The Honkai: Star Rail and Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works collaboration, which dropped on July 11, 2025, was supposed to be a big deal, blending two huge franchises. Fans were pumped for a mix of Star Rail’s space adventure and Fate’s Holy Grail War drama. But just days after release, the Sweet Dreams and the Holy Grail Trailblaze Continuance mission has left a lot of players disappointed, with complaints popping up on Reddit and X. From missing voice acting to a boring story, here’s why fans aren’t happy.
A Silent Disappointment: The Voicing Controversy
One of the biggest issues is the lack of voice acting, especially in the English dub. The collab brings in Fate’s Saber and Archer as playable characters, but they don’t have battle sounds or dialogue in key moments. The event’s “silent film” section, tied to a movie reality bubble, feels like a weak excuse for skipping voice work. Fans are frustrated, especially since voice actors like Junichi Suwabe (Archer) and Ayako Kawasumi (Saber) could’ve been used. “Why do a Fate collab and not voice these characters?” a Reddit post asked. Some think it’s about budget cuts, but with HoYoverse’s massive earnings, that excuse doesn’t sit well.
A Story That Falls Flat
The story, set in Penacony, was meant to mix Fate’s Holy Grail War with Star Rail’s universe. Instead, fans found it dull, with the first half in a “movie reality bubble” dragging and the second half only slightly better. The plot leans too much on NPCs like Skott, which annoyed players who wanted more focus on Saber, Archer, or Star Rail’s main cast. For Fate fans, the story feels too basic, likely because Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu kept a tight leash on HoYoverse, leading to a safe but forgettable narrative. Posts on X call it a “cash grab” that didn’t match the hype from the Version 2.4 livestream in July 2024.
Reused Assets and Minimal Effort
The event’s presentation also took hits for using recycled assets and short, 10-second cutscenes. Compared to HoYoverse’s Honkai Impact 3rd x Evangelion crossover, which felt like a passion project, this one seems half-hearted. Fans brought up the Genshin Impact x Horizon Zero Dawn collab as another example of a weak crossover, and this event feels similar. The heavy focus on NPCs over fan-favorite characters only added to the frustration.
Bright Spots Amid the Criticism
It’s not all bad. Archer, a 5-star Quantum Hunt character, is free just for logging in during the event (available until Version 3.6 ends). His Light Cone, The Hell Where Ideas Burn, can be grabbed with 200 Star Rail Special Passes on Version 3.4 banners, and the long banner duration is a nice touch. Saber, a 5-star Wind Destruction character, looks great, with a design that nods to Star Rail characters like Aventurine and Robin, thanks to Fate artist Takashi Takeuchi. Players new to Fate found the story easier to follow, with fun references like Noble Phantasms and Command Seals. Moments like the Pom-Pom and Misha reunion also hit the mark for some, but these didn’t save the event for most.
A Divide Between Communities
Western fans on Reddit and X are the loudest about their disappointment, while Japanese and Chinese players seem less upset, based on comments on Bilibili. It’s not as big as the Version 3.1 drama over Memory of Chaos difficulty, but the backlash is noticeable. Some say HoYoverse listens more to JP and CN feedback, which might explain the milder reaction there.
A Collaboration That Could Have Been More
With Fate’s Kinoko Nasu and Star Rail’s team, including producer David Jiang and writer Shaoji, being fans of each other’s work, this collab had huge potential. But the missing voices, weak story, and low-effort presentation let it down. While free characters and solid visuals are a plus, the Sweet Dreams and the Holy Grail mission feels like a missed shot. Fans are hoping HoYoverse steps up with a better event next time to give Saber and Archer the spotlight they deserve.