I appreciate that they're something I can play casually. When my kid was first born, I need something to do for a couple hours between feedings, and Genshin was great for that.
But there's definitely some things that I hate about them. Characters 'disappearing' after their story area is done sucks. Old characters not getting buffs/nerfs sucks. And the predatory nature of the games, where it feels like players are fighting the devs for resources, sucks.
Genshin is my first Gacha game and is the one that introduced me to the genre. I really loved it. I like the casualness of the gameplay and the pity system on pulling characters. The music is top notch in terms of quality and variety, the story progression and lore is what hooked me to the game.
But there is a big BUT, the overuse of RNG is so tiring especially on Abyss where we need to run around the clock in order to get rewards. How many times I need to reset in order to get that perfect RNG on Golden Wolflord is countless. And the ARTIFACTS FARMING is what makes me pull my hair. Pure RNG with No pity system on Artifacts system is a pure pain in the ass as it's the one where we get all the stats for our characters . That's it.
I'm not planning to play HSR as I hate turn based game to a passion. I'm eagerly waiting for Wuthering Waves instead as I heard that Kuro Games did something good in Punishing Grey Raven.
I'll go against the grain and say they aren't that bad these days
While some have terrible monetization + predatory tendencies/design, I wouldn't say it's the case for the entire market really, especially now as better/more healthy monetization has been getting more popular
It's very possible to enjoy them in a healthy way without spending a cent provided you have some self control, not everyone does however and that's why I'll never say they are "fine", but I've had my fun with them with friends, without spending a cent.
Genshin/HSR are good examples, the games don't really keep reminding you to spend money or spamming you with "deals" and shit, and in Genshin regular player can easily have 80% or the entire cast of characters without spending a cent, without truly "gambling" for them, as you can get units guaranteed.
I am neuroatypical and don't have a healthy relationship with gambling mechanics in video games. I struggle to exert the self-control required to engage with these kinds of mechanics in a healthy way and end up gambling way too much. These days I am forced to just flat out avoid games with gambling mechanics in them (which feels like most games these days). I consider them inaccessible to me otherwise I end up spending money I shouldn't.
I played Genshin a lot when it first launched. I did enjoy it but ultimately stopped playing altogether after I whaled on two different banners only to lose the 50/50 (for Venti and a Vortex Vanquisher for anyone wondering).
I don't play Gacha games, or even any kind of loot box games, because I personally feel they're gambling. I don't want to pay $5 for 500 fake digital bucks and if I spend $10 I'll get 1200 fake digital bucks instead, but I need 1250 fake digital bucks to buy that item and they don't sell them in 50 fake buck increments. The entire system is designed to get you to just spend spend spend. Not for me. Feel free to do what you wish with your money though. That games I've heard are very fun though.
As someone who has played several of these (including HSR), the games themselves can be very good, but it's always despite its gacha mechanics, not because of it. It should be obvious that gacha is a predatory monetization model that has unfortunately seen great success.
This has led to gacha games often leading the mobile market in terms of quality, marketing and development. I'd much prefer it if more games were sold for a one-time fee or even a subscription model for live-service games, but these types of games will continue to be rare in the mobile market due to the profitability of gacha.
On the positive side, most gacha games allow even f2p (free-to-play) players to keep up with the story and events. Many players even find playing these games as an f2p player more enjoyable because of the challenge. So for those who have self-control, I don't think they should be discouraged from at least trying these games.
Gacha mechanics are a plague on video games. Truly dystopian shit. But not all gacha games are that bad. Just most of them. Genshin is basically just breath of the wild but more jank.
I played Genshin Impact up until I explored the world and beat a couple of bosses. As soon as it asks me to grind dungeons and pulls I dipped out. Gacha games suck, it's always a massive time (or money) sink where you get almost nothing in return. Sure, I could spend a month grinding for that legendary character. Then what? I'll beat one DPS check before getting stuck again and having to grind for the next thing. It's surprising how many people pay money in these games and don't realize how pointless it is.
As a genshin player myself I can tell you that you dont have to pull for stuff. You can perfectly clear everything with the normal characters that you get in the game.
For sure its easier with the 5* banner characters but its not impossible or super hard without them
I hate Gacha games with a passion. I also really dislike the oversexualized artstyle. But from what I can tell both actually have very interesting gameplay elements. But that makes it worse if actual good games get ruined by gacha bs.
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