2021 has brought many amazing games to the scene. Players have plenty of options to sink their teeth into, from action-adventure titles to casual simulation games. However, one of the most influential games of the year has been a free to play hybrid MMO named Genshin Impact.
Genshin Impact is unique in a couple of ways. It offers anime-style graphics, open adventure exploration and an online casino esc gacha system in one MMO. With its first anniversary coming up, it’s the perfect time to overview the adventure and see if it lives up to the hype.
The Story
Like many popular gaming titles, Genshin Impact’s story is lengthy and hard to digest at times. You take the role of either Lumine or Aether, a pair of dimension-hopping twins that get trapped in a new world by an unknown goddess. This goddess kidnaps your sibling, leaving your character stranded and alone.
Now alone, your character will elicit the help of the seven ruling elemental gods to find your twin, find answers, and find your way home. To date, there are three explorable regions in this game, each inspired by a real-life country and culture.
You will meet many characters in your journey, some you can even add to your team if you get lucky. Though the game updates content every six weeks, the story is far from complete. Fans have at least five years of gameplay to look forward to before ever getting answers.
The Platforms
Controls can make or break a game. Genshin Impact tries to bridge multi-platform system divides by offering crossplay to PC, Mobile, and PS4/5. Though the game stays relevant on popular gaming platforms, the quality of play drastically decreases depending on where you play.
Mobile gameplay on anything less than the newest phones will have your device run hot and often lags and even crashes the game. PC fairs better than mobile, but graphics can take a considerable dip unless you play on a gaming laptop. This makes the PlayStation 4 and 5 the best places to play this ‘mobile’ adventure game, making it not-so mobile friendly at all.
The game files are enormous, and every update can take hours to load. So unless you are running with the latest gaming gear or have a reliable home console, your hero’s journey could end before it begins.
The Gacha
Genshin Impact’s biggest draw comes from its anime-style character roster. Using the premium in-game currency ‘Primogems’, players can wish upon a banner and receive a random character or weapon.
The best and rarest pulls are 5 stars, which usually come on limited-run banners. This means you have about three weeks to strike it lucky or risk losing your chance at a popular rare character. Though re-runs have occurred, it could be a while before you see them again.
Thankfully, you don’t need any of the fancy characters to play or beat the game. Free and event-reward characters are given to players, making sure even those unlucky with the Gacha can still have a fun time.
Conclusion
This article only covers the tip of the Genshin Impact sized iceberg. It’s become a fast fan favourite, having grossed over $1 Billion in one year alone. So long as you have the right equipment, you are sure to enjoy this monster-sized MMO. Just don’t expect to earn your favourite 5 star without some serious casino-style luck.