Genshin Impact (Chinese: 原神; pinyin: yuánshén; Japanese: 原神/げんしん; rōmaji: genshin) is an action role-playing game developed by Chinese developer miHoYo, and first published in 2020. The game features an anime-style open-world environment and an action-based battle system using elemental magic and character-switching. The game is free-to-play and is monetized through gacha game mechanics where players can obtain new characters, weapons, and other resources.
Genshin Impact takes place in the fantasy world of Teyvat, which is home to seven distinct nations, each of which is tied to a different element and ruled by a different god. The story follows the Traveler, who has traveled across countless worlds with their twin sibling before becoming separated in Teyvat. The Traveler travels in search of the lost sibling with their companion Paimon and becomes involved in the affairs of Teyvat's nations.
Development took place between 2017 to 2020. Genshin Impact was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Android, and iOS in September 2020, with a PlayStation 5 released in April 2021, and is planned for a future release on Nintendo Switch. The game received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the game's combat mechanics and open-world immersiveness, while others criticized its simplistic endgame and monetization model. A commercial success, the game grossed more than $3 billion in its first year of release, the highest ever first-year launch revenue for any video game.
Gameplay
Players explore the game's large fantasy world, called Teyvat, with over 40 characters and various points of interest spread across the map. The game features an action combat playstyle that allows the player to swap between 4 individual characters in a party to quickly combo attacks. Single-player gameplay is the focus of the game, with Co-Op Mode available for certain activities.
Each character has two unique combat skills: an Elemental Skill and an Elemental Burst. The Elemental Skill can be used at any time except for the cooldown period immediately after use, while the Elemental Burst has an Energy Cost, requiring the user to amass sufficient Energy first.
Characters have control over one of seven natural elements: Anemo, Cryo, Dendro, Electro, Geo, Hydro, and Pyro. Combining these elements using Elemental Reactions is encouraged to quickly defeat enemies.
Players can venture inside Domains, temple-like instances scattered across the map, to complete the challenges within and obtain either one-time rewards or certain materials required for character development. Once characters are properly geared, players can choose to enter the Spiral Abyss, a special type of Domain consisting of different floors of combat challenges.
Cooking and crafting are other significant aspects of Genshin Impact's gameplay. Players gather many resources in the course of their adventure, some of which can be turned into dishes via cooking, and potions and ascension materials via crafting. Dishes can regenerate characters' health, boost attack or defensive abilities, and decrease stamina consumption, while potions can increase a character's resistance against or damage for an element.
Further progression in the game unlocks the Housing system, known as the Serenitea Pot, in which players can create furnishings and place them in a realm layout, gaining access to rewards and level-up materials.
The Fishing system allows players to catch fish, which can be displayed in the Serenitea Pot, exchanged at each nation's Fishing Association for rewards, or processed into fish as a cooking ingredient.
