We live in a time where the number of video games are increasing exponentially, especially as newer and newer technologies are developed. With this comes better graphics systems and processors, basically better computers that are great for higher quality games. This is great and all until you realize that you don’t have a computer that matches the requirements for these better games. While I could’ve gotten a better computer at the time, for the past couple years I chose to use a laptop that couldn’t even handle Fortnite without sounding like it was about to explode. If you know me, I love games. I used to play Overwatch, Fallout 4, Oxygen Not Included, and others all the time. Being denied these games because of my laptop made me long for games.
This craving for games was sated because of little game that I could play on my phone flawlessly called Genshin Impact. This is an open-world gacha game with beautiful characters, settings, and fun gameplay. Side note: gacha games are those games where you have to “roll” to get certain characters to play with, and that’s part of the thrill of the game. The other part of thrill is that this is an open-world game, meaning that you are not limited to certain areas based on your story progression, which is nice for me because I hate feeling boxed in for games. It’s really remarkable that Genshin Impact can be played on phone because it is such a dense game (don’t worry, it’s cross platform so you can also play on PS4/5 and PC). What’s also remarkable it that this game is free, and you don’t need to buy stuff in the game to have a good time. That’s nice for me because if it wasn’t free, you honestly would likely have to pay like $60 for a title like this.
To avoid spoilers, you basically play a traveler that lands in the world of Teyvat searching for their twin (gender is based on what you choose initially) and is seeking out the help of the land’s seven gods, or Archons as they refer to them, to find out about your twin. You learn that there are people with great ambition that hold Visions, a stone aligned with one of the seven elements, that grants them mastery of that element. Each Archon is aligned with an element and an ideal, and they are among the most powerful in the land, and each archon is responsible for one of the seven main regions of Teyvat. The traveler is able to control one of these elements at a time despite not having a vision. The gacha aspect of the game comes in when you do “wishes” to get more characters or weapons, with the additional characters being vision-holders you see in the world. Character design in the game is so beautiful, and the gameplay is really good. Right now, I’m trying to farm Chiori, a Geo Vision holder, because she’s so pretty. The fact that there’s so many characters provides a nearly unlimited amount of story and possibilities, as you can play quests dedicated to a character in addition to the main storyline.
The fact that I can play it on phone is so nice because I can play it anywhere without feeling bogged down by a PC setup, and it still looks good. This means I can play it on the way to class on the bus, as a study break, or if I’m bored at a party. When I play it on PC thought, it’s really crisp and smooth, albeit I have a gaming laptop. It does take a beefy 25 gb on iPhone and ~85 on PC so keep this in mind.
The learning curve on this game isn’t that bad though, especially with the rich Genshin community online that can help you with team compositions, since you can switch between up to four party members at a time while you’re playing. Each character has it’s own buffs and abilities, so it’s fun to learn optimal builds. Currently my favorite is Geo Traveler, Kaeya, Barbara, and either Keqing or Gaming because it’s so fun to have elemental reactions happen. Also, I suck at games in general, but Genshin is essentially a lot of timed button mashing and hoping for the best. There’s also a lot of farming involved which I really like.
This is essentially me gushing over Genshin. The best way to learn about it is to actually play it. If you want to play, it’s free! It takes a while to get into it at first but I promise it would be worth it. Here is a link to download and I hope you enjoy!