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Genshin Impact’s Lantern Rite Festival Is A Heartfelt Homage To The Game’s Roots
23.2.2024
This year, I returned to Liyue Harbor to find paper kites flying alongside strings of vermillion lanterns. I couldn’t help but reminisce on the first time I wandered these docks, grinding through mini-games and coaxing a certain antisocial mask-wearing warrior into the city. Like Genshin Impact’s...
Genshin Impact’s Female Characters Deserve Better Storylines
7.3.2023
Genshin Impact is hardly the worst offender when it comes to portraying women in video games. The sexualization of its female cast is limited to extraneous hip windows. Their personalities are inoffensive and charming. But as I watch every major update usher in personal developments and new lore...
Genshin Impact Characters As Valentine Dates, Ranked
7.2.2023
As the local Genshin Impact scholar at Kotaku, it is my solemn responsibility to compile a list of most eligible bachelors and bachelorettes on this most sacred Feast of Saint Valentine. Read more
Genshin Impact Fans Suspect Weakest Character Is Actually A Gigachad
13.1.2023
HoYoverse just put out a new story trailer for Genshin Impact, and one burning question is consuming the entirety of the fandom: How did a small child carry one of Genshin’s strongest DPS characters on her back? As of the time of writing, “SHE WHAT???” is currently the most upvoted topic on...
Genshin Impact’s Biggest Annual Update Has Surprising Reveals About A Mysterious Character
6.1.2023
I hollered while I was watching the Genshin Impact update stream. Aside from giving players free stuff (arguably the least exciting part of being a Genshin enjoyer) during China’s biggest holiday, the developers teased something that I suspected all along: The hyper-secretive Alhaitham could be...
Genshin Impact In 2022: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
16.12.2022
2022 was the year that Genshin Impact’s developer rebranded to HoYoverse to convey its ambitions for expanding its offerings to global audiences. It was also the year when players left the Japan-inspired region behind in order to explore Sumeru—a nation based on Southwest Asia, South Asia,...
Genshin Impact Fans Who Waited Two Years For Its Most Annoying Character Are Stronger Than Me
5.12.2022
I am a proud Scaramouche hater. When he was first introduced, I couldn’t stand his obnoxious taunts, his weird coat-shorts combination, or his embarrassing bowl cut. I’ve since warmed to his now more-compelling backstory, but there are fans out there who have been waiting for this villain to...
Genshin Impact Middle School Mural Has Parents Calling It 'Satanic'
21.10.2022
A Michigan high schooler was criticized at a school board meeting last week over a mural she painted for a local middle school. Some of the contested elements were the transgender flag, a hand symbol that comes from a Latin American religion, and the “Satanic” mask of a Genshin Impact...
Genshin Impact Is More Fun When You Stop Caring About Damage
9.6.2022
At first glance, the Genshin Impact community seems positively obsessed with hitting the biggest possible numbers with the characters they’ve rolled from the gacha. Content creators on YouTube and TikTok regularly showcase damage totals of six or even seven figures. Online discussions are dominated...
Anime Expo Drops Attendee Vax Proof, Negative Covid Test Requirements
9.6.2022
Today, Anime Expo, the “largest celebration of Japanese pop culture in North America” announced an update to its covid health and safety protocols that disappointed many voice actors, cosplayers, and artists alike.Read more
Genshin Impact Is Back, And The Update Was Worth Waiting For
20.5.2022
Genshin Impact just came out of its first-ever delay, and HoYoverse just announced a trove of events, quests, and features. More importantly, “Hidden Dreams in the Depths” adds the highly anticipated Yelan and Kuki Shinobu to the character gacha. And I’m excited for the new gameplay possibilities...
Genshin Impact’s Inazuma Update Gives Fans What They’ve Waited Almost A Year For
18.3.2022
Ayato wanters, rejoice. For eight long months, the Genshin Impact community has been thirsting after a character whose physical appearance hadn’t even been revealed, and their faith has finally been rewarded. HoYoverse–formerly miHoYo–will make him playable at last with the major 2.6 festival...
Genshin Impact’s Latest Event Requires Healers
18.2.2022
The highly anticipated Genshin Impact event “Three Realms Gateway Offering” unlocked yesterday. Many fans are praising it for getting rid of content time-gates for the first time, which allows the gacha game to feel more like a traditional RPG where you can play at your own pace. However, while...
Genshin Impact's Latest Controversy Shows Games Can Be Powerful Ambassadors For Art
15.1.2022
On December 26, the voice performances for Genshin Impact’s latest playable characters were shown for the first time. This included Yun Jin, the young leader of a Chinese opera company. The reaction from the Genshin community was mixed, but the moment also became an opportunity for people...
12 Recent Games To Play When You Want A Great Story Or Characters
30.12.2021
Games rooted in abstract systems or that see you controlling vast armies of faceless soldiers can be great, but sometimes you want something that feels a little more intimate and human. Something where the characters are so lively, playing the game almost feels like hanging out with friends,...
Chinese provincial official expelled for violating crypto mining ban
13.11.2021
A former CCP official from Jiangxi province allegedly abused his administrative powers to undermine the political principle of “two maintenance,” which relates to the notion of firmly maintaining the authority of the party
Genshin Impact's Strongest Character To Make Comeback
28.10.2021
The Pyro-element characters in Genshin Impact are known to be high-damage dealers, but Hu Tao is an anomaly among them. She’s an ideal damage dealer for those who don’t mind her risky playstyle. More importantly, she’s only available through gacha pulls for a very limited window of time, which...
On The Mic
28.10.2021
Liu Xiao is an artist based in Beijing, China.Read more
Genshin Impact’s New Event Is A Surprisingly Great Roguelike
27.10.2021
Genshin Impact was definitely not a game in which I expected to find great roguelike gameplay. Its open world design (which was frequently compared to Breath of the Wild at launch) seemed antithetical to the restrictive conditions of an interesting roguelike. I’m glad to find that I was very, very...
Genshin Impact Villain Childe Deserves All The Events And Reruns
12.10.2021
Not everyone is happy about Childe featuring heavily in the upcoming 2.2 update releasing on October 13, and I wish I could stop hearing about it. While he’s treated as a nuisance by characters in the game, it seems that the sentiment also carries over to the Genshin community. Read more