Genshin Impact visually resembles The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and also promotes an open world with many side quests. However, you can explore in co-op mode and even complete dungeons together. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch took a brief look at the game and evaluated reports from players and YouTubers.
What kind of game is this? Genshin Impact is a free-to-play action RPG with an open world and the ability to experience your adventures completely alone or with up to 3 additional friends.
The focus of the game is on the story, continuous leveling, and collecting new equipment. Additionally, the game offers you 4 daily quests and world bosses to defeat, which strongly resembles an MMORPG.
The role-playing game will be released for PC, PS4, Android, and iOS on September 28 and offers crossplay between all devices. It will receive a German localization, even though the sound is only available in English.
Another special feature is that about 500 developers are said to have been involved in the implementation.
A gameplay loop reminiscent of an MMORPG
How does Genshin Impact play? At the start of the game, you have the choice of over 20 different characters, whose appearance, weapon, and element are predetermined. The elements (Anemo, Pyro, Cryo, Hydro, Electro, Geo) influence the combat system and combos in the game.
With your character, you then enter the game world, where you first need to complete some quests and tasks for the story. Over time, you level up your character (the maximum level is 80) and collect new equipment.
A small downside for story fans is that some chapters are only unlocked at the right level. This may require completing side quests or even grinding.
What is the story about? In Genshin Impact, you take on the role of a hero who is supposed to save the world. You are accompanied by an elf named Paimon, who first explains everything important to you and also accompanies you in the story. We don’t want to give too many spoilers at this point.
What does the game offer? In Genshin Impact, in addition to the story and side quests, you can also experience a variety of other things:
- There are 4 professions – Forging, Cooking, Alchemy, and Processing
- There are world bosses that you can defeat alone or with your friends.
- There are various dungeons that require a certain level and reward you with various loot, including crafting materials.
- There is the Abyss Tower, a solo instance with several levels that become harder as you ascend.
- The open world contains all sorts of puzzles, side quests, and hidden chests.
- The grind for equipment plays an important role but is also random, similar to Black Desert.
The game also impresses with various means of transportation: you can teleport from city to city and move in the open world by walking, climbing, swimming, and gliding. This is well-received by many.
YouTuber Jay RPG said in his video about Genshin Impact that the game strongly reminds him of an MMORPG, just without the other players. So if you enjoy playing solo in MMORPGs, you should definitely check out Genshin Impact.
How do you unlock co-op? Unfortunately, you cannot start directly in co-op in the RPG. First, you must reach level 16. After that, you can defeat world bosses and complete dungeons together with friends. However, you cannot play the story in co-op.
A game for PC and mobile that feels like a PC game
What is the combat system like? Genshin Impact uses a mix of action and tab-targeting. For some skills, you need to aim precisely, but the auto-attack automatically selects the targeted enemy.
The RPG offers you 4 skills per character:
- An auto-attack
- A charge attack
- An elemental attack
- A type of ultimate
Although the number of skills is manageable, Genshin Impact is said to play quickly and dynamically – unlike Zelda, with which it is often compared. Additionally, there’s a combo system where other players can benefit from your elemental attack.
If you also enjoy playing different characters, you have the opportunity here: You can form a team of 4 created characters, which you can switch between directly in the game without a loading screen, bringing variety to the gameplay and sometimes even necessary, as some enemies have different weaknesses against elements.
The only challenge at the beginning is the stamina bar, which is needed for swimming and climbing. It is relatively small at the start.
Despite crossplay, it rarely feels mobile: Although Genshin Impact is released for PC, PS4, and mobile, it feels like a full-fledged PC game. It looks graphically stunning and offers exciting battles.
Even in terms of funding, the RPG adheres more to a model as known from free-to-play games on PC:
- You can experience all game content for free
- The shop primarily offers cosmetic content and no gameplay advantages.
- However, some characters are not available at the beginning. You need to unlock them through loot boxes, which you can earn or buy. These boxes contain both characters and items. It can therefore take quite a while until you get your desired character.
An MMORPG for players who prefer to go solo
Genshin Impact is a beautiful RPG that can be experienced solo or with friends. It offers diverse tasks and content that strongly resembles an MMORPG. They are particularly fun because the movement and combat system are well done.
As in an MMORPG, you will, however, need to grind in some places – unfortunately, also for the story’s progress. Additionally, you will need luck to get the best equipment.
Nevertheless, Genshin Impact sounds like a game that RPG fans should definitely check out. It also appeals to fans of MMORPGs, even though the multiplayer content is unlocked only at level 16. Since the game is free, it is certainly worth trying out.
Alexander Leitsch
Expert on MMORPGs at Mein-MMO
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