- Publisher: miHoYo
- Release Date: Sep 28, 2020
- Also On: iPhone/iPad, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
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Oct 2, 2020Genshin Impact is a whimsical, wondrous land dripping with unbridled charm and appeal, combining a ridiculously compelling reward loop with unfettered, continuous discovery. In this world I felt like a child visiting theme park for the first time — dazzled, mesmerized, and completely swept away. I only wish the shimmering glow wasn’t marred by a ghoulish monetization model, but that’s something I’m willing to overlook for my ticket to this fascinating realm.
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Nov 12, 2020Oh, the joy of exploring this beautiful world. Oh, the clever combat, the great voice acting, the compelling story. This is one of the best RPGs of the year. And it’s almost beyond comprehension that you can get it for free.
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Oct 20, 2020Overall, in spite of things that should bring Genshin Impact down, the game is so much fun to play that the negatives are ultimately minor gripes. [...] The gameplay is smooth and simplistic, and it works great on all platforms - though I’m still not sure why the PlayStation version can’t be linked to a Mihoyo account so I could play on my phone when I’m not at home (PS Vita version please??) but it’s a small gripe to an otherwise terrific game.
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Oct 13, 2020Genshin Impact is an amazing open-world adventure that draws heavily on both its Breath of the Wild and anime inspirations to create something truly special. Even if the gacha model introduces some undesirable level grinding deeper in, the excellent combat, addictive exploration, and beautiful world make this one of the most exciting games I've played all year.
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Oct 10, 2020During my time with Genshin Impact, I fell in love with it. After only a few hours, my thoughts about what this adventure was faded away as it truly evolves into a unique experience. There’s a fine level of detail that went into crafting this beautiful world, and you can’t help but want to see every inch of it. Although the grind and the gachas systems are present, this is a game that I will gladly return to again and again. Regardless, all of this is available for free, so nothing stops you from finding out for yourself.
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Sep 30, 2020Genshin Impact is a fantastic adventure RPG that feels like the first season of everyone's favorite anime. Treyvat is a gorgeous world that challenges consumer perception for what should be expected from "free" gaming experiences. While it may not have the finest coat of polish that AAA titles can offer, Genshin Impact rivals some of the best adventure titles on the market.
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Oct 9, 2020Genshin Impact is one of the biggest surprises of the year. We thought it could be big, but not so big. Its production value is impressive and it is not only fun, but also addictive and it has many hours of gameplay.
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Oct 8, 2020Contrary to the received idea conveyed by the first trailer of the game, Genshin Impact has its own identity coupled with mechanics that certainly already work elsewhere. However, he manages to stand out with his kawaii side and his system of elements. Between a dynamic gameplay, a very good quality soundtrack and a rather rich history, the game of miHoYo manages to rise in the box of the very good games of the genre despite its gacha-game side. In addition to offering cross-play between all platforms and being free, it follows in the footsteps of other headlines and could very well become one of the good surprises of this end of the year 2020 (if it doesn't. is not already done).
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Oct 16, 2020Genshin Impact's open world and clever combat are fantastic, but its endgame tries way too hard to milk you for cash.
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Oct 5, 2020Genshin Impact is a fresh and colorful action RPG with a surprising amount of content for being free to play, with more additions to come.
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Oct 17, 2020Genshin Impact is a stunning fantasy game that may be a potential revolution in the free-to-play genre.
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Oct 11, 2020Obviously, it's not a perfect game, but Genshin Impact deserves a try from RPG fans. There's plenty of in-game content to explore, and while many assumed this was just Breath of the Wild with microtransactions, Genshin Impact has a surprising amount of depth and content for players to enjoy.
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Oct 9, 2020Despite its uncanny superficial similarities to a certain popular Nintendo IP, Genshin Impact has enough personality to stand on its own, while also offering a creative combat system and an expansive world to explore.
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Oct 8, 2020Despite its often less-than-subtle nods to Nintendo's Breath of the Wild, Genshin Impact does enough differently to stand apart. Throw in punchier combat, a more traditional story packed with interesting characters, and an outstanding score and Genshin Impact easily sits among the upper echelon of games released this year. Hopefully miHoYo relaxes the stamina system and gacha rates soon, because Teyvat is a world absolutely worth revisting. They're just making it difficult for anyone but gacha fans to find the motivation to hold on.
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Oct 7, 2020Wherever it takes you, Genshin Impact is a more-than-convincing proposition, not least for those adamant on never spending a single cent in-game. The grind to get there may not always feel wholly natural or that players are genuinely being left to wander without restraint, but Genshin Impact‘s meticulous approach to environment design above all pulls through in many wonderful ways. Crafting one of the year’s more immersive and surprisingly rich open-world RPGs.
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Oct 5, 2020Genshin Impact needs to be played to be believed. This is an addictive open-world adventure with gorgeous art and unique combat...and it's free! The character designs are sharp and beautiful, while the pastel-style world itself is full of jaw-dropping colour and natural vistas...and it's free! Sure, there's the admittedly stingy gacha system, but if you just want an immersive and peaceful world to climb and fly around in for hours, then Genshin Impact is for you.
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CD-ActionFeb 8, 2021Rather than a typical online game, Genshin Impact resembles a traditional single-player jRPG with a real-time combat. For a free-to-play title it is very impressive, but turns out to be pretty derivative and quickly slumps into monotony. [13/2020, p.52]
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Oct 8, 2020Its success is already guaranteed, let's just hope that the follow-up is of quality and that its economic model does not reveal any unpleasant surprises with the updates.
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Oct 10, 2020Genshin Impact is a very good and entertaining action role-playing game, which manipulates itself with its monetization in the endgame.
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Oct 13, 2020Overall, Genshin Impact is a solid game hampered a bit by the restrictions its free-to-play model imposes. The overall production values are high, and the core gameplay is solid. In particular, the elemental interaction system is a ton of fun and gives the game a distinct personality. But while there's a lot to do, having several chunks of Genshin Impact gated off until you've reached a higher rank is an obnoxious restriction for an open-world game to have--and once you finally do see what lies in those unexplored areas, it's often a bit underwhelming. Still, it's a solid start, and I'll certainly be interested in seeing how Genshin Impact continues to evolve in future updates.
| This publication does not provide a score for their reviews. | |
| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
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Sep 30, 2020After spending more time with the game, I’m willing to declare that on the whole, Genshin Impact boasts an entirely better combat system than Breath of the Wild. Simply put, it’s more action-oriented, more diverse, more strategic, and more fun. [Impressions]
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Sep 30, 2020I'm only a few hours in, but while there's clear potential for this gacha system to become predatory, it hasn't felt at all intrusive. And let's not forget that Genshin Impact is free. You have nothing but a 10GB download to lose. I'm still trying to get over this, because if you focus on the gorgeous world and fun combat and ignore all the gacha stuff, it doesn't feel like a free-to-play game at all. So I suppose that's two more similarities to Breath of the Wild: Genshin Impact is what you make of it, and it is pretty darn fun. [Impressions]
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Sep 30, 2020Genshin Impact is a solid action-RPG with an open world on the scale of something you’d expect from a full-price game rather than something that’s available for free. It spices up formulaic combat with creative ideas. Even the derivative parts are, for what it’s worth, well-executed. At the very least, the game is worth checking out. Just don’t expect it to be Breath of the Wild 1.5. [Impressions]
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Oct 3, 2020All of Genshin Impact’s influences conspire to make the player feel very good, with or without microtransactions. Breath of the Waifu or a free, serotonin-packed RPG, Genshin Impact hits all the right buttons if you can get over the guilt. [Impressions]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 1,031 out of 2946
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Mixed: 214 out of 2946
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Negative: 1,701 out of 2946
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Sep 29, 2020
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Nov 2, 2020
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Oct 24, 2020