Genshin Impact burst onto the scene in 2020 and has been nothing short of a phenomenon. HoYoverse transformed the Gacha industry for the better, introducing elements never seen before.
🎁Genshin Impact: Content at Launch
At launch, Genshin Impact offered two main regions, Liyue and Monstadt, for players to explore. There were five standard characters available from the get-go: Keqing, Mona, Jean, Diluc, and Qiqi. The first event banner featured Venti, the archon of Monstadt, and Klee was introduced in the second phase. Players could also embark on the prologue quest and experience an interesting battle sequence with Dwalin and bond with characters like Bennett, Amber, and Klee. Once the crisis in Monstadt was resolved, players could venture to Liyue and access the first two acts of the Liyue chapter. Currently, there are five nations for players to explore, added with each major update every year, along with event banners featuring characters from these regions.
💡Who Made Genshin Impact?
Developed by HoYoverse (formerly Mihoyo), Genshin Impact is one of their most ambitious projects. Inspired by their previous game Honkai Impact 3rd, Genshin Impact has gone on to inspire many others like Tower of Fantasy and Wuthering Waves. Despite the release of Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero, Genshin Impact remains their most successful title. Mihoyo has a long history of game development, with titles like FlyMe2theMoon (2011), Zombiegal Kawaii (2012), Guns Girls Z (2014), Honkai Impact 3rd (2016), Tears of Themis (2020), and Zenless Zone Zero (2024).
🏆Genshin Impact: Reception and Rewards at Launch
Even before its release, Genshin Impact caught the attention of players, including some who protested due to similarities with The Legend of Zelda open-world games. Nevertheless, it amassed over 10 million pre-registrations. When it launched, critics praised it for its excellent open-world design, puzzles, and cultural representation. It was hailed as a high-quality mobile game, and its combat system promised endless excitement with various characters and kits. In 2020, it won several awards, including Game of the Year - TapTap Game Awards, Best Game - Google Play Awards, and iPhone Game of the Year - Appstore Best of 2020.