Top 5 Reasons to be excited for Open World Anime RPG Genshin Impact

Coming from out of nowhere, Genshin Impact quickly became one of our most eagerly awaited games. It wasn’t by chance, though; this is a game that has a lot going for it, from its development team to the core concept itself, not to mention the obvious inspiration for the lovely world that we are going to explore.

What’s more, instead of sticking to the more profitable mobile devices, the studio is creating a PC version to show just how great Genshin Impact looks with that extra oomph.

From the Makers of Honkai Impact 3rd

Genshin Impact isn’t a random accident; it is a carefully thoughtout project that has a lot of weight on its shoulders. It is the game that follows on the hugely successful anime action RPG Honkai Impact 3rd, possibly one of the very few true mobile games.

miHoYo isn’t sticking to the same formula of its previous success, instead doing its best to expand on it. That is why Genshin Impact feels sprawling, ambitious and a hit in the making – heck, even the official website is a thing of beauty, wisely designed for an optimal visual and aural experience. That is the kind of attention that I want in all my games.

It Looks Like an Anime Dream of Breath of the Wild proportions

There is no other way to look at it – since the very day of its reveal, Genshin Impact was instantly compared to Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The comparisons are logical, but I think some outlets are taking it a step too far by calling Genshin Impact a Chinese clone of Breath of the Wild.

This feels extremely derogatory and quite frankly offensive to the team that is working on the game. Not only is the Chinese clone expression used in a pejorative manner – as if China studios are the same as they were a decade ago –, but Genshin Impact clearly has a lot of features to stand out from Nintendo’s classic. While we’re at it, why don’t we call every first-person shooter a clone of Doom or whatever classic FPS game you want to name?

Eight Characters to Choose From – For Now

Eight playable characters sounds like a great deal for a game that is yet in its closed beta stage, but that’s just how it goes. There are talks of even more characters being in production – eleven is the name that is thrown around quite a bit. You’ll get to choose from a cast that includes cute anime girls that look like the ones you know and love from Honkai Impact 3rd, but there are a bunch of guys as well. With such a wide-ranging selection, everyone will surely find their favorite.

However, at the beginning you only get to pick one character from a pair of siblings. Along the adventure you’ll find other companions that will join you, but in Honkai Impact 3rd style, you don’t play as a group – instead, you can freely switch between them.

Since each character has their own special abilities that include gliding or turning into a speedy ethereous water shape or something, you’ll be hard pressed to choose the one character that you’ll be controlling most of the time. Switching between them is your best option, especially when you’re speedrunning through those dungeons.

A Beautiful Open World Sandbox to Explore

Kudos to miHoYo for having the drive to create a sandbox open world for us to explore. With so many games restricting us to small instances where you can run from the start to the end in the blink of an eye, this is a brave decision that will eventually pay off.

Genshin Impact is a full-fledged RPG with all the staples of the genre, including swimming, climbing, fighting, cooking and the like. There is a sprawling open world to explore, but you’ll also find cities filled with life. Dungeons are a part of it as well, and while this is the place where you’ll find bigger challenges, you’ll also stumble across the occasional foe in the open regions.

Addictive, Freeform Combat

With such a good combat template in the form of Honkai Impact 3rd, Genshin Impact players have a lot to look forward to. However, the new combat takes it not one, but two steps forward, with different kinds of weapons and movements to make every battle feel like a smooth experience.

Your main weapons of choice include different kinds of swords, magic abilities and a bow. There doesn’t seem to be any kind of automated lock-on – although this could be an option –, so you must aim your bow straight at the enemies, just the way that we like it.

There is no denying that Genshin Impact’s combat is fast and fun, probably even more diverse and ingenious than the one seen in Breath of the Wild. KurtzPel sounds like one great reference point, both visually and in terms of action combat, although I can’t say for sure if the miHoYo developers looked into it.

Genshin Impact is coming to PC and mobile devices in Spring 2020, but a second beta should be held during the summer.