Genshin Impact is a free-to-play action-adventure RPG that was released in September 2020 for PC, PS4, iOS, and Android devices. The game is developed by miHoYo Limited, a Chinese studio that is also known for its popular mobile game Honkai Impact 3rd. Genshin Impact has been widely praised for its beautiful open world, diverse characters, and deep gameplay systems, but also criticized for its intrusive microtransactions, repetitive endgame, and lack of originality. In this review, I will share my impressions of Genshin Impact after playing it for over 100 hours and reaching Adventure Rank 40.
The World of Teyvat
The most striking feature of Genshin Impact is its vast and vibrant world of Teyvat, which is clearly inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The game currently features two regions: Mondstadt and Liyue, each with its own culture, history, and landscape. Mondstadt is a medieval European-style kingdom ruled by the Knights of Favonius, while Liyue is an ancient Chinese-style harbor city governed by the Liyue Qixing. The game promises to add six more regions in the future, each based on a different real-world culture and element.
The world of Teyvat is full of secrets, puzzles, treasures, enemies, dungeons, bosses, quests, and challenges to discover and complete. There are no map markers or waypoints to guide you, so you have to rely on your own curiosity and exploration skills to find them. You can climb any surface, glide across the sky, swim across the water, and interact with various environmental elements using your characters' elemental abilities. The game also features a dynamic weather and day-night cycle that affects the visuals and gameplay.
The world of Teyvat is one of the most beautiful and immersive worlds I have ever seen in a video game. The graphics are stunning, the music is enchanting, and the voice acting is lively. The game also runs smoothly on both PC and mobile devices, with cross-play and cross-save support. I spent countless hours just wandering around the world, admiring the scenery, collecting resources, solving puzzles, and fighting enemies. The world of Teyvat is a joy to explore and experience.
The Characters of Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact features a large cast of playable characters that you can unlock through a gacha system called Wishes. There are currently 23 characters available in the game, each with their own personality, backstory, element, weapon type, skills, talents, and constellations. You can switch between four characters in your party at any time during combat or exploration, and combine their elemental abilities to create powerful reactions that deal extra damage or produce various effects.
The characters of Genshin Impact are diverse and interesting, each with their own charm and quirks. The game does a good job of introducing them through the main story quests and character-specific side quests that reveal more about their motivations and relationships. The voice acting is also excellent in both English and Japanese (and other languages), with some notable voice actors such as Rie Tanaka (Lisa), Kana Hanazawa (Mona), Ayumu Murase (Venti), and Ryohei Kimura (Diluc). The game also features a friendship system that allows you to increase your bond with each character by completing quests, giving gifts, or simply spending time with them.
However, the gacha system of Genshin Impact is also one of its biggest flaws. The drop rates for 5-star characters (the highest rarity) are extremely low (0.6%), and the game does not guarantee that you will get the character you want even if you spend a lot of money or time on Wishes. The game also uses a currency called Primogems to buy Wishes, which can be earned through various activities or purchased with real money. However, the amount of Primogems you can earn for free is very limited compared to the amount you need to buy Wishes. This creates a frustrating situation where you may never get the character you want or need to progress in the game.
The Gameplay Systems of Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact is a complex RPG that features many gameplay systems that affect your characters' performance and progression. Some of these systems include:
- - Leveling: You can level up your characters by using EXP materials that can be obtained from enemies or quests. Leveling up increases your characters' base stats and unlocks new skills and talents.
- - Ascension: You can ascend your characters once they reach certain level caps by using specific materials that can be found in the world or obtained from bosses or domains (special dungeons). Ascension increases your characters' level cap and boosts their stats and skills.
- - Constellation: You can unlock new passive abilities for your characters by using duplicate copies of the same character that you get from Wishes. Constellation enhances your characters' skills and talents, making them more powerful and versatile.
- - Weapon: You can equip your characters with different weapons that suit their weapon type and playstyle. Weapons can also be leveled up, ascended, and refined using materials. Weapons have their own stats, skills, and rarity, and can affect your characters' damage output and elemental reactions.
- - Artifact: You can equip your characters with different artifacts that provide additional stats and bonuses. Artifacts can also be leveled up using other artifacts as fodder. Artifacts have their own sets, stats, substats, and rarity, and can affect your characters' survivability and elemental mastery.
- - Elemental Resonance: You can get different bonuses depending on the combination of elements in your party. Elemental Resonance can affect your characters' damage, resistance, energy recharge, and other aspects.
- - Elemental Reaction: You can trigger different effects by combining different elements on enemies or the environment. Elemental Reaction can deal extra damage, reduce enemy resistance, inflict status effects, or produce other effects.
The gameplay systems of Genshin Impact are deep and rewarding, allowing you to customize your characters and party to suit your preferences and needs. The game also encourages you to experiment with different combinations of characters, weapons, artifacts, and elements to find the optimal setup for different situations. The combat is fast-paced and fluid, with satisfying animations and sound effects. The game also offers a variety of challenges and difficulties to test your skills and strategies.
However, the gameplay systems of Genshin Impact are also very grindy and time-consuming, especially at higher levels. The game requires you to farm a lot of materials to level up, ascend, refine, and enhance your characters, weapons, and artifacts. The game also uses a stamina system called Resin that limits how many times you can do certain activities that reward you with materials or Primogems. The Resin system is very restrictive and frustrating, as it prevents you from progressing at your own pace or enjoying the game as much as you want.
The Verdict
Genshin Impact is a remarkable game that offers a rich and immersive open world, a diverse and charming cast of characters, and a deep and rewarding gameplay system. The game is also free-to-play, which is impressive considering its high production values and generous content. However, the game is also hampered by its intrusive microtransactions, repetitive endgame, and lack of originality. The game is not perfect, but it is definitely worth playing if you enjoy open-world RPGs or anime-style games.
Pros:
- Beautiful and expansive open world
- Diverse and interesting characters
- Deep and rewarding gameplay systems
- Stunning graphics and music
- Cross-play and cross-save support
Cons:
- Intrusive microtransactions
- Repetitive endgame
- Lack of originality
- Annoying sidekick
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