Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact

1. Introduction to Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact is an open-world role-playing anime-style game developed by miHoYo (now HoYoVerse), a Chinese game development company. The game was released on September 28, 2020, and has been a worldwide hit with gamers. According to Twitter, it was the most discussed game on Twitter in 2021, with more than half of the players coming from outside of China. Genshin Impact demonstrates the potential of the Chinese video game industry. It is highly acclaimed for its beautiful graphics, rich storyline and diverse character set. Chinese Genshin Impact is one of the most-profitable video games on Earth. 

2. Gameplay and Mechanics

• Open-World Exploration

This game is currently not finished as of now. There are expected to be at least 7 regions/nations in a world called Teyvat, with each region released as the story goes on. Right now we’re in the 6th region. Each region has unique environments, puzzles, challenges, and sometimes easter eggs. There are also some mini quests assigned in the world. I like this open-world exploration because it makes the game immersive and makes the player feel like they’re in the game. I also like the puzzles and challenges, because they are simple yet sometimes complicated. Of course when we solve them, we are rewarded by some stuff.

• Elemental System

With the 7 regions, there are also 7 elements that correspond to each region. Anemo, Geo, Electro, Dendro, Hydro, Pyro, and Cryo. These elements are unique and can interact with each other, either in combat or just in the wild. Here is the full chart of all the elemental reactions that are currently in the game.

 

These 7 elements and the elemental reactions are interesting to me, because they add some equations to the combat. I also just really like fictional stuff with elemental powers.

• Character Teams

With there being 7 elements, the playable characters are assigned to one of those elements while also wielding one of the 5 weapon types (sword, polearm, bow, catalyst, and claymore). A player can have up to 4 characters in a team that will be deployed in the open world. This makes team building have so many variations to choose from, choosing characters with different elements,  utilizing elemental reactions discussed before. I enjoy being creative building my team and using them to obliterate the enemies.

• Combat

The combat in this game is simple and fun. With each character having a unique normal attack, elemental skill, elemental burst, and some passive abilities. You can swap between your character team to perform some awesome combat synergy. There are a lot of things to consider when building a team, like team balance,  character statistics, role, and even the enemies we’re facing. I like the combat in this game, I just have to think about building my characters and teams. While the fighting itself is not too complicated.

3. Art and Aesthetics

• Visual

I like anime, and this is an anime-style game, so of course I really love the visuals of this game. Every region has their own identity, drawing inspiration from different cultures (e.g., Liyue from Chinese, Inazuma from Japan, Fontaine from French). The landscapes are very detailed. Combined with stunning visuals and lighting, The game presents you with a beautiful feast to the eye. Here are some of the scenery from the game.

• Character Design

The characters in Genshin Impact are very well-designed. They are one of the things that are keeping me intrigued to this game. These characters’ personalities are not one-dimensional, they have distinct and varying personalities and backstories. The character designs are iconic and usually represent the culture of each region. The characters also have varying attack capabilities, each having something unique to them. I really like some of the characters in this game, not just by their designs, but also their personalities, combat capabilities, and backstories.

4. Music and Sound

• Soundtrack

The soundtracks in this game are some of the most beautiful soundtracks I have ever heard in the history of games. Composed by Yu-Peng Chen and performed by renowned orchestras, the background music you hear while playing will bring pleasure to your ears. The soundtracks also captures the mood of each region, enhancing the immersion.

• Voice Acting

The voice acting in this game makes the story much more immersive and enjoyable. You could choose multiple language options (English, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean) with high-quality performances from renowned voice actors. They make the game feel alive, unlike any other unvoiced RPG game.

5. Story and World-Building

• Engaging Lore

As mentioned before, this game is not finished yet. There are more stories and regions to be released. The stories in Genshin Impact are very in-depth, they are amazing and unpredictable. It’s as if we’re joining on The Traveler’s quest to reunite with their sibling while exploring different nations. But there are actually much more than that, such as meeting companions along the way, helping the Gods, or even defying fate. The world-building is also amazing there are bits and pieces of lore found while we’re exploring and doing quests.

• Events and Updates

This game updates every six weeks with each update bringing new content, stories, events, and sometimes characters and expansions. They are also trying to improve the player’s experience every update.

6. Social and Multiplayer

• Co-op Mode

Genshin Impact has a co-op mode. WIth it, you can explore together, fight together, and even do events together. Sometimes if I’m bored, I will jump into co-op and have a silly little time together.

• Community

The one thing that I don’t like that much about this game is the community. Sometimes they are too toxic. But they can be very wholesome at times. I also really like seeing the fanarts, leaks, and videos of the game.

7. Monetization and Gacha

• Gacha System

This is a gacha game. Of course the monetization comes from the gacha. But since the game isn’t hard, I find it very relaxing not having to get strong characters that I don’t like that much. The gacha system are average at best, it could be improved, but I’m content with it since they are always trying to improve the game.

8. Bartle Types Analysis

• Achiever

1. Achievers are driven by a sense of accomplishment and mastery. In Genshin Impact, I find joy in optimizing character builds

2. I also try achieving 100% exploration of each region,

3. Completing every challenge like Spiral Abyss with full stars.

4. The game's various leveling systems, artifact optimization, and combat challenges provide achievers with goals to strive for and a sense of pride upon completing them.

• Explorer

1. I enjoy discovering hidden content, secrets, and lore. 

2. I love enjoying exploring the vast open world of Teyvat, uncovering hidden chests, solving environmental puzzles, and piecing together the world’s backstory.

3. Genshin Impact caters to Explorers by offering a beautifully detailed world filled with mysteries, world quests, and intricate lore that can be uncovered through exploration and interaction with NPCs.

4. Genshin  Impact also has some character hangouts and story quests, making me wanna explore and dive deep down into each character’s backstories.

• Socializer

1. Socializers derive fun from interactions with others. In Genshin Impact, I enjoy the co-op gameplay.

2. I like participating in community events, 

3. I really enjoy discussing character builds and strategies with friends and the broader community.

4. The game encourages cooperation in domains and boss fights, and socializers can bond over shared experiences, creating a sense of camaraderie and shared adventure.

• Killer

1. Killers find fun in competing against others. While Genshin Impact lacks direct player-vs-player combat, I can still express my competitive nature through DPS challenges, leaderboard rankings in certain events, 

2. I also love sharing their achievements on social media to compare progress.

3. I find fun in pushing the limits of the game mechanics, achieving high damage outputs, and demonstrating their mastery over the game’s systems.

4. I also like reaching the highest score possible in the events

9. Why It’s My Favorite Game

• Timing

Genshin Impact released when it was COVID-19 pandemic and it feels like it’s intended by HoYoVerse. My friend asks me to download and play Genshin Impact together. From there, I fell in love with the game. Well because of the pandemic, all I could do was stay home and play Genshin Impact. I have invested so many hours in the game, seeing how the story unfolds, building characters, clearing some combat contents. Therefore I am attached to my account and my characters and feel bad if I quit. Since I am now in college, I don’t have much time to play and explore new games anymore. So I only play Genshin Impact because I can just log in 10 minutes a day and log off.

• Great for Unwinding

Since I am now in college, there will be times where I need to just relax and unwind from all of the tasks that I’ve done. Genshin Impact is most likely my choice because it’s relaxing and I don’t have to think while playing. I can just log in, enjoy some scenery and music, do some combats, and maybe some events and stories too.

• Replayability

I sometimes call this game evil because they keep releasing high quality characters, which makes me want to get them. To get them, I have to grind the resources, meaning I have to log in every day. But all that’s worth it because I can play as the characters that are very cool and awesome. This game also updates every 6 weeks, bringing new contents and events that grants you rewards. This game is also not punishing when you quit for a while because the story progresses quite slowly and there will be rewards for returning players too!

• Aspects of The Game

Here are the 5 main aspects that I enjoy very much that are making me keep playing this game:

• Story: I wanna join The Traveler’s journey as their story unfolds. The stories also involve many characters. The stories are not some typical fantasies, it’s much more complicated yet still easy to follow.

• Character Design: The character designs are very unique and detailed. They reflect their personalities.I find myself loving these characters, more than anime characters in general.

• Visuals: A game without visuals is just not a complete game.The visuals are stunning, enhancing the experience playing the game while exploring, doing combat, and stories.

• Combat: I like this game’s combat because it’s straightforward to execute. But there are so many other factors to think about (Character building, teams, elemental reactions, enemy we’re facing) therefore allowing many theorycrafting which I enjoy.

• Music: I find myself sometimes listening to Genshin’s music even outside the game. It’s just so pleasing to listen.

• Anime-style

It’s anime-style, I like anime. Very straightforward. 

10. Conclusion

In conclusion, Genshin Impact stands out as an exceptional game for a variety of reasons, making it my favorite. Its captivating open-world exploration, unique elemental combat system, and strategic character team building offer a level of engagement and depth that keeps me coming back. The stunning anime-style visuals, diverse character designs, and rich world-building immerse me in the world of Teyvat, while the beautifully composed music enhances the overall experience.

The game not only provides exciting combat and puzzles but also allows for moments of relaxation through its serene environments and immersive soundtracks, making it a perfect escape from the demands of everyday life, especially during the pandemic. The frequent updates and expanding storyline keep the game fresh, offering new content and challenges to explore. Despite some minor drawbacks, such as the gacha system and community dynamics, the game's strengths far outweigh its weaknesses.

Ultimately, Genshin Impact combines an engaging storyline, memorable characters, breathtaking visuals, and incredible music to create a game that resonates with me on multiple levels, both as a gamer and as someone who appreciates artistic and narrative depth. I love it so much that I made some fanarts of the game.

Reference:

Ren, R., 2023. Research on the reasons for the success of Genshin Impact. Proceedings of the International Conference on Social Psychology and Humanity Studies, [online] Available at: https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7064/5/20230281 [Accessed 18 September 2024].

Fanarts: