This is a game that combines RPG elements with a lot of exploration and luck-based improvements. If you're used to gacha games, then you'll love Genshin Impact because you can actually do what you would in other action-adventure titles: exploring, doing quests, fighting, etc. If you don't like gacha games, then you still might enjoy the spirit of Genshin Impact, although you'll have a hard time trying to upgrade your characters and gear. Still, it's a F2P game! Just give it a chance, then you can decide.

Did you like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild? Well, Genshin Impact is pretty similar in terms of gameplay: you have a huge world to explore, and you can climb, glide, swim, craft, cook, etc. It really feels like an empty MMORPG, full of quests and sidequests, collectibles, puzzles, secrets, dungeons, events... you name it. For some of you, the downside will be the existence of a gacha system, which has the potential to frustrate the most unlucky players. All in all, Genshin Impact is a great RPG adventure that you can play solo or with some friends, and since there's no PvP, you don't even need to care that much about drawing the very best characters and items!

The anime aesthetics fit this game perfectly, and everything around you looks phenomenal. In fact, this might be one of the best-looking gacha games out there, with a beautiful world to explore at your own pace and several sexy waifus. That's weird because there are a lot of other games with enormous maps that feel oh-so empty, yet Genshin Impact's world feels alive and fascinating at the same time.

Another funny thing is that the graphics are amazing, yet they could be even better. Sadly, this isn't the most optimized game, and there are a lot of modern technologies that this game neglects: it runs at 60fps (locked), it looks weird on ultra-wide monitors, etc.

Oh, this paragraph can't do enough justice to the OST! The main theme is soothing, and both cities have wonderful tracks that really represent their essence. The music in this game is one of the best we enjoyed this year, and the voice acting (we played with Japanese voices and English subtitles) is on point too! One can actually note how much effort and love they put in the game's music, and how good the voice actors are, but we could say the same about the sound effects. In a game that's all about the grind, you need a soundtrack that makes you keep playing... and truth be told, they nailed it.

One of the most important things you need to know about Genshin Impact is that it's not an MMORPG. It really looks like one, but there are no other players to interact with, and you can't trade or create/join a guild, so take it as you were the only one playing in your own private server; you need to do a lot of quests (daily, weekly, and story), you need to defeat world bosses, you need to clear some dungeons, and you better take part on the seasonal events for better rewards... but you're always competing against the IA, and yourself.

The other thing you need to know is that this is a gacha game, so in order to obtain more characters and weapons, you need to pray the RNG gods. That being said, the best part of it is that most of the time, you will be playing as you would in any other action-adventure game, so at least Genshin Impact is not one of those cash-grabbing apps with simple gameplay mechanics and awkwardly animated chibi characters.

Your adventure starts when the protagonist twins end up in a world not their own, separated after a mysterious god attacks them. That's when you get to choose your gender, and your primary objective will be to reunite with your sibling and go back to whatever you were doing before the incident. In this new world, a petite fairy-like being called Paimon will be your companion, along with a colorful cast of characters that will help you throughout the main story.

Your party can have up to 4 members, and that's where the fun begins. Although you'll only see one character on the screen, by pressing a button, you can switch the character you control at any given moment, which in turn favors a lot of elemental combinations. Fire and electricity can create huge explosions, for example, and anemo (wind, basically) can create a swirl and spread the damage of fire, water, etc. You can create all these reactions using your character's typing and your enemies' attacks, but some of them, like freezing rivers and ponds, are useful outside of the battles too!

Sadly, a few features are locked until you hit a certain Adventurer rank. You need AR16 to unlock the multiplayer mode, and AR20 to unlock the Battle Pass. Oh, and although you can play with other people, there's a catch: only one player will act as the "host", so the other players won't be able to advance their main quests, find collectibles, or interact with the treasure chests, vendors, etc. For that reason, Genshin Impact should be treated as a single-player game, with co-op options when you need to farm some specific drops from a world boss or something like that.

This can be a boomer for those who were expecting a co-op campaign but it definitely makes sense: you can't jump from host to host, opening hundreds of chests to farm primogems, one of the currencies you'll use to draw more characters and weapons. If you want primogems, try with the Battle Pass!

Genshin Impact is by leaps and bounds one of the best gacha games, offering you an amazing gameplay experience and really nice graphics to match. Honestly, it's great for those who want to play it for free, especially because you won't be crushed by other guys who just spent several hundred bucks. On the other hand, the lack of PvP could be a problem for the most competitive people... but you can always use social media or the official forums to brag, right?

Do yourself a favor and go download Genshin Impact right now! It's one of the most played games, and after playing it for almost a week, it's easy to understand why!