I Don’t Think The Story Of Genshin Impact Is A Masterpiece

I absolutely love Genshin Impact. From collecting characters with varying personalities to grinding for artifacts that increase my chance of clearing the Abyss by .1%, I love it all. However, one thing I think isn’t all that special even though most of the fanbase thinks otherwise is the story.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Genshin Impact’s story is bad or anything. However, it isn’t the amazing masterpiece many consider it to be. With predictable events, common anime tropes, and terrible pacing, I really don’t think Genshin Impact’s story is anything to write home about.

Can It Be Any More Predictible?

Arguably the biggest reason I don’t like Genshin Impact’s story much is how predictable it is. Every region has a couple of tropes that the story seems to rinse and repeat, minus some instances. Don’t worry, I’m a fan of Kazuha activating his friend’s vision against El back in Inazuma too.

If the traveler meets someone who doesn’t have a vision but still plays a big part in the story, they will likely betray us. Every time we find a new Archon they’ll get their Gnosis taken by the Fatui, either willingly or unwillingly.

While it was cool to watch Venti get his Gnosis stolen the first time, I grew sick of seeing the Fatui get their way by the time I reached Sumeru, and its terribly paced story. But hey, that’s for later in the article. I personally don’t like it when I can predict pretty much every major event that’ll happen in a game. I think Breath of the Wild has Genshin Impact left in the dust in this regard.

Don’t even get me started on so many boss fights that just result in the player losing in the preceding cutscene. If you’re going to make it so my efforts were in vain, don’t make me fight the boss in the first place. Once or twice is fine, but this has happened more times than I can count.

Genshin Impact And Its Anime Tropes

I’m a huge anime fan so I’m pretty familiar with various anime tropes. Genshin Impact, unfortunately, is victim to one of the most annoying tropes, the power of friendship. Finding a handful of characters who like the traveler is well and good, but when so many powerful figures borderline worship our character things get weird.

Using Inazuma as another example, the Kazuha moment I spoke of doesn’t make sense from a story perspective. Signora is the Crimson Witch and has a powerful Cryo Delusion yet she instantly gets killed by Raiden’s Musou no Hitachi. On the other hand, Kazuha was able to block it with no visible damage. I guess it was the power of friendship.

One trope that is used a little too much in Genshin
byu/olazeta inGenshin_Impact

This isn’t the only trope I’ve noticed. Another thing is I feel like some characters being where they are doesn’t make sense. Kazuha, Gorou, and the resistance have no reason to show up at Tenshukaku. The traveler just so happens to meet Tighnari in Sumeru, one of the most accomplished academics in Genshin Impact’s world. How did Yae know to show up at the Delusion Factory? That too while carrying the Gnosis as a bargaining chip?

Finally, if you want a good drinking game then take a shot every time you see a character who’s “young and very accomplished.” Jean is the young Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius. Xiangling is the most famous chef in the world. Sara is one of the only good generals we see apart from Gorou, both young and accomplished. I still haven’t figured out whether it’s because Genshin Impact likes adding young characters or just likes the trope.

My biggest irk is that all of these story-related issues are packaged alongside Mihoyo’s terrible pacing. I won’t delve into the pacing much since it technically isn’t part of the story. However, I will say that I quit the game in Sumera for a couple of months before revisiting it because the first half was terrible.