Genshin Impact - Game Review
Full disclosure: I'm one of the few people out there who has yet to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, so I can't say for sure whether free-to-play, open-world action RPG Genshin Impact actively tries to emulate it or not. I will note that, from what I do know about BotW, there are quite a few gameplay similarities to be found in Genshin Impact, especially in how you can explore its expansive lands. I do feel that this latest title from developer Mihoyo wears its video game and anime inspirations on its sleeve, in everything from gameplay to animation to character design. Regardless, I found Genshin Impact to be a fun gaming experience, especially once I started looking at all of the various components that make up its whole.
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Perhaps the biggest question about Genshin Impact is whether the game is playable without putting any real-world currency into it. The answer is yes, but with a small caveat. Players acquire three additional characters for free to make up their party of four over the early course of the game, though that doesn't cover every element or playstyle available. As you progress through the game, you acquire Primogen, a type of specialized currency that can be traded for items used with the gacha elements of the title; once you have a sufficient amount of said items, you can roll for unique weapons or characters to add to your party.
It is possible to collect Primogen simply by playing the game and exploring, so theoretically you never need to put actual money down to acquire it. However, banner pull rates tend to be rather low for characters, so it takes quite a bit of grinding to gain enough Primogen to acquire them all. I managed to pull three characters using collected Primogen during my playthrough, but I pretty much resigned myself to not acquiring any more given how long it would take to do so. Completionists might have a hard time with the gacha elements, but it is quite easy to have a full game experience even without putting in any real-life money.
Exploration, grinding, and completing quests is also the only way to raise your Adventure Rank, which you need to increase to advance the main story. Unfortunately, this does tend to take quite a while, so players could potentially get bored while slowly working towards advancing the plot. There is also a multiplayer element to Genshin Impact, though it can be skipped entirely if players prefer to tackle things solo.
Genshin Impact might not be the most original game in a lot of respects, but it certainly has a wealth of things to offer players should they still be willing to give it a chance. Overall, I greatly enjoyed my time with it, and I plan to continue playing once future updates are implemented. The fact that it can be played for free is also quite impressive given just how much time you can invest in the game, especially with people perhaps staying at home more and being on a budget. All in all, Genshin Impact is a surprisingly solid action RPG adventure!
Score: 81/100
