Genshin Impact

Disclaimer: my experience mostly consists of the first 2 years of the game (think up to the beginning of Sumeru), but my gripes still seem to be valid.

Genshin Impact is a rather interesting game. Depending on the time period in which I say that sentence, it could either be a compliment or a scorching opinion. Let's go with the latter here. After some reflection, I've come to realize I really do not like this game anymore. Not in the way that "this game is for people attracted to kids" or whatever, but it's simply not fun at a certain point.

My main issue with Genshin, first and foremost, is that the core systems tend to clash with what a properly executed open-world game should be. It's a gacha game, so naturally most systems will be in the house's favor so they can profit, but even to such a low standard I found myself realizing what an insane waste of time some parts are. A great example is the "artifacts" system that this game seems to have popularized somewhat in the industry - the chance of rolling something you can actually use ideally for your character is insanely low. Any systems they added to reduce grind didn't seem to help by much.

That's only one out of many of the things I really don't like about the game. Anyone who says this game is "generous" or "respecting of your time" should honestly be laughed out of the room because it is neither. A great reference is the Google Classroom incident, which not only shows what you can expect from a pretty rabid fandom, it also illustrates how much they failed to live up to anyone's expectations and honestly still do in this area.

It's a shame, because I actually do like what Genshin has the potential to offer. The game has so much damn content for a free-to-play title. Exploration is a blast - I remember Inazuma's release like it was yesterday, I stayed up a whole 24 hours having a great time. Combat systems work very smoothly, with the added "elements" providing another unique layer to strategize on. But, does that all mean anything when you have a turd of shit you call "the endgame?"

the most piece of dogshit i've ever played (200+ hours god damn)

Don't know why I've spent so much time catching up to this garbage. Maybe out of obligation, but also a sense of Sunken Cost Fallacy, despite having never spent a single penny and only putting in two hours or so each week. To sum this thing up, it's gacha trash, although it would be surprising if it was anything else. The worst part is that it maybe would have been a fairly enjoyable live service game if not for the gacha and FOMO crap. Fuck gacha. It has its moments (half of which belonging to transient FOMO event content) despite most the writing ranging from bad to passable. The combat is pretty bad overall, it's repetitive and elemental interactions are less interesting than they could have been. Granted, this was a mobile gacha game first and foremost. The open world stuff is decent, although not very remarkable. The world itself is surprisingly very pretty, and newer regions are far more interesting visually than the early ones. Progression is, of course, pretty much entirely from gacha systems that are completely separated from gameplay other than collecting the currency to enable engagement in the shitty gacha system. As for the plot, it's decent and has its moments despite not being particularly compelling or well-written. Most the characters have some personality and are likeable. Including Paimon, who actually isn't annoying (Chinese voice-over is the superior one). As other people have said it's pretty much a load of wasted potential held back by things such as gacha, being on mobile, FOMO and more. Also, did I mention that I hate gacha?

The gameplay is better than the negative buzz it has received, but there is room for improvement. One aspect that could have better the game is a stronger focus on challenging elements. The motivation to play is basically getting your characters up to the fullest. The lack of challenging encounters most of the times makes the progression feel less rewarding. Its too easy. It makes all your hard work go to waste.

End game content is easy for most of the players and its also lacking there needs to be more. it's only in the beginning that a feel of difficulty becomes apparent. Adding more challenging quests or build in more strategic elements into combat would have made the game more fun. One more thing about most bosses is that they run too much sometimes they would just put on a shield for a while its really annoying.

On the positive side, the game does provide a feel-good moment as you see your characters grow stronger with each level gained and new artifacts , getting the character you wanted etc... The character progression system is well designed and enjoyable at times. Also the gameplay feels satisfying for the most part.

There's too much effort put in some boring events like puzzle when the player base wanna fight. The game feels like a big wasted potential. One big thing the game forgets to add is a skip dialogue button not everyone wants to waste their time with dialogues.

The game has potential, but its gameplay could've been done with a bit more focus on challenging elements like fighting and, you know, maybe some extra rewarding content. Even with these things, the character progression system is still a strong motivator but more end game content would render the game worth your time.

I don't have any good expectations for any game that's a gacha. Fortnite and Genshin have a lot in common (at least in the monetary side), these two games have a lot of microtransactions that are shoved in your face at any chance they have ... this game is okay, it isn't bad but it's just okay, sometimes it's fun, another times it's just meh (just like Fortnite or any other Battle Royal that puts as many microtransactions in your face).