In a brilliant world, Na Ke Xia’s fate has been determined. As a globally popular entertainment product, “Honkai Impact 3rd: Star Railway” seems to no longer be just a tool for players to have fun, but has become a part of social control, capital accumulation and technology’s oppression of individual freedom. Those seemingly magnificent light cones, breakthroughs and traces eventually became the inescapable tracks on this railway, pushing each player towards the set goal. As part of this huge game, has Na Ke Xia gradually lost the freedom and choice that should belong to him in the challenge?
1. Fate trajectory and social structure: gradually falling into “control”
We should note that in this game, Na Ke Xia’s breakthrough and growth is not a free process. The design of the game makes every progress seem inevitable. It sets an endless goal for players – upgrade, break through, and obtain stronger light cones. Behind this process, it is actually dominated by a set of strict rules and control systems.
The materials collected, battles fought, and even the breakthrough process by players in the game are all carried out in a highly structured environment. This environment makes every “progress” seem to be unsurprising, and even loses the existence of personal will. This kind of control and guidance of players actually reveals the “institutionalization” and “standardization” phenomenon that is prevalent in modern society. In the seemingly free game world, players, like Na Kexia, are guided forward by an invisible track.
For every breakthrough in the game, the “materials” required are actually like the countless steps and conditions arranged in society. Na Kexia’s fate is woven into a big net, and each player is just a node in it. Just as individuals in society can never really jump out of this established track, any breakthrough and progress are silently controlled by a huge force behind them.
2. The domination of light cone and material: seemingly free choice
In the game, the light cone is a symbol of Na Kexia’s ability improvement, which represents strength, wisdom and breakthrough. However, behind this symbol of the light cone, there is a deeper meaning. The light cone is not only an improvement in strength, but also a constraint on the player’s freedom. Every choice and breakthrough made by the player seems to be pursuing some kind of illusory goal, and these goals are presented through specific items and materials.
Just like the breakthrough materials needed by Na Ke Xia: “Ethereal Omen”, “Echoing Wail” and “Eternal Lament”, etc., these seemingly concrete things are actually shaping the player’s behavior. Each material is a control over the player’s behavior and a guide for his choice, and behind this guidance is full of the pursuit of “progress” and “productivity”. This pursuit seems noble on the surface, but in fact it is a suppression of individual freedom.
The role of the light cone is not only to increase combat power, it is a symbol of institutionalization and material control. In order to pursue more powerful power, players are increasingly relying on the path set by the system, and behind all this is actually the operation of a huge social mechanism. In this, every behavior and every choice of the player seems so mechanical and procedural. Just like individuals in society, although they claim to have the right to freedom and choice, they have actually been regulated and constrained invisibly.
3. Traces and social memory: forgetting and repetition
Na Ke Xia’s traces are also an inescapable dilemma. Every player plays a predetermined role in this game. No matter how hard you try, you always move forward in one direction. The collection of trace materials seems to be a reflection of personal achievement, but there are also profound social metaphors behind them.
Every process of improvement is accompanied by the accumulation of some kind of “memory”. These memories may be reflections on the past or prospects for the future, but they are always full of some meanings of “forgetting” and “repetition”. In the world of the game, players continue to collect materials and complete tasks, but each achievement is like a negation and a restart of the previous round of efforts. Just like our struggles in real life, every time we think we have made breakthroughs and successes, there are always new requirements and challenges waiting for us behind.
This game mechanism of “repetition” and “forgetting” is not only a portrayal of the fate of that moment, but also a profound reflection on modern society. In a world of fast consumption and rapid change, we seem to be always in a cycle, looking for new breakthroughs and progress, but we are always wandering on the old track. Just as behind each breakthrough material of Na Kexia, there are memories of the past and an inescapable fate, everyone’s life is always spent in “forgetting” and “repetition”, as if there is no real liberation and freedom.
4. Dialogue between freedom and control: the possibility of escape
This game shows us a control mechanism similar to the real world. Every player may see his own growth and progress in breakthroughs and upgrades, but this progress is also accompanied by a certain “control” power. Whether it is Na Kexia’s light cone or the various materials he needs, they are full of a large-scale, inescapable social structure behind them.
However, perhaps it is in this seemingly unsolvable dilemma that the faint spark of freedom is hidden. If we can see the truth behind each breakthrough – a suppression of freedom, choice and independent consciousness – perhaps we can also find a power to break through the constraints of the system. Na Kexia, although in the setting of the game, but like the players, he is also seeking a possibility to break free from rules and constraints.
5. Conclusion: The struggle between regulations and freedom
“Honkai Impact 3rd” is not only a game full of challenges and explorations, but also a profound reflection on our real life. The fate of Na Kexia symbolizes every individual in modern society: in the constant breakthroughs and upgrades, have we gradually lost our freedom? Can each breakthrough really bring liberation? Are we moving towards a more standardized track through “choices” again and again?
On this track, we, like Na Kexia, go further and further, go deeper and deeper, but we can never touch the true freedom and liberation.