Genshin Impact Review: Gacha, Gods, and Gorgeous Grind

Teyvat's calling, and it brought friends, fireworks, and a whole lot of farming.

Welcome to Genshin Impact, where the anime is high-def, the swords glow with elemental drama, and your odds of pulling a 5-star character? Let's just say... statistically humbling. Whether you're a free-to-play explorer or a credit-card-wielding whale, the game opens up a massive world packed with dungeons, puzzles, and chaotic combat. But is it more than a flashy first date? Let's crack it open and see what kind of ride, and rabbit holes, you're signing up for.

Getting Wrecked by Slimes: A Warm Teyvat Welcome

I booted up Genshin thinking it'd be another mobile RPG in cosplay. Flashy spells, floaty combat, a dozen hours of fun before the grind dragged everything into spreadsheet hell. Nope. Turns out it was way more dangerous: to my free time, my storage space, and eventually, my wallet.

I picked the girl Traveler (her idle animation had attitude) and landed in the lush plains of Teyvat. First enemy? An Electro Slime. Cute little blob folded me like a lawn chair. I mashed buttons. Whiffed dodges. Total panic.

But it felt fair. Combat was tight, tactical, reactive, readable. Enemies didn't just swing wildly. They warned you first. Element combos actually mattered. When I finally exploded that slime with a fire-wind Swirl, I fist-pumped alone like I'd just won EVO. Kind of embarrassing. Worth it.

Paimon, Puzzles, and a World That Won't Shut Up

Then came Paimon. A chirpy flying mascot with the voice of a gremlin chugging espresso and the vibe of someone who never skips a dialogue box. Imagine Navi from Zelda if she had a TikTok and absolutely no chill.

I turned her volume down (thank you, blessed settings menu), and the game got quieter, but the world? Way louder. Not just birds and breeze. Like, stuff was happening. Hills had puzzles. Lakes had loot. Ruins had vibes.

Sure, the climbing system smells like Breath of the Wild, but Genshin put its own sauce on it. You can scale anything if your stamina bar doesn't rat you out. And gliding? Absolute joy. I climbed mountains just to yeet myself off. 10/10 would swan dive again.

Swapping, Slapping, and Elemental Mayhem

About an hour in, I unlocked Amber. Pyro archer. Rabbit bomb. Endless monologue. And just like that, combat wasn't button-mashing anymore. I was juggling elements, launching fireworks, pulling off Overloaded (boom) and Burning (bigger boom). Chaos, but delicious.

This is where Genshin's system goes full galaxy brain. You've got a team of four, each with their own weapon and elemental flair. Ice and water freeze. Wet things get zapped. Fire plus wind makes a tornado of spicy regret. It's a mess, but a smart one.

My crew? Traveler (Anemo), Amber (Pyro), Kaeya (Cryo), Lisa (Electro). Not meta, not optimized, not sorry. Watching mobs get flung around like popcorn was all I needed. No clue why it works. It just does.

Rolling the Dice: Gacha Hype and Heartbreak

So yeah, I caved. Popped open the Wishes tab, basically a glittery anime-themed slot machine. Did a ten-pull. Scored a four-star catalyst, a bunch of upgrade fluff, and... Noelle. A claymore maid with a dream and the posture of a fridge.

It was thrilling. It was underwhelming. It was gacha.

You earn Primogems slowly, like raindrops-on-a-leaf slow. And while there's a pity system (90 pulls = 5-star), don't expect your faves to show up unless you're ready to roll a lot. It's a wallet tease.

Still, I wasn't mad. The core gameplay was still fire. The game hands you decent characters up front so you're never stranded. I played for dozens of hours before I bought anything, and when I did, it was $5 for the Welkin Moon drip feed. Honestly? Not even guilty about it.

Liyue Vibes: Geo Gods, Jade Streets, and Story Beats

Next up: Liyue. If Mondstadt is all medieval wine bars and windmills, Liyue is carved into mountains and dipped in gold. The vibe shift? Wild. The music got traditional. The NPCs got sass. Quests went full chaos gremlin.

Puzzles leveled up hard. I was lighting torches in the right order, chasing glowing Seelies, solving statue riddles like I was cramming for a Geo midterm. Liyue Harbor? Massive. Bustling. Half the NPCs looked like they had actual errands to run.

The story here? Shockingly decent. Not deep enough to write essays on, but good enough to keep me curious. Especially when the Archons show up. Zhongli (the Geo god) had me questioning whether I was still in a game or watching a slow-burn lecture on capitalism.

The Resin Wall: When the Grind Grinds You Back

So I'm cruising. Exploring. Feeling it. Then Resin hits me like a brick in a loot box.

Original Resin is your loot ticket. Bosses, domains, dungeons, they all want Resin. You get 160. It regens slower than winter sun. Or you pay to speed it up. No Resin? No drops. No progress. No joy.

Didn't bother me much at first. Too many distractions anyway. But later? Brutal. Want that 5-star Gladiator's set? Get ready to speed-date the same domain for three weeks and still walk away with trash boots.

Some folks micromanage Resin like they're meal-prepping a raid. I took it as a cosmic nudge to go touch grass. Or nap. Nap worked.

Co-Op Misfires and Time-Limited Madness

Co-op unlocks at Adventure Rank 16. I joined a buddy's world and, within seconds, accidentally lit half a field on fire. Not proud of it.

Multiplayer's a mixed bag. You can't do story quests or loot some stuff in someone else's world. Weird limits. Still, it's goofy fun. Especially when you're both under-leveled and someone aggroes a Ruin Guard by mistake. Pure panic.

And then there are the events. Genshin throws 'em at you like candy at a parade. Rhythm games. Tower defense. Balloon races. One minute I'm defusing bombs, the next I'm in a Mario Kart fever dream with fireworks.

Most of them slap. Some don't. But they're limited-time, so you either dive in or blink and miss them. FOMO? Yep. Guilty fun? Also yep.

Bangers and Beauty: Music and Eye Candy

Alright, the soundtrack. HOYO-MiX snapped. Each region has its own style and the shifts are so smooth. Mondstadt's all fantasy flutes. Liyue hits you with guzheng elegance. Inazuma? Thunderstorms and shamisen drama. It's ridiculous how good it is.

Visually, the game looks like someone fed Studio Ghibli a Monster energy. It's all cel-shaded skies, weather shifts, and water that begs you to fall in. Zones feel handcrafted. Ruins make you wanna loot them even if they're probably empty. And yeah, the waifus and husbandos? Top-tier.

Honestly, I'd play this game just to take screenshots. No shame.

Final Thoughts: Still Addicted After All This Time

Dozens of hours later, and I'm still logging in.

The game's still free. Still pretty. Still grindy as heck. Gacha will wreck your savings if you let it. Resin will slow your roll. Some events flop. But the moment-to-moment play? Solid. The world? Still sings.

Treat it like a second job and it'll burn you out fast. Treat it like a digital playground you visit a few times a week? It's one of the best free games out there.

Just don't go full whale. That path leads to credit card confessionals.