By Sherry Zhang
Stuck at home, I downloaded several games on my iPad over the last few months. The most recent game I’ve been hooked on is Genshin Impact. For those who don’t know, Genshin Impact is a free-to-play open-world adventure RPG developed and published by miHoYo.
Regarding the storyline, Genshin Impact tells the story of a boy searching for his twin sister after being trapped in a new world by an unknown god. In the game, players explore the continent of Teyvat (which is ruled by seven different archons), go on adventures, and fight powerful enemies. To summarize, Genshin Impact is kind of the anime gacha version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Here is my review of Genshin Impact.
What I Like:
- Map. Genshin Impact’s graphics are insanely beautiful and visually appealing, enhancing the uniqueness of every region on the map. Furthermore, the developers draw inspiration from different countries around the world, which I find really cool.
For example, the first nation players encounter in Teyvat is Mondstadt, the city of freedom. This windy city is based on Germany, and worships the Anemo Archon Barbatos.
The second region on the map is Liyue, the land ruled by the Geo Archon Morax. From the name itself, it is clear that Liyue represents China. The main city of Liyue is Liyue Harbor, a roaring business hub. Personally, I think Liyue is the best region in Teyvat because the developers did a phenomenal job capturing China’s beautiful landscapes and aesthetics.
Technically, there is a third region on the map, although it is labeled under Mondstadt, and it is Dragonspine—a cold and windy mountain in the south. Initially, I despised Dragonspine, but now it’s my favorite region to visit.
- Characters. I really like the characters in the game since they all have interesting and well-developed backstories. In Mondstadt, there is the wine tycoon, the flirty librarian witch, the girl who makes bombs, and in Liyue, there is the rich lady with the floating palace and a purple girl with cat ears.
- Co-Op. Although the game’s Co-Op mode needs improvement, I enjoy being able to fight bosses with my friends. If it wasn’t for Co-Op mode, I never would’ve been able to defeat Oceanid, the floating water boss. I cannot count how many times my friend Austin carried me when it came to Oceanid.
What I Don’t Like:
- Incomplete game. I shouldn’t be complaining, since the game is free. However, incomplete games are frustrating because players never know if the developers will follow suit and finish the game. Aside from that, once players finish the main quest and side quests, there is almost nothing to do other than farming artifacts.
- Gacha mechanics. To get some of the most overpowered characters in the game, players must hope they are lucky enough to pull the character they want from wishes. To add, the drop rate for these overpowered characters is 0.6%. From a business perspective, I understand why companies utilize gacha: to make money, of course. However, as a consumer, I do not support such scummy practices.
- Stamina system. After defeating a boss or domain, players need to spend original resin, the energy resource in the game, to obtain the loot. One resin takes eight minutes to recharge and the cap is 160 resin. It takes 21.333 hours for 160 resin to regenerate. Domains cost 20 resin, each boss, 40. It truly is awful.
To conclude, Genshin Impact is pretty fun and addicting. However, as much as I hope the game will be finished, I think Genshin Impact will be short-lived. Also, the game would have so much more potential if it wasn’t a gacha game. Overall, I would give Genshin Impact an 8/10.