Even though i already on the fourth region, i still find something new in Mondstadt, Ligue, and Inazuma, chest i haven't opened, puzzle i haven't finished, this show how big the world is and how you need to spend more time exploring every nooks and crannies in every location
The more I played Genshin Impact, the more I started to sour on all aspects of it, including the world. Mondstadt and Liyue are very empty locations that don't feel "finished", Inazuma had better worldbuilding but sloppy archon quests, The Chasm and Sumeru have the best worldbuilding in the game while also putting in a little more effort to tie its gameplay into the worldbuilding (even though it still has the same problems as the gameplay in the other regions foundationally), and Version 4.x? Oouff. Talk about a significant downgrade in quality compared to Version 3.x and The Chasm. The biggest problem with Genshin Impact's world, besides Mondstadt, Liyue, and especially Fontaine having incomplete worldbuilding, is that the world isn't organic. There's nothing to actually find or do if you aren't doing a major quest because all the world is filled with are overly-simplistic and/or overly-complex side activities that only exist to keep you occupied. You're never going to stumble upon an NPC outside of a cave who's injured, needs a potion, and tells you a story about how he and his friends were exploring that cave, only for all of his friends to die while he escaped alone, prompting you to start a quest that gives you a worthwhile reward like in an Elder Scrolls game. That's not a thing that happens while you play Genshin Impact because those kinds of dynamic, organic set pieces and game systems that tell environmental and/or self-contained stories aren't a thing outside of the severely underutilized "random NPC quests" that basically just amount to you giving an NPC you don't care about two apples in exchange for horrible rewards, so much so that they've all but abandoned that mechanic after Sumeru because nobody cared for it. It doesn't really matter that the writing of the game says that the world continues to exist and function when the player isn't there because that's not how the world actually feels to experience. An open world is only as authentic and lifelike as its gameplay allows it to be, and if exploring that world only garners you some out-of-place mini-games and (usually) out-of-place combat encounters, followed by out-of-place treasure chests for completing them that are all perfectly placed to take you on specific "paths" to "find" more of those out-of-place mini-games, combat encounters, and treasure chests, I don't think you can argue that the world of Teyvat feels "alive" because every part of the game's world is artificially curated to "engage the player" with mindless busywork, meaning that it has nothing to offer outside of that. If you don't believe me, just go for a walk after you've used the Teyvat Interactive Map to obtain every collectible in the region you want to go for a walk in and you'll see what I mean. There's literally nothing to find or do once all the busywork nontent is gone. For such a "fleshed out, breathing world", Teyvat sure feels like a video game when you're exploring it.
finally someone whos actually realizing the masterpiece this games world is and not someone whos not willing to try the game at all because its a "waifu collector", its wayyy more than that
For me the main selling point of genshin world is the elemental reaction. fire burns you, electro interrupts you, cryo meets hydro freezes you, geo gives you shield, and the beautiful chaos of dendro reactions are fantastic.
Make it slow, don't rush, Take your time. And when you'll start to read books and compile pieces of lore, you'll be crushed by the pressure of it depths. This places are not only stunning to see and distinct, they are all have enormous weight of context and history. In this aspect, GI is a keen of Dark Souls. Read Item descriptions, especially artifacts. The whole world is in there.
Sitting down and slowly sifting through the world that is Tevyat you'll find out that almost everything is connected-- and the characters writing and design quality has gone up insanely. Can't wait for you to get to Sumeru, Fontaine, and eventually Natlan; your mind will be blown!
Did I not explain myself well enough in the video? Like fair enough if you don't share the same opinion on the game, but I still think it's the first open world that feels like a world, and I'll stand by the argument. You're not really offering up any counter argument to try change my opinion on the matter
After I finished Breath of the Wild with its overpowering "What's over that hill?" endless pull to explore, I was glad to discover it again in Genshin. I've been playing since day 2 of release so I'm pretty bored with it now and fed up with the developer, but I can't deny the premise of this video. Congrats on your first breakthrough video btw. :)
Excellent video! We really lack these types of Essay-like videos in the fandom (most are either focused on gameplay, and occasionally lore) so I hope you do more in the future to share your thoughts with us and fill that small niche of content that's neglected by most Genshin CCs. I'm so happy to finally see someone do justice to the open world (the lore and map are deeply intertwined and are my fav part of the game) Thank you!
I'm not sure if I'll be making much content on Genshin Impact, I usually just do videos that interest me. So if something else pops up in genshin that I feel would make for an interesting or fun topic to talk about I will!
I'll have to wait and see after I finished them, I feel it would be a bit redundant to do a second video if it's just me repeating the same points I made in this video on the new areas. So I'll have to see if I can find something else to discuss on them when I get around to exploring them!
Hi bro quick question, do you know the name of the game at the 0:14 mark cuz i ve been searching it for some time after i played it some years back and forgot the name.
The world is amazing. And the music with the world gets you and makes you feel nostalgic the next time you hear it, but its also very much grinding, and so much repeated things could have better mechanisms. And it dosent really consider older players into account anymore. And so much unskippable long dialogues without voice. I dont feel like playing it these days. But i surely enjoyed it a bunch unlike anything else when i started it .
The world of Genshin is definitely one of the main reasons I play it so much. I tried getting into HSR, which on paper should have captured me even more, with it's space train theme, but I keep getting constantly annoyed by not being able to climb a simple ledge, as if I was a Pokemon trainer, and loading screen between each area. It would have been so much more fun if Belabog was one big map instead of a collection of half a dozen smaller maps. Even Penacony, which I was excited about couldn't keep me excited enough to keep me playing.
@@FriendsAndGamingYT I dunno, recent Pokemon titles feel quite open-worldy and they can pull off turn-based combat. I think it is more about the nature of the puzzles that are made to prevent us from reaching some areas. If we could climb, jump and glide everywhere, those puzzles would be moot point.
@TakeruDavis one could heavily argue that pokrmon sword isn't an open world game! It was quite disappointing in all honesty can't talk about scarlet or violet as I've yet to play
Honestly, I feel like Teyvat is genshin's best character, and the only one that continues to change. I am a huge Tolkien nerd, and seeing a worldbuilding this in-depth reminds me of his world. If teyvat wasn't as interesting as it is, I probably would've stopped playing years ago.
Getting lost... it often happened to me in Sumeru's underground tunnels. With modern quality of life features it should be easier, but back in the day, we didn't have any kind of map for underground tunnels. Still, it was a fine adventure. Like back in the old days.
What I love the most about Genshin's open world is that nothing is off-limits to the player. If it's within the map borders you can get there. Everything is climable and all surfaces are reachable (some with more difficulty than others, but that's the beauty of it). In others open-world games I never felt like I was free to move around as I please, there's always an optimised path that you're "meant" to take. Genshin... has those recommended routes, where climbing would be a bit easier, but yo can absolutely take alternate routes. If it's within the borders, it's reachable. You can crawl all around the map. Literally.
Another point about music - it often follows the elemental theme of the region. For example, Mondstadt is the land of Anemo, so its OST uses lots of wind instruments. Fontaine is the Hydro nation, so its music uses instruments that incorporate water in some way (such as the glass armonica or a set of wine glasses filled with water to different levels, so they produce different notes). Sumeru is the most interesting, since it is the land of Dendro, as well as wisdom. One of the combat tracks cleverly incorporates the Fibonacci sequence, which can be often observed in nature.
I never though about it like that! The issue with this then comes from Liyue and Inazuma which both feel like stringed instruments are there stronger focus. So maybe I need to get to the other regions like you mentioned to get a better taste of it tieing into the element of the land!
@@FriendsAndGamingYT With Liyue and Inazuma the associated values are "contracts" and "eternity" respectively, so it would be difficult to represent them in music. I guess the Electro element could be symbolically represented with electronic instruments, but that would clash with the whole traditional Japanese aesthetics they were going with. Speaking of electronic music - Albedo's trailer music uses synthesizers a lot, making that track very unique. And it makes perfect sense once you learn more about him and his origins. I won't say more on that since it might be a spoiler (I have no idea if you've done his sidequest already since it isn't required for story progress). I'm sure you'll love Sumeru and Fontaine.The sights and sounds there are truly breathtaking. The good thing about those areas is that they aren't gated by any quests. Once you're able to freely travel the map you can get all the way to Fontaine without even finishing Mondstadt's chapter. So far the only region locked by story progress is Inazuma.
Putting aside the grinding, microtransactions and power creep, what this game truly rewards is *curiosity*, curiosity about the world and its lore. I have been playing Genshin Impact almost since 1.0, maybe missing a few months here and there because work, but I keep getting back because of how rewarding it is to explore the regions and find lores. Very often you will see new plot developments and realize, damn, they've foreshadowed this some dozens of versions ago! And this is because the writing team writes the lore with the entire world and arc in mind. They already have the general outlines of at least 8 nations foreshadowed in their "Travail" overview video, since its very launch! It only gets better and better. My favorite regions lorewise are Dragonspine (although exploration was a pain), Enkanomiya, and the recent Remuria region under that tiny island off Fontaine (it's the very recent update, the lore was not too long and super neat, and the exploration was very comfy, loved it). Can't wait for the new nations.
Loved having you on bud! Your memory was a fun one, reminds me of the odd time i've played Tekken with my mam and she'd kick my arse by button mashing!
That was awesome hearing about the back and forth with Ken & Chun-Li with your mom. That's cool she plays Street Fighter II with you and even cooler that she is able to take you down! Love it! HADOKEN!
I really love how the world is so fleshed out that you can see "subcultures" in different regions. In Inazuma alone you'll have already seen the contrast that is Saganomiya Island and the mainland where the Castle of the Shogun is. It's even more pronounced in the Indian/Arabian themed Sumeru where the 2 subcultures in the same region are extremely distinct (and will definitely placate anyone looking for representation of their own IRL culture in the game!).
@@FriendsAndGamingYT Heck, it even extends into the craftable food. Every single dish in the game short of character specialties does exist IRL in some form! Even that questionable Poissonchant Pie. (The Stargazy Pie exists). Tho I have to question the logic of Fish & Chips, a British dish, in French-inspired territory when Mondstat is the one with such a slant. I for one can't wait to see what they'll do for Natlan, which should have an African/South American slant.
genshin is one of 2 games (elden ring being the other) where i have on multiple occations just taken a break to look at the landscape. the exploration is so good in genshin, even if some might reduce it to just hunting for chests to open. the first time i got to the big inn in liyue region, i saw a stone statue that i could interract with at the top floor. i walked around the inn and saw a mountain in the distance that was just like it. i knew at that point that genshin was made with a lot of love and care.
brother changes the thumbnail you will get more views, and someone who is planning to play this game i researched and got this conclusion ....don't grind don't sweat damage - you would be happy forever....as i seen people beating this game with lv 1 characters so no need to grind and get stronger, just let world take you in.
I had planned to make a thumbnail more suited to the open world aspect, but the few I tried looked dreadful to me, so I went with the one I'm currently using! Oh yeah, genshin is defo a game you need to take your time with, otherwise you just oversaturate your mind with it which like any game you spend to long with, bores you!
its good to see someone who is not so fixated on progression and rewards that forgets to appreciate whats front of him and actually enjoy the game, as i have seen lot of people so hell bent on power they flew past the things that make game good and come to hate the game. i have played many gachta games that gove that progression high but now i am tired of those so i will give this game a try with a laidback approach. One more thing as far i can see all the problems lies in artifacts ->grind them equip -> so overpowered on game mode left is abyss, so i think its better not to bother with them.
@@skyfire_swe8520 Like i had fun with what i played, it's open world is very tick the box like. But it's combat is pretty darn cool and it's story overall i found to be good. Like i do see it going cheapish these days so i can't see someone going wrong if the pick it up.
I have returned to Genshin after two years break and now have all of Sumeru and Fontaine to explore. I so cherish the fact that you can explore at your own pace though for some areas, world quests will unlock certain features that you need for exploring further. But you can decide when to just explore or when to do quests. So for now, I have done the Sumeru archon and major world quests and just take my time exploring the beautiful areas. Some world quests may feel really lengthy but imo, they add to the specific area and give you a better understanding. So yes, I totally agree with you - Genshin is an open world game worth exploring because of its diversity and with each area so beautifully created with its distinctive style and the matching game sound track and the quests adding a depth to each region
In the versions 1.6, 2.8 and 3.8 there were events with limited time areas, story, puzzles and even side missions. Fischl's domain music in 2.8 still stands out to me. It's crazy how much effort was put into those events and how a lot of players aren't even aware those areas existed Also, you can unlock Enkanomiya, the inside of the Chasm and the Sea of Bygone Areas by progressing in the story! And soon Natlan will be released, so there's all that on top of Sumeru and Fontaine, and possibly even another limited time area in 4.8 Genshin really does feel magical sometimes, specially Fontaine, I just wish there was a way for enemies to not aggro on you so you could just chill and explore sometimes
At the start Genshin was incredible because combat was fun and challenging, the world was great to explore, the soundtrack is the most superb piece of art I ever know, and the characters hook you up with their personality. It REALY feels like you're part of that world, the characters being like close friends even if you hardly see the protagonist outside the cuscenes (cuz she sucks as a combat unit). But now at the high levels...combat feels too easy in the overworld and exploration is already done. There are new areas always coming, ofc, and old mysteries that require a lot of time I don't have now to solve them through searching for easy-to-miss details or lore in books or artifacts, but still, there are amazing areas that I visited only once in the quest that required it. I wish there were repetables that got me back there. But mind you guys...I've been playing religiously since 2.8 almost 2 years ago, and I still have a lot of unfinished quests and unsolved mysteries, it's just that I'm feeling a bit burnout, not by Genshin really, but because I want to do other stuff. So far, this game is the one that gave me the most content. Maybe if they create a "Radiance System" like in Skyrim we can extend it even more, but its already a lot of content, and for free.
Yeah, when you get addicted to games like these, burnout can follow. I hope not to get to sucked into it again and keep it as a nice side hussle while I plat other games!
@@FriendsAndGamingYT I do log everyday for them freemogems and events though, they make a difference. It's for less than 15min while I'm lazy after lunch. Guess that's the worst thing in this game: either you're happy with few chars you win, or pay for them, or get extremely lucky. But logging religiously since 2.8 gave me an account where the only chars I miss are Arlecchino, Jean and Nilou.
I'm not sure I'd do an update as I feel it would be repeating the same point which as a video idea sounds a little dull when this video exists. But I will probably cover them in some form in the future.
Genshin Impact’s exploration is the main reason Ive stuck with the game. Even though Ive had periods where Ive taken a break from it, I always know I’ll come back to it eventually because I love exploring the world and finding everything I can.
@@FriendsAndGamingYT It should be taken as the standard of how to do open world right, especially with how it’s able to fit so many secrets and puzzles into every nook and cranny
I’m so glad I have found this video. Everyone talks about what genshin does wrong, not enough people talk about what it does right. And you couldn’t have said it better! Thanks for the good vibes!
Your very welcome bud! Yeah, I've been hearing that people are unhappy with certain aspects of the game. Mainly the high level players that can strole through all challenge and wanting more endgame content. But I think looking objrlectively at the game, with all the content it has, world, music, combat, story and visuals. It's pretty fucking good!
@@FriendsAndGamingYT yeah the game is truly amazing. I started playing right before inazuma and to this day i still enjoy playing it on a daily basis. Most of the people complaining about the game are just bitter because they have pulled multiple copies of 5 star units and weapons and they wish the game had some mode where you can feel challenged despite having incredibly powerful units. I understand where they’re coming from, but still, the game does so much and so much of it is done well, I think it would be silly not to admit how good it is.
I opened the doors of Teyvat back in October of 2020.. I played for 13 hours straight. I was a WoW player until that day, and I haven't played WoW since. There are sections of the Map I still haven't been to yet.💫
Yeah genshin be mighty addictive! I know the feeling with the map, be walking through somewhere random and you can find such cool shit just waiting to be explored!
Finally someone with a brain. Genshin is one the games with the most beautiful open worlds I've ever seen that's completely free for you to play, with deserts, rivers, waterfalls, mountains and thunderstorms that if you don't watch out you can get hit and fall of a cliff if you attempt to climb one during stormy weather
It’s so nice to see someone take about how good the open world is. I feel like that’s a part of the game that is very overlooked and underrated by the community of this game. For some reason everyone focuses on the characters and combat, completely ignoring everything else. I feel alienated sometimes. It feels like I’m playing a totally different game sometimes. I’m so happy that the world is getting the recognition that it deserves. It’s my favorite part for sure.
I do think that's the beauty of gaming though. We all see games differently, and it affects us differently! But I'd also be more in love with this games world than anything else it can offer!
I don't think the world is underrated, I just think it is so seamlessly integrated into the game, its story, and brought out in the characters themselves, that people just feel like it is the most natural thing to be in. If you want a good example of this theory, look at how people reacted to that certain area north of Sumeru that you could tell was rushed out to fill the space south of the new island. It had nice scenery, but none of the puzzles, rewards, or monsters that made it seem like a living area. It stuck out like a swollen thumb, and heavily contrasted with the rest of the areas that were filled out (Im sure it will be fixed simply because you can tell the dev team has been feeling the crunch as of late). A good open world is similar to UX design. An intuitive, simple, functioning, and aesthetically pleasing UI will never get the attention of the average players, because is is seamlessly integrated into the program, just like Genshin's open world. The moment you are taken out of that, be it in another game, or a flaw in the game itself, is when you realize just how good it truly is.
If I'm ever bored or depressed I hop on genshin and just run around the world enjoying the sights. BTW wait till you get to the desert itself exploring and puzzles are fun.
Yeah, though I do think that's changed a lot in recent years, just looking at games like ghost of Tsushima, The pathless and Gravity rush are really bloody stunning to look at!
