Top Reasons Why Genshin Impact Is Popular

If you love open-world RPGs, you've probably heard of Genshin Impact at least once. It was released on September 28, 2020, and has gained crazy popularity on both PC and PlayStation, as well as on mobile platforms. But what is behind this popularity? Why is the game so beloved by gamers?

Genshin Impact is free

Genshin Impact is available almost everywhere. And on iOS and Android tablets and smartphones, and on PC, and on PlayStation, and a Nintendo Switch version has been in the works for two more years. On the other hand, Xbox owners are out of luck - there are no plans to release Genshin Impact there yet. But the main thing is that "Genshin" you can just take and freely download, if you want, without spending a penny.

The game is distributed on a free-to-play model. Want cooler characters or more powerful weapons? Upgrade your battle pass, buy Creation Crystals and monthly maps. Don't want to spend the money? Then waste your time. That said, you're not limited to paid content. Even a "freebie" can dominate here, as long as he knows what to do, of course.

Awesome character design

In Genshin, each character has a unique look that reflects personality and status. The designers didn't just draw unlikeable characters; they thought through their costumes and mannerisms down to the smallest detail. In this case, they managed to avoid sexualized images competently. No, the female characters are beautiful, but not to that extent.

Frequent updates

Without timely and regular updates, no matter how great the game is, you can't do without them. Any successful project will get bored and die out over time without new characters and locations. Luckily for Genshin Impact players, their favorite game gets a lot of updates.

Artistic style

The easily identifiable art style is both a thing and a virtue of the game. You do know that Chinese anime exists, too. And miHoYo, a Chinese company based in Shanghai, has proven that they can make great anime games not only in Japan.

Anime has a large fan base even outside of Japan, and these people are willing to devour any content related to this visual art. Thus, the game has managed to form open-world RPG fans around itself and attract the right audience of anime fans. Yes, there are no explicit scenes or characters with big bulges in Genshin Impact. But there is a charming world and engaging gameplay. That's more than enough.

Honest and clever marketing

Clever marketing is a strong point of Genshin Impact. The game has attracted a huge fan base and generated impressive revenue, despite being free-to-play. However, not all games with clever marketing are worth your time or money. That's why it's important to read testimonials from trusted sources before making a purchase. For example, you can check out the review of paperhelp, a popular service that can help you with educational tasks.

As mentioned above, the Chinese have avoided unnecessary intimacy, making their characters vivid but not vulgar. Their marketing campaign does not focus on well-known places. That would be too corny and simple, but why fool your players?

Instead of exposing female characters in an unseemly light, the authors show in teasers a short story with beautiful scenery and actual recorded gameplay without too much embellishment. Decent and, most importantly, honest.

Giant open world

Just about the game world. Genshin Impact is not just beautiful with its sunsets, dawns, or rich vegetation but diverse and vast. And yes, it is huge. Teivat (the name of the world here) consists of seven main regions. Only three of them - Mondstadt, Li Yue, and Inazuma - are currently open. The other four regions the developers plan to enter within four years.

But even with three open regions, players have something to do. And a hundred hours, as they say, is not enough to rewatch and open everything. If Mondstadt was inspired by German culture, Li Yue was by Chinese culture. And Inajuma is analogous to Japan in the game. Just like in real life, this region is an island, so you can only get to it by water.

Similarity with Breath of the Wild

"Genshin" is often compared to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And, it must be said, for a good reason. This similarity with the iconic action game can be felt in many moments. When a character speeds up or climbs walls. When firing a bow or swinging a sword. Even some of the locations are similar.

There is no shame in copying something that works cool. Especially since the Chinese are not the first and not the last to do so. And not so much came from Breath of the Wild.

Limitless possibilities

If you look at other RPGs, the gameplay is usually typical - we're forced to do side quests until you level up enough to kill the boss. But Genshin is a bit of a departure from this scheme. No, of course, the quests play a big role here. But beyond those, your options are truly limitless. The main thing is that the game doesn't force you to do any specific actions, and you can do whatever you want.

You can collect books and creatures, enter your friends' worlds and pass bosses with them, set up your abode in Serenity's Teapot, explore the rich history of the characters, cook something to eat, and hunt for rare materials or hidden chests.

Gameplay and character diversity

The battles in Genshin Impact are very simple only at a cursory glance. In fact, they are complex and deep. Your opponents' elemental attacks and elemental weaknesses make them unique and exciting every time. You can use several characters in battle at once simply by switching between them with a single key. The player is not placed in any frame or told to use a particular character at a certain time. You can switch characters as often as you want.

Plenty of magic, weapons, and combinations are at your disposal, quite briefly. The game has seven elements - Pyro, Hydro, Electro, Geo, Anemo, Cryo, and Dendro. Each element has different reactions and can be combined to create unique builds. For example, Krio's interaction with Electro makes it possible to achieve superconductivity - this reaction causes an area explosion that deals Krio damage.

Developers listen to fans

The fact that the game is free does not mean anything. The high quality of the project is reflected not only in all of the above points. The main thing is that the Chinese listen to their fans. They do not just hear their players; they are on the same wavelength.

Here's an example: fans didn't like how the developers changed the five-star character Yae Miko in update 2.6. This caused a negative reaction, which the Chinese did not let pass their ears and quickly rolled back the changes. And this moment can't be called ostentatious or a bit of a stretch. The authors immediately react as soon as the players get on their heels. This applies to the balance between the characters' abilities and some promotions.