As one of the biggest surprises to come out of 2020, “Genshin Impact” stands as one of the best free-to-play games on the market. Created by the Chinese video game development and animation studio, Mihoyo, “Genshin Impact” kind of came out of nowhere. First revealed in June 2019 at E3 2019 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), the game came with a heap of skepticism. As people were quick to compare it to “Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.” Mihoyo didn’t revoke the accusations as they said that they were heavily inspired by the game. In spite of all drama, “Genshin Impact” generated $393 million two months after launch due to it being a part of the very lucrative Gacha genre.

Since it is a story-driven open-world role-playing game, the game’s plot is one of its strongest assets. You the player are thrown into the magical world of Teyvat after you become separated from your twin. Players get to choose their characters’ names and can pick from either a male or female. They are joined by a mysterious but friendly companion Paimon. From there, they decide to search for their lost sibling – the answer which most likely lies in the Seven Archons, gods who preside over the seven different nations.
While the story is the focus, the characters are another allure for people. “Genshin Impact” is what is known as a “Gacha” game, similar to loot boxes. Most Gacha games are free to play where the game tries to give players an incentive to use real-world money, and in “Genshin Impact” the incentive lies with the characters. Players are able to wish upon banners to gain their wanted characters, each of which has a star rank attached to it, with five stars being the highest and four being the lowest. Players don’t have to spend any money on wishes, but the more wishes one uses on a banner the higher the chance of obtaining their wanted character. Characters are not the only thing that players can wish on, weapons can also be obtained through wishes too. Out of the 28 characters in the game, now six are obtained through the story.

Another amazing feature of “Genshin Impact” is the combat system, which revolves around an interchangeable party of four characters. Players can switch between the four-party members anytime allowing for interesting and powerful combos, especially with the element system, there are seven elements in the game and they have different reactions to one another. If you combine Pyro (fire) with Hydro (water) you’ll get Vaporize which deals x1.5 Pyro DMG when a Pyro attack triggers the reaction. This is just one example but there are many more such as Overloaded, Burning, Swirl, Superconduct, and more, the Element system in the game is what makes combat so fun.
The game’s Open-world is another amazing part of the game. So far only two regions out of seven are playable, and even though two might seem small, the layout and design of the open-world are immaculate. Not only can players find chests, fight enemies and solve thrilling puzzles, but they can also discover lots of secrets too. Players can also challenge domains, which are dungeon-like areas that are located across the map. Domain challenges and levels differ, and so do the rewards that can be reaped from them. Sadly, one drawback is the rng (random number generation) that comes with domains, players aren’t guaranteed their wanted material or items. Even with that in mind, exploring the world of Teyvat and taking in all the beautiful scenery in the game is just wonderful.

Every game isn’t without its problems and one big problem that has led to a lot of controversy for fans is resin. Resin is the energy resource in the game, and it is used to claim challenge rewards from Ley Line Blossoms, Petrified Trees (Domains), and Trounce Blossoms (Bosses), as well as Event-exclusive challenges. While you can do activities without resin, it is needed to perform and maximize damage and characters too. As players go up in adventure rank, the game becomes more and more of a grind as players try to get their desired artifacts sets and ascension materials. “Genshin Impact” players around the world voiced their concerns to Mihoyo, and they decided to raise the limit on resin from 140 to 160, although it still remains a point of contention. Another flaw in the game is the Gacha system itself; some hate it and some don’t, and there are those who just wish the game had better rates.

All in all, the future of the game is bright, with it continuing to top charts, and even becoming the “iPhone game of the year” and Google’s play “Best Game of 2020”. “Genshin Impact” right now is on Version 1.2 which ushered the Dragonspire update and two new characters, along with numerous quality of life changes and content. Going forward the next region to be released is Inazuma and a plethora of characters are set to be released with many more data mined and expected. Fans can’t wait to see how the story unfolds and how the game will evolve as it seems like “Genshin Impact” will be alive for years to come. Personally, I have to say as a player that “Genshin Impact” is one of the best games of 2020 and a joy to play.