Genshin Impact Reviews

Genshin Impact is a game that sort of crept up out of nowhere on my radar. I’m certainly not new to RPGs, nor am I new to “gacha” games. I’ve put more time (and money) into Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, Dragalia Lost, Epic Seven, and The Seven Deadly Sins Grand Cross than I’d ever care to admit. In games like this, the core element that keeps players interested is an exciting mix of fun gameplay with a collection system of trying to successfully gather all of the strongest five-star p...

Despite lacklustre multiplayer and a frustrating paywall to unlock characters and items, Genshin Impact is a brilliant experience with hours of fun-filled exploration. It also has Paimon and she is perfect.

The last year-or-so has been a bit of a PR rollercoaster for Genshin Impact. When the game was first unveiled in the summer of 2019, many angrily wrote it off as a gacha-fueled rip-off of Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but those who actually went hands-on with its betas discovered something far more promising. By the time Genshin Impact launched this past September the mood had completely changed. Journalists and fans alike have been raving about the game, which has already been downloaded by 10s of millions and is on track to bring in $100 million in its first month.

Its microtransactions are annoying, but Genshin Impact's inviting open world is easy to love.

Worst-case scenario, Genshin Impact will cost you a few hours of your life. Best-case scenario, it will be your surprise hit of the year. There are zero reasons not to at least try this title if you are a fan of action RPGs.

That being said, Genshin Impact is a surprisingly good value for those looking for an open-world adventure that doesn't break the bank or waste players' time. There's a huge and plentiful open world ready for all players to explore, regardless of whether players invest in microtransactions or not. The combat and RPG mechanics may be surprisingly deep to some, but in practice, they are generally simple and enjoyable to execute. The game lacks in telling any kind of a compelling story, as it's largely stereotypical characters and plot are generally uninteresting. There are also a few technical kinks with UI elements, but it's certainly not a dealbreaker.

Genshin Impact has been nicknamed "Breath of the Waifu" due to its obvious influences and cute characters. But surprisingly, the game is much more than that.

Despite its often less-than-subtle nods to Nintendo's Breath of the Wild, Genshin Impact does enough differently to stand apart. Throw in punchier combat, a more traditional story packed with interesting characters, and an outstanding score and Genshin Impact easily sits among the upper echelon of games released this year. Hopefully miHoYo relaxes the stamina system and gacha rates soon, because Teyvat is a world absolutely worth revisting. They're just making it difficult for anyone but gacha fans to find the motivation to hold on.

Though the story elements won't be to everyone's taste -- and as such, the efforts the game makes to inject a sense of drama and interpretation stakes can fall flat and veer into being completely off-putting -- the sheer breadth and scale that Genshin Impact offers means that the brief lows in no way impact on the many lofty highs offered up. A free-to-play game whose content rivals the more higher-budgeted AAA releases of the past few years. Where miHoYo's inspirations and references may be a little too on-the-nose or obvious in parts, it's similarly made up for via its wealth of content and of an exploration element that is well designed, but more importantly brilliantly emergent. In one moment, it might be the intrigue of a distant landmark, or in another the wild and flashy power-trip that is its elemental-based combat. Wherever it takes you, Genshin Impact is a more-than-convincing proposition, not least for those adamant on never spending a single cent in-game. The grind to get there may not always feel wholly natural or that players are genuinely being left to wander without restraint, but Genshin Impact's meticulous approach to environment design above all pulls through in many wonderful ways. Crafting one of the year's more immersive and surprisingly rich open-world RPGs.

The depth of content and the high standard to which Genshin Impact been developed is shockingly impressive, and not just by free-to-play gacha game standards. This is an RPG that boasts a quality that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with many premium games, and there are aspects of its design that are actually far more engaging.

Overall, I have to say Genshin Impact is definitely a game that’s changing how RPGs can be handled, especially in the world of mobile games. It has all the boxes checked off for me as a fan of RPGs. It’s also pretty easy to learn but will take quite some time to master all the mechanics in the game, and honestly, I’m fine with that

The similarities in style and mechanics to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are readily apparent. MiHoYo used that incredible game as a base upon which to build its own, and it absolutely works. It’s created both a fantastic single-player RPG and live-service co-op game that just happens to have the most unobtrusive gacha mechanics in recent memory, but after 25 hours of playtime I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface. Genshin Impact currently rivals one of the best games I’ve ever played, and they’re only just getting started.

Genshin Impact is an amazing open-world adventure that draws heavily on both its Breath of the Wild and anime inspirations to create something truly special. Even if the gacha model introduces some undesirable level grinding deeper in, the excellent combat, addictive exploration, and beautiful world make this one of the most exciting games I've played all year.