does that mean the astral express crew are the ones who try and fail to stop him/kill him in their place? If so, that can only mean this ending is about to take a turn for the worse. It's still pretty early in the game to make assumptions though, but that's the first thing I thought of when finding out about this ending.
From the fact that the hunters and express were dead for awhile before the narration ends I assumed they stopped Nanook but died in the process. I wonder if it's foreshadowing a supposed suicide mission of sorts in the end game (that hopefully allows everyone to escape if you're there).
@@stars4809 That is a pretty good theory, it’s says that the final end of the express and the hunters shakes the universe to its very core…. Maybe they indeed faced and managed to stop Nanook but like Kafka said: That’s were destiny ends. Yet if the trailblazer would have stepped onto that train then they can change their destiny also because of Elio's script. Also Kafka said that we need to make the right choice we don’t regret, she was hinting at us joining the express so that we can change the destiny of the others and face Nanook where everybody (hopefully) gets a happy ending.
Wait wait wait Screenplay is by Eilo who Kafka claims has a script for how everything should go. Basically, he’s like a puppet master. So if the screenplay was by him, then thta means we were following his script all along… :0
This is great. It feels as real as an ending would but it's not supposed to be. Many games make these kind of endings much more funny and stupid just to make you laugh because "well of course it's not a real ending" but this although is not supposed to be an ending feels like you really did have a legitemate choice to just end it there and then. I don't think a lot of games do that.
I like to think of a quote from the Poler Express when seeing this ending,” Funny thing about trains,it doesn’t matter where you’re going,what matters,is to get on”.
I know this parodies the idea that your involvement as the main character is key to prevent the story from ending up bad, but in cases like these I wonder if we would even make a difference what if as they expand on the story something that shakes the universe to its very core happens with us because it's what the astral express' fate was intended to be anyway?
The Stellaron Hunters wouldn't go to such lengths with the Herta Station and Xianzhou if you aren't worth it. Maybe, Elio has other alternative routes in case m.c. refused to go since he can see multiple futures, but m.c. together with the express crew is the most ideal one.
Dude this gave me chills man, never knew you could do this. I just thought that if you declined it would be like genshin where your option doesnt matter and you’d end up joining them anyways. Wow man.. as cy yu would always say, “dude genshin could never”
I talked to Asta about staying but she didn't agree. I don't think I talked to Herta first that's why. And Himeko never had that option. Didn't know this was a thing.
it said "THE FINAL END". and they disappeared for good after that. if their end was that the Astral Express was alive, they would have met up again. if the astral express became heroes, they would have been popular and the dialogue would not have been so gloomy and vague. to those who think Astral Express is alive, do you even understand poetic english? lol
This is creepy as hell, all this time i thought it's just some parody. Turns out it's real, and the fact that Elio is here make me wonder whether there is a chance that he do something to the timeline so that mc can get a second chance
This ending reminds me fondly of NieR: Automata and its alphabet endings. That is a game I hold in very high regards for its writing, so to be able to compare the two in the same qualitative respects is a strong praise to express. An excellent start.
Man... Thinking about how March and Dan Heng end up (and possibly Welt) in Jarilo 6... Keep in mind the MC was able to solve the issue because of the stellaron in their body. I can imagine the failure otherwise.
Presumably, without Welt and Himeko deliberately hanging back to let the new kid get some experience, Jarilo-VI is still resolved somewhat similarly. The battle at the end didn't really require the MC, although it's possible someone else might've taken a fatal hit, or that Bronya might actually give in to Cocolia's delusions without the extra encouragement. I don't think the same can be said for later storylines, I'm certain being a man down will have horrible consequences eventually.
@@MattMerced-o9b Welt, the red haired mom with the orbital lazer. They have the power to fix it on their own. They sent the kids out on their own however they could intervene if needed, or come along. Tho got to wonder what kind of a questline would be that shakes the very universe to its core and how many patches it'll take to get there.
Wow.... this secret end shows us the reality in our world, every decision small or big change your future maybe can't change all the universe, but change your own life and how much you lose or win.
Well thats depressing. It's always the choices like this that make you wonder "what it" in life, but in life you can only make these choices once. Good thing thats only a game though.
I thought it would be funny but that was one of the only things that actually made me feel something in HSR. I’m not really into the game, I play it out of fomo, but wow, the idea that we just had an alternate ending… where we don’t go with our friends and just stay back and have a peaceful life. But I take this ending as the Express and Stellaron Hunters take each other out??? “Final end”?? 😭
Bro, that is such a bad ending. I think it kind of scares me because it resembles real life so well. You should always take chances you see in front of you and make your life so much more satisfying. At the end of the day, life is about fulfillment and knowing that the story ends with you regretting everything kind of sparks my worst fear in general and that is dying with lots of regret.
Game: You always need help or someone to save you. The enemies are too strong for you!!! Also Game: you should have gotten on that train. They needed you and you caused their death. Me: which is it?
I want a side story of this of their fall and then the actual story starts like the trailblazer had a vision that they would all die if they didnt go with .
this reminds me of that one harvest moon game where an old man asked me whether i want to continue manning the farm or not, and i chose not to, and the old man just suddenly walked home and sat on a bed and it fades black. edit: found the exact game i played! it was Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life for the PS2.
Wait so by “you hear stories about how the final end of the express and the stellaron hunters shakes the universe to its very core. some you wonder whether their destiny would have changed, had you stepped onto that train” Is ALL that (and btw I had to look at my tv with the same video to type all that in cause no way would I remember all that) implying that the main cast dies or something like that?
Major spoiler for the story: So the Trailblazer is supposed to be the savior of the galaxy with the help of the Stellaron Hunters and the planets/factions that the Trailblazer saved to defeat Nanook the path of destruction (AKA the main antagonist of the game). Which means to make this ending even MORE depressing not only is the Star Rail is gone, many planets and civilization that could've been saved is also gone, AND the entire galaxy is probably gone because of Nanook the destruction itself killing basically everyone. So yeah this might be a joke ending but it's actually depressingly sad.
I know this is an easter egg but I can’t help but wonder if Hoyo might write a tie-in spinoff AU where this happened instead, you know, just for extra tear-jerker experience
i think what it meant as the final end of the Express and the Stellaron Hunters was that they had to face Nanook together and possibly without the help of the Loufu, Belobog and "the family"
Yknow i know this is supposed to be a funny easter egg, but its actually sad, cause if you make a choice that is a reall big change of your life and you have a big journey, imagine declining that choice, and noticed how youll regret that choice you made was actually so sad cause, you only got to live as a normal person if you stay, and not even have to meet some people that are actually can change your life😢
also (yes i just made two comments. fight me.) the end "screenplay director Ellio" and the talk about scripts in the beginning got me thinking that maybe out whole journey is already planned out, all written down.. all by ellio.. that is a weird thing to think about.
by what I understand Ellio sees the future so maybe that is what the scrip is referring to. Maybe he goes trough countless scenarios, multiverses if you will, to get to the most optimal future.
The narrated ending reminded me of how Fallout (especially NV) brings closure to the end of the game, even if this is just a comedy end; it hits pretty hard on dictating your bad decision(s).
I actually asked herta and asta if I could stay and when I talked to Himeko I ignored the choice to stay as I thought that she would still force me to come so... wow.. lol...
Didnt most of the dialogue about staying long term imply the stellaron would mess with the stations fragmentum and we would have to be frozen or something? Seems like they mightve just been mistaken about that
When you look at hertas dialogue 0:11 she sais she can seal it easy peasy. She's just a bit lazy about doing it, or volunteering that she can easily do it. Besides, they had the stellaron sealed for who knows how long already before Kafka broke the seal.
trailblazer went from mc to npc real quick
lmao
Tbh that's actually very rare kind of ending for MC to ended up like that in any kind of story either film, show, or video games.
Most MC either ended up by living and become a hero/happy ending, get killed or seeing himself turn into villain 💀
Fr 💀
Lolzzz
REAL
They really said: "If you don't get on the train, we're gonna kill Himeko...AGAIN"
Kiana: If you kill Himeko-sensei again, I’ll obliterate you.
@@Ame_Fan_128 So it was Kiana's orders that the Trailblazer has to get on board, terms non negotiable.
Lol
Maybe so 🧐
Not himeko AGAIN
i mean they will kill her again, if or without us, at this point i bet this is a tradition on mihoyo's part, like giving us depression, and cocolia being not that great as a parent in the end
I know that this secret end is supposed to be a comedic Easter Egg, but… there is just something about it that is just so, haunting about it. It scares me deeply. The implication that the MC just, does a whole lot of nothing, and the rest of the story plays out without them and because they’re not there to make decisions, the universe suffers for it. Again, it’s just very scary.
Universe doesn't suffer, he literally was able to live in peace as a researcher and was okay enough to think about what ifs.
Herta lost interest and you didn't become some toy, Elio's prediction was literally shat back into his face, and overall the story may or may not have been any different.
All this really proves is how completely nothing the MC is in the grand scheme of the world. Which is why they're the playable character I guess.
No matter what dialogue you choose, things will still happen the way they will.
I don't really get the invitation himeko gave us and hertas research. I mean, going on the express is a type of research but less direct , would staying and letting herta directoy study you make more sense? Or at least join the express after herta gets bored of studying us . I hope someone can explain to me about the whole opportunity thing and why we're supposed to join the express and its benefits ig
@@HandleDeeezNutz Ehhh... the express literally had their demise. Hence what if you're on the station, would you be able to help in preventing their demise?
And if you've come aboard the Express, would Herta still continue to hunt down Aeons with you?
These are the things that would've gone very differently incase you come aboard
@@kokichishuici25 I think the keyword is Stellaron, both parties made contact with them albeit in different ways.
Joining Astral Express makes more sense since they've had experience with Stellaron(s), while Herta just stores the Stellaron.
@@akasahi9315 where does it explicitly say that they lost or died? You guys keep bringing this demise demise stuff but I've read it 100x now and it doesn't imply anything aside from a peaceful life of a researcher thinking of what ifs.
You guys don't understand, we literally have a character that can see or write out the future in the background, if you stayed and he didn't ask someone to force you to go, then you WEREN'T needed any more.
It's like a play where an actor suddenly decided it'll just be a backstage guy, if the actor was Pedro Pascal or Keanu Reeves, the director would try his best to keep you on board, but if you were just a nobody ofc he'd just let you.
Kafka's words were for you to choose the path you know you won't regret, and there's nothing in the narration saying the playable char regretted anything, he was just thinking of what ifs.
One thing I'll budge on is the express having casualties (because honkai game) which would technically make a bit of sense, but not them losing or some shit.
It's a good ending ffs. Keep your tragedy fetishes somewhere else.
You can tell the writers and dev had fun while making these comedic and out of the box choices 😂😂
Definitely, it's full of little jokes or diverging paths like this everywhere. It's like they gave free reign to the writers and they went nuts lol, i love it.
Furthermore you can talk to trashcan 😂
It was Base on "Persona" Series. And it has that comedic comebacks or choices
@@aoyamasora3724 yeah, i totally feel the same, it's very Persona-like, especially old ones 1-4.
Except this ending is not "funny", it's... grim and dark.
Finally, a finished game from the get go, good
3 years after genshin which is finally halfway .-.
@@Vade4545 Halfway?
uahauhauhauhauaha not close
@@pontoancora the 5th nations gonna drop literally in a month or 2...
@@Vade4545 Depends. Is it set in stone that the game ends when the 7th Nation gets added? I think they will add a lot more before the story is finishes
@@nicz7694 even adding kanrieah its perfectly halfway did 4, doing 4 more
Really hits home how little decisions can have big impacts
Amazing content for anxiety havers.
Hoyo has ruined the word impact for me
@@belladonnaplumb9376 Bad End Impact
Be careful this impact can be genshin
That impact truly was honkai and genshin
The credits rolling killed me💀
Dan Heng as… DAN HENG.
Elio 🤔
Theory time! Could he have that much influence in how things play out?
Welt's original name being used got me for some reason, like Welt Yang is just a character played by him
the fact that they look so lame is just a cherry on top. Like maybe Elio edited it himself. Possibly with his cat paws.
@@kirin1230 Yeah, Joachim taking up the name and the character of "Welt" to protect all that is beautiful in the world
I think no one talks about near the end of this, you can hear a reprise of "Take The Journey" but its more...sad and depressing. When you choose to join the Express, "Take The Journey" is a sad yet very uplifting and happy song. But in this version, you can hear the vocals and it just sounds so sad, a way of letting you know your actions have consequences. Such a brilliant way to impliment that.
That theme always played when you were in the supply base before departing the first time, but it does take a more solemn tone I agree
The silence that filled the “come with me, take the journey” just feels feels so sad…
If actions have consequences, then literally no matter what we do or don't do is considered trivial. Talk about paradoxical. At the end of the day, our choices are still our choices. Can't force us to take a path we don't want, no matter how good, and beneficial it is for us and everyone as a whole.
Exactly this, it's disingenuous to think anyone would suffer if you didn't get on the Express. As it turns out, were this not a game, you'd have died really fast and accomplished nothing.
At least as a researcher you could have made a discovery that changed the world. You could have discovered the cause of stellaron corruption and found a way to reverse it.
"when you have to make a choice, make one you wont regret"
That line has a whole other meaning now
Me on the very first planet that we visit : "I regret stepping on that damn train..."
FR
Where was the quote from?
@@tntbooming1671 beginning of the game! i believe it was either elio or kafka
I intentionally encountered this without knowing that it was basically a bad ending. At the time, I've heard the Trailblazer say "Reach the ending in your own way" or something to that effect like a dozen times, so when almost everyone says you should go on the Astral Express, I noticed that the quest didn't say something like "Talk to Himiko when you're ready to leave" and I wondered if staying was a real choice I could make. So after exploring the space station for a bit, I eventually talked to Herta and Asta again and asked them if I could stay. I had already spoken to Himiko before, though I didn't pick the option to leave. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a new option when I spoke to her again, though the game did kinda slap me in the face for actually picking it :v
A question, what happened after the credit, did they let you start over again?
@@nhancute3036 After the credits, I was taken back to the title screen. When I logged into my account, I was in front of Himiko again, only this time the option to stay on the space station was gone. I don't know if I could have triggered it again by talking to Herta and Asta again, because I decided to get on the train that time.
@@Antifrost so then that means that you can't really just pick that option. It was just temporary alternate ending ig :/
@@victoriaarison8543... It's not a temporary alternate ending by that logic, because once the cutscene is over the game literally ends and sends you to the title screen 😂
@@victoriaarison8543 Knowing some people, there is a non-zero chance that they would drop the game if they had to go through all the cutscenes again. I imagine they did It this way so the player isn't "punished" for exploring their options.
There are certain things that you can completely miss depending on your choices, like Kafka's story quest, and as far as I know there is literally no way to replay it (on the same account) if you do.
There is something dreaded about this, kind of a feeling you get after missing out something important.
Damn it’s kind of interesting to think about that but it makes sense. Without the protagonist in many stories the good guys just die.
reminds me of evangellion, a chosen one but they make the wrong choice and does nothing
Huge example is re:zero.
Without subaru the world is absolutely doomed from the begening.
@@ly-gamer7063 Im not sure that is the case. I think without Subaru Emelia is doomed but he isn't filling the role of MC in the world and so the world itself will be fine. Sword fella is the MC i think.
@@Sorestlor i know late response are super very wierd but, if you watched the season 2 of the series, you can understand why the existance of subaru is keeping their world meet its doom and not even that super op red guy can do about it.
Hoyoverse just casually throwing existential dread out there.
Read about this ending somewhere else and came to watch, thinking I was prepared...
"And you can't help thinking, if you had stepped onto the train, would anything have changed?"
Hearing this when knowing what happens after stepping aboard...*shivers*
Love HSR❤
Honkai star rail Any% world record right here
damn
i was feeling conflicted over this scene and you just made me start laughing like crazy
I remembered that I did this on my alt account since I wanted 2 separate accounts to roll, and it honestly scared me. The games forces you to the loading screen and then the option to stay wont be there anymore, so any way you would have to join.
Like Kafka said, you can’t really change fate. She already told us what our ending would be (kinda) in the beginning, so it would make no sense if she just let us stay in the space station like that.
Even though it’s an Easter egg, the line “But those stories are no longer for you.” sends a chill down my spine to this day. Makes me wonder what would have happened. Did March find out about her past? Did Himeko have to die a brutal death once again? And did Elio ever predict the Stellaron Hunters demise?
So, can you play this again after choosing the path or do you have to start from another account?
@@ork_baker5957 the game forced you to the login screen and when you log back in it’s the same acc and you will be in front of himeko, but the option to stay will disappear.
@@serotokin wait so will all of the progress made will stay? (the characters obtained, levels, inventory stuff, quest progress)
I dont so understand but at the end of the game if u dont come with the astral express u will never see again March 7th , dan heng , himeko and the other ? And you will rest at never on the Herta space station that it?
@@nothintoseehere2767 yes I tried it with an alt account and it doesn’t delete any progress. It’s just supposed to be a joke from the devs.
Wow, they’ve really though of everything. Had we actually decided to stay, the Astral Express and even our rivals the “Stellaron Hunters” would have ended up getting violently molested by countless enemies, each stop requiring a sacrifice, moments where we were needed ending in a tragedy or severe injury, countless civilizations that could have been saved had the trailblazer chosen to join the dank engine express annihilated by monsters and so on. However, the most tragic of all these unfortunate ‘what if’ turn of events is that we would have never gotten those legendary trash can, closet, and the mini box nuke interactions. All of us feel absolute regret knowing that all of this could have been prevented had we just FOLLOWED THE DAMN TRAIN! Luckily though, in canon… we do. Whoever wrote that shit needs a fucking raise or I go on strike!
the star rail gets railed😢
Seriously that closet one in the Belobog hotel had me lmao with how imaginative it was.
@@KouheixHazuki they also gave you a praise for your high morale! Finally can loot the fountain in Belobog
I played a lot of games similar to this and a few games have an option to stop becoming the hero and leads to bad ending. I guess a lot of people have thought of that already
I see that Big Smoke reference and you have my respect
So technically, Himeko really did die again 💀
She always dies in every universe 😭
@@HelloKittyRiceCooker not in genshinverse... yet.
that also depends on who you see himeko incarnation in genshin.
@@HelloKittyRiceCooker nah, only himeko in HI3 main story is the dead one, in event universe(with kanchou existence), GGZ, and now star rail, she's still alive.
@@KoeSeer probably we'll see Pyro Archon (named Murata) as Himeko.
@@XWeeking she's dead in ggz...
This gave me some chills, and I like how they put the end like a movie from the script that Elio has(And having Welt's full name in there)
Losing it at how the leading role in this joke end roll is "asteroid " but also how Welt is credited with his actual birth name in this ending, this reminds me of one of those joke endings from Nier: Automata lol 🤣😭
Not the ending A-Z one 😭
I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE EATEN THAT FISH
@@mehwhatever695"Erm acktually, only endings F-X and Z are joke endings!" - 🤓☝️
Its just scary to think that one decision can change your whole life... but i dont want to miss the train
yup totally. i have experienced many such decisions
Even Stellaron Hunters couldn't have expected such a future
Man this ending and this voice gave me the shivers. It feels like a good reference to the fallout endings, but really unexpected from a gacha. I really love this game, i hope they keep this quality of writting.
I don't know why this makes me sad than laugh, it's a hilarious Easter egg indeed but still
I think because they died?
its just idk feels so real, like we lost what could have been, we didnt go on an epic adventure, just lived life as a common person, its like a life of regret i guess...also reminds me of evangellion a bit, a chosen one, but they decide to do nothing, idk its just sad, but ig that is life for most of us, most of us arent heroes or trailblazers, we are more like a space station researcher
@@xorsama you described it well. It has a tone of realism to it that makes it rather sad, because as you put it, most of us in real life would simply be a researcher than someone great like a hero, most likely wondering many “ifs” that will never happen, and people will move on anyway without you. It’s scary to think that even in real life, one decision that although we may think won’t have a big impact, will affect how our lives will play out… until we’re old and eventually wither, yknow. Sad stuff.
@@Error_707. yaaa ;-;
@@xorsama i dont play honkai star rail but i am planning to. (genshin has took up so much space in my phone so im waiting and saving up for a new phone so i can play both honkai star rail and genshin impact) but this is my opinion:
i definitely find this ending really sad, i don't know but its as if the mc switched to an npc. it reminds me of one of those theories from genshin impact those kind of theories yk where fans go like (traveler's gonna break and go insane some day)
i don't like those, im not sure maybe i just like the mc being actual heroes instead of going insane. but i feel like that theory is sort of similar to this one, the traveler goes insane and the trail blazer does nothing. both of them are really erm idk how to word it perfectly my first language isnt english but i guess kind of sad? bad? not cool? i guess yeah
I swear some players who always skipped the dialogue just delete hidden quest with their random choices 😂😂😂
👀 hidden what now 😭
who wouldn't tho😭
Calling it now. That voice is the voice of Elio.
Whoa, wait! I thought it was Welt! Was that Elio??
@loloof2902 Since Elio controls the script, I think it's his voice
After seeing the Elio leaks, if he actually sounds like this I'm gonna cry😭😭😭
I choose that option just to see how the dialogue will play out to force us to join the Express, but no, dev decided to step up their game this time
@@amiaoamia no, it's just a troll cutscene that dev throw at us. You will be back at your last "checkpoint" but the dialogue for this cutscene will not be available anymore. It just one time cutscene from Dev.
LMAO the game really put Welt Yang's real name there "Joachim Nokianvirtanen" lol it's been quite a time since I last hear it
I am glad I didnt choose this,
I just dont want a bad ending for himeko ...
They will still kill himeko at some point in the story
@@meowk123 probably not i have a feeling march's days are numbered tho but then again they axed cocoalia just like hi3
@@gaurav_W march has a billion red flags, she will def die eventually. happy-go-lucky cinnamon buns never have it ez
I regret opened this sub comment section
@@bittercp2083 it’s just speculation no need to regret
In MC's voicelines, he said "What kind of life would I have lived if I didn't choose to board the Express... No, there's no such possibility," So this is the answer to that :>
I bet Elio didn't see that coming
There is a theory that says that the narrator of that ending is Elio.
@@azryazar He's destiny's slave.
Probably the only choice he has is to decide what destiny he wants to follow.
Waiting for speedruns on who gets to end the game the fastest.
1 minute any % speedrun
1:33
The fact that this is the image you see as you load up Star Rail on console just hit me differently. It's not just a wholesome scene of the crew. This is image is due to you not "taking the journey". And this might be the last time you see these faces again...
its also the one that shows when you have the returner's journey event. (When you've not played for about 14 or more consecutive days)
As someone who plays Star Rail and Genshin on a PS5, i never once thought about it having a sad interpretation. In Genshin, the loading screen looks fine and normal, but I always wondered where was the MC in the Star Rail picture. Now I know that the perspective is actually the MC’s. It makes me sad, since March was waving at us, not knowing about her and her friends impending demise.
@@serotokin- it goes both ways. Have you not seen the alternate ending, this art would be us, the Trailblazers, jumping into the world of Star Rail and March waving at us as a greeting. Of course, humans have a tendency to remember the bad so we'll have this sort of hurt whenever we see this art.
The illusion of free choice meme is kinda still there, but at least you get to see the other side...
From the dialogue Dan Heng and March probably able to solve Bronya planet problem maybe with twist but the rest it's could be worse for them.
If we weren't there for Jarilo-VI, then Himeko or Welt would've gone instead. And with Welt's abilities, they would easily have been able to take care of Jarilo-VI and last long enough to get stronger members in the astral express in future planets. But this is all a what-if. We don't really know what actually happens
@@oopsididitagain2077 I'm more of pretty sure they don't add any member. In the actual story. I mean we didn't bring bronya or seele we just leave
And it seems mc power will always grow with more elements (i think)
Now our mc made out of stelaron and the enemy is the stelaron.
Noe Stelaron vs human or stelaron vs stelaron would have better chance of winning
@@randomperson4198 well, we can't really be pretty sure of anything. It's only been a single world, and we don't know what happens at the other worlds. That's the whole point of the secret ending.
The thing is, people keep saying "oh no, something bad must have happened." But in reality, we don't know. We do know that Himeko accepts any and all into the Astral Express, and we almost got Serval to join in Jarilo-VI. There's no reason to jump to the bad end when a good ending is just as likely.
Penacony is probably where they brick their run.
@@oopsididitagain2077 But this makes it pretty clear that the train never comes back, and considering what happens on Penacony...
The implications of this secret ending take a much darker turn after the first part of the luofu storyline
[ SPOILER ALERT ]
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Since Kafka reveals to the trailblazer that they'll have to face Nanook in the best and the worst timelines (and that that's where destiny ends unless Elio's script is followed, supposedly), it wouldn't be crazy to assume this is a neutral kind of bad ending. But, if the trailblazer didn't face Nanook in this one, does that mean the astral express crew are the ones who try and fail to stop him/kill him in their place? If so, that can only mean this ending is about to take a turn for the worse.
It's still pretty early in the game to make assumptions though, but that's the first thing I thought of when finding out about this ending.
From the fact that the hunters and express were dead for awhile before the narration ends I assumed they stopped Nanook but died in the process. I wonder if it's foreshadowing a supposed suicide mission of sorts in the end game (that hopefully allows everyone to escape if you're there).
@@stars4809 That is a pretty good theory, it’s says that the final end of the express and the hunters shakes the universe to its very core…. Maybe they indeed faced and managed to stop Nanook but like Kafka said: That’s were destiny ends. Yet if the trailblazer would have stepped onto that train then they can change their destiny also because of Elio's script.
Also Kafka said that we need to make the right choice we don’t regret, she was hinting at us joining the express so that we can change the destiny of the others and face Nanook where everybody (hopefully) gets a happy ending.
Wait wait wait
Screenplay is by Eilo who Kafka claims has a script for how everything should go. Basically, he’s like a puppet master. So if the screenplay was by him, then thta means we were following his script all along… :0
This is an amazing Easter egg
Fastest gacha game clear in history xD
Elio: Woah, holdup buddy, i dont see this in that script
This is great. It feels as real as an ending would but it's not supposed to be. Many games make these kind of endings much more funny and stupid just to make you laugh because "well of course it's not a real ending" but this although is not supposed to be an ending feels like you really did have a legitemate choice to just end it there and then. I don't think a lot of games do that.
I’m just gonna take a moment to appreciate how they put welt’s real name in the credits XD
the roll credits killed me 💀🤣 though wonder if that was Elio's voice considering he was the "Screenplay Director" lmao
I like to think of a quote from the Poler Express when seeing this ending,” Funny thing about trains,it doesn’t matter where you’re going,what matters,is to get on”.
Bro arent we gonna talk about the ost in this cutscene
I know this parodies the idea that your involvement as the main character is key to prevent the story from ending up bad, but in cases like these I wonder if we would even make a difference
what if as they expand on the story something that shakes the universe to its very core happens with us because it's what the astral express' fate was intended to be anyway?
If you think about it another Hoyo game kinda explores the same thing with the abyss sibling mentioning their war against destiny
The Stellaron Hunters wouldn't go to such lengths with the Herta Station and Xianzhou if you aren't worth it. Maybe, Elio has other alternative routes in case m.c. refused to go since he can see multiple futures, but m.c. together with the express crew is the most ideal one.
There is no doubt about it, we'll definitely shake the universe to its very core... eventually.
Game over now starts playing Genshin
lmao i almost got this ending and didnt realize it, i never went back to talk to asta
Dude this gave me chills man, never knew you could do this. I just thought that if you declined it would be like genshin where your option doesnt matter and you’d end up joining them anyways. Wow man.. as cy yu would always say, “dude genshin could never”
It is like that. It just logs you out. And then the option to stay is gone.
I talked to Asta about staying but she didn't agree. I don't think I talked to Herta first that's why. And Himeko never had that option. Didn't know this was a thing.
it said "THE FINAL END". and they disappeared for good after that. if their end was that the Astral Express was alive, they would have met up again. if the astral express became heroes, they would have been popular and the dialogue would not have been so gloomy and vague. to those who think Astral Express is alive, do you even understand poetic english? lol
This is creepy as hell, all this time i thought it's just some parody. Turns out it's real, and the fact that Elio is here make me wonder whether there is a chance that he do something to the timeline so that mc can get a second chance
Its not a turn based rpg without a secret alternate ending
Aah... the Cosmic Butterfly flaps it's Interastral Wings again...
This ending reminds me fondly of NieR: Automata and its alphabet endings. That is a game I hold in very high regards for its writing, so to be able to compare the two in the same qualitative respects is a strong praise to express. An excellent start.
Man... Thinking about how March and Dan Heng end up (and possibly Welt) in Jarilo 6... Keep in mind the MC was able to solve the issue because of the stellaron in their body. I can imagine the failure otherwise.
Presumably, without Welt and Himeko deliberately hanging back to let the new kid get some experience, Jarilo-VI is still resolved somewhat similarly. The battle at the end didn't really require the MC, although it's possible someone else might've taken a fatal hit, or that Bronya might actually give in to Cocolia's delusions without the extra encouragement. I don't think the same can be said for later storylines, I'm certain being a man down will have horrible consequences eventually.
Someone else will have to take that lance to the chest, and they aint getting a glance from Qlipoth to pull it out
@@MattMerced-o9b Welt, the red haired mom with the orbital lazer. They have the power to fix it on their own. They sent the kids out on their own however they could intervene if needed, or come along.
Tho got to wonder what kind of a questline would be that shakes the very universe to its core and how many patches it'll take to get there.
This is some Star Fox Command level of ending. Damn this got me in the feels for some reason.
this is disturbing as hell 💀💀
I honestly like they put in a fallout like ending into the mix
Wow.... this secret end shows us the reality in our world, every decision small or big change your future maybe can't change all the universe, but change your own life and how much you lose or win.
THEY DIED?! JESUS CHRIST
Future speedrunners: **Furiously takes notes**
Man, I have goosebumps from this, I love Star Rail for real and want to see it's ending...
Hold on, so if you choose to stay they fucking die??💀💀
That music is very eerie and haunting…
“Special thanks to the antimatter legion.” That’s too funny
Well thats depressing. It's always the choices like this that make you wonder "what it" in life, but in life you can only make these choices once. Good thing thats only a game though.
Kafka: Elio, you son of a-
I thought it would be funny but that was one of the only things that actually made me feel something in HSR. I’m not really into the game, I play it out of fomo, but wow, the idea that we just had an alternate ending… where we don’t go with our friends and just stay back and have a peaceful life. But I take this ending as the Express and Stellaron Hunters take each other out??? “Final end”?? 😭
Damn there's actually a choice
Bro, that is such a bad ending. I think it kind of scares me because it resembles real life so well. You should always take chances you see in front of you and make your life so much more satisfying. At the end of the day, life is about fulfillment and knowing that the story ends with you regretting everything kind of sparks my worst fear in general and that is dying with lots of regret.
Kafka using spirit whisper: you are gonna go with them
Trailblazer: Nuh Uh
Kafka: *shocked pikachu face*
Game: You always need help or someone to save you. The enemies are too strong for you!!!
Also Game: you should have gotten on that train. They needed you and you caused their death.
Me: which is it?
Goddamn even if it's an Easter egg I won't let MARCH 7th DIE😭😭😭
Finally, an online gacha game with ending, even though it's alternative
I want a side story of this of their fall and then the actual story starts like the trailblazer had a vision that they would all die if they didnt go with .
this reminds me of that one harvest moon game where an old man asked me whether i want to continue manning the farm or not, and i chose not to, and the old man just suddenly walked home and sat on a bed and it fades black.
edit: found the exact game i played! it was Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life for the PS2.
Wait so by “you hear stories about how the final end of the express and the stellaron hunters shakes the universe to its very core. some you wonder whether their destiny would have changed, had you stepped onto that train”
Is ALL that (and btw I had to look at my tv with the same video to type all that in cause no way would I remember all that) implying that the main cast dies or something like that?
Yeah I’d assume they got past world 1 but after that they didn’t make it.
They die facing the final boss.
They all probably died facing Nanook
i mean it completly fucks the stelleron hunters plans, so it would be safe to say they'd be pretty pissed
Major spoiler for the story:
So the Trailblazer is supposed to be the savior of the galaxy with the help of the Stellaron Hunters and the planets/factions that the Trailblazer saved to defeat Nanook the path of destruction (AKA the main antagonist of the game).
Which means to make this ending even MORE depressing not only is the Star Rail is gone, many planets and civilization that could've been saved is also gone, AND the entire galaxy is probably gone because of Nanook the destruction itself killing basically everyone.
So yeah this might be a joke ending but it's actually depressingly sad.
This alternate ending is also connected with the Penacony alternate Ending !! The express does end and disappear
I know this is an easter egg but I can’t help but wonder if Hoyo might write a tie-in spinoff AU where this happened instead, you know, just for extra tear-jerker experience
DAN HENG AS DAN HENG IM SOBBIGND
Far Cry 5 also have ending like this. The game doesnt force you to commit & gave you the illusion of choice.
i think what it meant as the final end of the Express and the Stellaron Hunters was that they had to face Nanook together and possibly without the help of the Loufu, Belobog and "the family"
Yknow i know this is supposed to be a funny easter egg, but its actually sad, cause if you make a choice that is a reall big change of your life and you have a big journey, imagine declining that choice, and noticed how youll regret that choice you made was actually so sad cause, you only got to live as a normal person if you stay, and not even have to meet some people that are actually can change your life😢
I wish there was there was something like this in genshin imagine "you shall not pass" "ok" *teyvat explodes
also (yes i just made two comments. fight me.) the end "screenplay director Ellio" and the talk about scripts in the beginning got me thinking that maybe out whole journey is already planned out, all written down.. all by ellio.. that is a weird thing to think about.
by what I understand Ellio sees the future so maybe that is what the scrip is referring to.
Maybe he goes trough countless scenarios, multiverses if you will, to get to the most optimal future.
"In the end, Equilibrium will be maintained."
The narrated ending reminded me of how Fallout (especially NV) brings closure to the end of the game, even if this is just a comedy end; it hits pretty hard on dictating your bad decision(s).
Himeko died again, belobog is no more (rip bronya, seele,and everyone there), welt cant reach earth
okay but this genuinely gave me chills.
That's .... creepy
ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS FOLLOW THE DANG TRAIN, STELLE/CAELUS!
I actually asked herta and asta if I could stay and when I talked to Himeko I ignored the choice to stay as I thought that she would still force me to come so... wow.. lol...
That's gotta be Elio's voice right? I can't think of anyone else being able to narrate the Trailblazer's story.
I'm thinking that both Secret Ending of 1.0 and 2.0 should be related to what actually happen in 2.2.
well if im there, i might just stay and hole myself there just like that choice
aaand, possibly traverse the universe all alone
In the vein of Ocean’s Thirteen: it’s not my fight 😎
Update 3.0 and here I am wondering how everything would've unfolded if the Trailblazer wasn't present. Belobog, Luofu, Penacony, and now Amphoreus.
It's great that we can hear Elio's voice (if it is his)
Didnt most of the dialogue about staying long term imply the stellaron would mess with the stations fragmentum and we would have to be frozen or something? Seems like they mightve just been mistaken about that
When you look at hertas dialogue 0:11 she sais she can seal it easy peasy. She's just a bit lazy about doing it, or volunteering that she can easily do it.
Besides, they had the stellaron sealed for who knows how long already before Kafka broke the seal.