Gamers, whether they are fans of RPGs or not, have probably heard of Genshin Impact. The game has been making waves since it was announced, and its release is finally upon us. So the big question is: is Genshin Impact worth playing? There’s no easy answer to that question, but we’ll do our best to give you a good idea of what to expect from the game. With all that said, let’s get started!
Genshin Impact is a great game with an interesting, new take on the action role-playing game (ARPG) genre. With gorgeous graphics and immersive stories to tell your friends about in-game or online – this is one you won’t want to miss!
With Genshin Impact, you can have your very own anime-style husband or wife who will accompany you on all adventures. The cooking system has drop-dead gorgeous graphics and it’s paired with a Waifu/Husbando collector gacha machine that brings characters to life! Now, why wouldn’t this be worth playing?
Genshin Impact was one of the biggest releases we’ve seen in years. In a time when most people around the world were under strict lockdown, there were still big game titles being published such as Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and World of Warcraft’s latest expansion Shadowlands – not to mention CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077. Even New World – an anticipated online reality future RPG from studio Amazon Games, honored the industry with its release.
Not only did it manage to generate $60 million during the week of its debut, it already grossed $400 million after the first two months. Developers confirmed that the game had grossed over $2 billion by the end of 2021, more in its first year than any game in the history of the industry.
Cross-Platform Functionality
Since the mobile and PC versions of this game are linked together by account, you can play on both devices. This means that if your phone runs out of battery or dies altogether – no problem! You will still be able to access all aspects from anywhere as long as there is an internet connection available at home (or wherever else).
This might sound tempting since cross-platform functionality has been rare until now. So that’s what all the fuss is about, but is it truly worth your time?
Combat
The combat in this game is surprisingly fun and entertaining. It’s nowhere near the level of MMOs like Black Desert Online, but for an anime-style RPG with a soft-lock targeting system, it does well and is quite accessible for new players.
In no way does it feel like another hack and slash combat experience, it has its own unique flavor, with a surprisingly complex system for Elemental Combos. Easy to pick up, difficult to master make the game far more enjoyable than repetitive mob grinding with the exact same approach each time.
Free-to-Play (F2P) Friendly
Similar to other very successful gacha titles such as Fire Emblem Heroes, players can take their time through the experience and not pay a single dime to get the overwhelming majority of the in-game rewards.
The game hosts timed events all year round, providing players with a plentiful, consistent supply of the premium currency: Primogems. These are used to pull from the various banners that are hosted on a rotational basis to acquire special characters and weapons.
Furthermore, this premium currency can also be received from simply completing the story, side quests, and from monthly redeem codes provided absolutely free–especially after the developer completes their latest live stream!
Cash Shop
The cash shop is very much marketed towards the encouragement of spending, in a common Pay-To-Win (P2W) marketing tactic found in many gacha games. It’s important to keep in mind that Genshin Impact is half mobile, half PC. This is the key reason why the title managed to gross such immense revenue in 2020 despite a Q4 release.
Perhaps the best incentive you have to spend money on the game is through the Blessing of the Welkin Moon. For $5 a month, players are provided up to 90 free Primogems a day, and are instantly rewarded with 300 Genesis Crystals; items that can be spent directly on certain Cash Shop items or turned into Primogems at a 1:1 ratio.
Of course, it’s more than likely there will be an army of whales out there who can’t wait more than 2 seconds after the announcement of their new favorite character to drop hundreds if not thousands of dollars for RNGesus to grant them amnesty.
Artwork
The cell-shaded designs of the setting, world, and characters are truly magnificent. What’s more? Its simplistic anime style allows the game to look just as gorgeous on low to medium settings. Perfect for weebs, but no chibis.
Fun Factor
Cruising through the storyline, and its vivid tales, along with an impressive yet simple progression system for dozens of characters with unique combat styles, endless unlockables, and things to level up, gamers will not find themselves bored at all when playing Genshin Impact.
However, keep in mind that the experience is designed to be played in daily bite-sized chunks and not all at once. This is due to the Original Resin system. In a similar vein to premium energy found in other gacha titles, players are capped to how much of this can be spent per day on various activities needed to acquire rewards.
Is Genshin Impact really the same as Breath of the Wild?
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the best games available on Nintendo Switch. It offered an experience for players in which they had the potential to go do anything and everything–even face up against the final boss from the get-go. What most people compare for this title and Genshin Impact are the art style and stamina systems.
Almost nothing else is the same. Genshin Impact has no weapon durability, mounts, or heart containers to purchase for increased health.
Furthermore, the world that Genshin Impact is set in, Teyvat, is opened in sequential steps as you progress through the story. This is in stark contrast to Breath of the Wild which virtually allows you to travel to any location in Hyrule at the behest of the player’s interest.
Likewise, due to the fact that Breath of the Wild is part of Legend of Zelda, a first-party Nintendo franchise, there is no opportunity for the game to be ported to other systems. Conversely, Genshin Impact is currently available on PC/mobile, with future support announced for Nintendo Switch.
Breath of the Wild introduced the base game as well as 2 major content DLCs, and that’s all fans can expect to see until they play the sequel, which will also require they pay for an entirely new game. Genshin Impact, on the other hand, offers endless content updates that are released on a monthly basis.
Finally, Breath of the Wild is a purchased title that demands a fixed cost upfront for the full experience, whereas Genshin Impact is entirely Free to Play from beginning to end.
Ongoing Content Updates
There is always something new to explore, do, or progress in with Genshin Impact. Whether challenging the latest content, catching up on main quests or side quests, or simply grinding out levels for alternative characters you don’t play as much, players have never-ending content to enjoy with Genshin Impact.
If that’s not enough, the game offers a dedicated co-op mode for players who have progressed past Adventure Rank 16, allowing them to take on monsters and domains with friends.
Summary
Is Genshin Impact worth playing? Even with what has been said so far, it’s better for you to try it yourself. If you find that it is not your cup of tea, there are many other gacha titles worth checking out as well, including others made by HoYoverse (formerly miHoYo) themselves.
Still, like it or not, Genshin Impact is here to stay. With such an overwhelmingly positive launch and dedicated fanbase, the developer has announced plans to continue to release content for the next several years at least. Stay up to date on all the exciting events here at miHoYo World!