Genshin Impact 2022 review: Impossible to keep up with, but fun anyway

log on to genshin impact, immediately proceeds to the fallback activity, flower picking. To do so, I choose a cartoonish character with black and teal hair and fast travels to a sheer, jutting peak in the mystical region of the Juyun Karst. You jump from one slope to another, and the sounds of stringed instruments glide along with your footing. Pick a white flower called Chinshin on the cliff next door.

On screen, the moment is quiet and serene. But picking flowers makes me dizzy. We know that Qingxin’s total collection will reach 45 flowers that day, so we can level up our character.At that point, you’ll have to shift gears toward collecting an entirely different set of materials that can be used to level up certain attacks. that Point, I need to check in to see if I actually have enough money to use the ingredients. We need to see if they can do a weekly boss that isn’t as strong. genshin impactA never-ending to-do list.

genshin impact It is not a flower picking simulator. It is an open-world, free-to-play game created by Shanghai-based studio Hoyoverse (previously known as his Mihoyo).Hoyoverse first public release genshin impact Two years ago, and while the core of the game remains the same, explore, pursue quests, and collect materials to improve your character, a few additions of varying sizes have been made. As of the patch, the game has every kind of gameplay imaginable: four huge areas to explore, entire areas dedicated to decoration, a consistent churn of minigames, dozens of lengthy story quests, and massive scale. character building. system. Whether it’s in range or the literal amount of storage it occupies on the platform, gigantic game.

Hoyoverse’s dedication to gaming has turned the game into a worldwide success and a touchstone for a new generation of players. As of May 2022, games Exceeded $3 billion in revenue It has become the world’s best-selling mobile gacha game on mobile devices. again, hot game on Twitter in the first half of 2022 Genshin You might even get an anime spin-off in demon slayer studio ufo table. With all this in mind, we decided to re-review the game for its 2nd anniversary.

genshin impact It takes place in the vast fantasy world of Teyvat. You’ll encounter dragons, magical knights, and elemental gods and goddesses, though each region is loosely based on their real-world counterparts. looking for twins. As they travel far and wide, the two end up helping the people of their respective regions navigate their own inner struggles. Follow a diabolical plot by your enemies.

These stories have failed to capture me for the past two years. but, Genshin It leans hard on its myriad of characters. the story got me involvedWith a cast of over 50 playable explorers so far, you’ll find reasons to love them all. Whether it’s the elegant sash and pink-haired Yae Miko, or the rambunctious personality of Ittou Shintaki, the game features gorgeous aesthetic designs and lovable antics throughout the cast.

Image: Hoyoverse

That is, Genshin has mainline quests, but where it shines is around the central story. You can dedicate your session to creating stronger characters. Alternatively, you can spend all your time decorating and designing your own area. No matter what you do, it’s set to be one of the most scenic games I’ve ever played.From the warm golden pools of Liyue to the towering trees of Sumeru to the crackling sounds of Inazuma. Each region shines in its own way, right up to the Land of Electricity. Plus, it all unfolds into one of the best video game scores I’ve ever heard.

Genshin Impact as a hobby

There are lots of spaces to explore, lots of recurring tasks to complete, and lots of characters to collect and improve. genshin impact It can become a full-fledged hobby rather than a game. Its combat and platforming are relatively simple on a mechanical level, but its systems and chores are as numerous as they are varied. From leveling up a character to saving enough currency to unlock that character, everything is rooted in a daily rhythm that requires constant investment.

Over time, a kind of snowball effect appears. The more you do it, the easier your daily tasks become. Boss fights that previously took him 15 minutes can now be completed in less than 1 minute at much higher levels, with more rewards. But early on, it often feels like a series of completed tasks, each leading to five new tasks for him. For example, Pyro After finishing her character’s leveling up her Xiangling and her attacks and weapons, I still had to think about creating three more characters to form a well-balanced team.

while playing Genshin, 4 characters can be freely swapped. Yes, you can swing your sword to poke enemies, but most of the time, most of the damage comes from elemental skills and a special attack called elemental burst. Combat took a more enjoyable turn when you were able to alchemize individual elemental traits. Bursts charge rapidly, allowing you to switch between characters while unleashing a non-stop chain of elemental skills and bursts. .

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

Characters like Xiangling have elemental bursts that surround them with fiery flames. Others, like Xingqiu, unleash pinpoint water-like needles that deal damage after a normal attack. Visually, it may be confusing, but the right rotation of the attack is relatively easy to solidify, It’s annoying to see the damage numbers skyrocket.

Genshin‘s character building system is one of my favorites in RPGs. Still, figuring out when and where to go can require a fair amount of planning and administrative work. It’s deep, it’s complex, and it really scratches the itch that I’ve never felt relieved since I was a young kid when I trained to get my first level 100 Pokemon character that’s strong enough to defeat a boss. He is satisfied with just making one. Building an entire team of hardened fighters is downright exhilarating.

Of course, with the looming warning of a live service game, genshin impact Especially the fact that there is always more content going on. Make sure to check all the boxes on your to-do list. New updates or enhancements are often just around the corner.catch up Genshin Impact PackIt can be fun, but it can also be mentally exhausting.

Patches vary in size and amount of content, but tend to bring new events, including timed mini-games and other quests. I would like to spend more time meeting with you. Reward. Sometimes I focus more on the podcast I hear than the actual plot that the podcast unfolds. GenshinIt’s a shame because there are some really good character quests here. They are so closely related to wasting busy work that they end up feeling like a burden.

Dealing with content churn

With so many tasks and regular sophisticated updates, the problem is Genshin Good game. (Yes.) Rather, it has become a question of “can you keep up?”When so much gamethe fandom is always The language of burnout when it comes to GenshinI feel stuck in a never-ending cycle content goals.

I think Genshin It’s most enjoyable when you give yourself the leeway to play at your own pace. In other words, I make the most of it when I have it on my terms. Choose to ignore the Battle Pass. It might even let you watch TikTok during cutscenes. The moment you feel forced to do something, the moment the game stops being fun.

On the surface it seems easy: play the game only when it’s fun and challenging.but so much Genshin It feels like it was designed to take advantage of my human tendencies. Genshin It feels that way — day after day.

fully involved GenshinThe mechanics of the gacha means pursuing a currency called Primogems. This star-shaped crystal can be used to create “wishes” by purchasing another item called Acquaint Fate. When you “wish” you place a bet to get a specific character or weapon. Most of them are stronger than free characters. Certain characters, like the once-coveted Bard Venti, will have increased drop rates for a scheduled period of time. But then they are torn apart. The wishing system works like a loot box.I’ve seen people develop what they have It is said to be a severe gambling addiction. while playing Genshin.

If you want to gamble but have no money, you feel like you have to log on every day. all tasks and beats all that event. And while you don’t need good characters to play the game, they are very, very very Nice — I can’t imagine a game I can’t play as Xiao. Some of them are certainly very useful to my roster, but I’m attached to others through the vast amount of time I’ve spent with them.

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

It’s an open world game, but it’s also a gacha game. Daily and weekly requirements, currency, and lottery luck all affect when and how you play. Due to an arbitrary cap set by the developers, we can’t cram all the bosses and domains into her day of play. Some flowers he only respawns every two days, so he can’t go pick all the flowers he wants. Like the system’s ever-looming inner intrigue, the grind dictates that stillness I find on the summit.

So while there are many ways to play, the game isn’t truly open. It’s not always possible to do what you want when you want. I love the world, but I feel like there’s always a tension between loving the world and exploring it, but the invisible hands that aren’t completely free of insidious intentions are my habit. I always feel like I’m leading the way.

And I scrape off and bristle against it as best I can. I’ll allow myself to be crushed, but I listen to podcasts at the most excruciating moments, and getting Primogem all the way to the end doesn’t make me feel bad. It might make your brain itch for a while, but you won’t get to that “One World Exploration” for a week, because your logs may be more clogged than you think. , close the game and forget about it for a few days. And then, on a crisp Saturday morning, I return to my beautiful world and find that the flowers are growing again.