When I first heard about Genshin Impact I wasn't too impressed. Generally I've found free-to-play games lacking both a narrative perspective and from delivering compelling gameplay. Wow, was I in for a surprise! Genshin Impact is easily one of the most engaging free-to-play I've ever tried. So good in fact that had it been designed as a more traditional RPG I would have happily paid $60 to play through it. But the beauty is now I can enjoy this clever experience without spending a dime. Don't be fooled by the skeptics. It is true that Genshin is known for its gacha systems where you can obtain characters and weapons via wishes but this is wholly unnecessary to enjoy the experience. I'm closing in on 40 hours of play time, progressing through an enjoyable plot, and currently have no plans to put it down anytime soon.
Genshin starts out with a brother and sister dueling in the sky with an adversary of some sort. At the end of the battle the siblings are separated and at this point you choose who you want to play as between the two. The one you choose to be will become the main protagonist while, unbeknownst to your character, it is teased that the other will end up becoming your rival. After the battle you wake to find yourself on a beach and save the life of this fairy-esque creature who calls herself Paimon. Paimon will not only be your companion for your adventure but since you play a silent protagonist she kind acts as your voice. In the first act of the game you find yourself at the city of Monstadt. Monstadt is the city of freedom and under the domain of Dvalin, a dragon with ties to the wind. Dvalin has become known as Stormterror because he has recently been on a rampage and you'll have to team up with the city's knights to find out what is upsetting him.
Genshin is an action RPG with fast but manageably paced combat. You can have up to four characters in your party but you'll only have one on the battlefield at a time. You have a standard attack which you'll rely on until your unique ability recharges. The ability of each character is usually based on their element which can incorporate fire, ice, or water as a couple examples. As you fight your special will build up granting you a powerful ability that either does massive damage of grants a powerful buff. Fighting is just one element of the gameplay which is focused on exploration as much as anything else. You can run, climb, swim, or glide anywhere on the map just don't let your stamina run out mid swim or flight because you'll be in for a world of hurt. That said dying is just an inconvenience and doesn't have any real consequences besides potentially having to restart a battle.
See exploration is what really makes Genshin Impact stand out in my mine. There a literally hundreds of treasure chests to find by exploring the world map. Some chests are just out in the open while many will require you to defeat near by monsters or solve fairly simple puzzling using the different elements. In these chests you'll find weapons, artifacts, and mora. Each of your characters can equip one weapon and five artifacts. Weapons and artifacts that you don't need can be used as fodder to level up the items you do care about. You can also find tomes to level up your characters as they don't get much experience in combat. Eventually as your weapons and characters reach a certain level they will need special supplies to ascend which will require you to hunt down certain types on enemies or perform special challenges scattered around the map.
Great exploration, enjoyable level-up mechanics, and a fun story all help propel Genshin Impact to becoming the game-changing experience that it is. I never get sick of spotting unopened chests, especially when I know that no matter what loot is inside I can find a way to utilize it. The story is as good as any typical JRPG and really keeps you motivated to stick around to find out what will happen next. Of course excellent voice acting and the drop-dead gorgeous art style really helps draw you into the world and keep you engaged. The only wishes I've used are the ones the game provided me and honestly it does take that long to earn them. Of course if you actually really want a specific character you may be tempted to spend real money but that is your choice not a necessity. The option for co-op is neat but sadly it is fairly limited. This is primarily a single-player experience and if you like exploration and character progression please give this wonderful game a shot.