How I fell out of love with Genshin Impact......and fell back in love again

If you've been keeping up with me, you'll know that I was one of many who fell in love with Genshin Impact. Like many, I first learned of the game during its release in late 2020, when the covid-19 pandemic was keeping many at home. I first played the game a few weeks after its release, and I was hooked like nothing else. It was my first gacha game, my first Chinese game, and so it gave me tons to think about, as evidenced by the previous write ups I've done on the game.

However, as I continued playing the game day after day, I began to experience a feeling many gacha players go through: burn out. I was losing interest in the game at an alarming rate, and before I knew it my motivation to play was at rock bottom. Around the middle of April, 2022, I decided to stop playing Genshin. And I did, for quite a while. I'd come back once a month just to do a few monthly things, but otherwise, I stayed away from Genshin and thought I might be done with it. For three and a half months I did not touch the game and had no motivation to.

However....I did come back. At the start of August I decided to give the game another chance and dove back in. It has now been a month since I've returned, and I've gotta say...I'm back.

So....what happened? Why did I fall out of love with Genshin Impact and potentially stop playing it for good? And why did I fall back in love? What brought me back, and why has this last month been so much better than the many months before it? If you keep up with gacha games, this experience of getting burnt out, taking a break, and coming back may be familiar to you. But it was a wholly new one for me, with this being my first gacha. So for any who are deep into the Genshin rabbit hole or are considering jumping in, let this be a cautionary tale for you. Here's my story of how I fell out of love with Genshin Impact......and fell back in love again

Pokemon Legends Arceus: The 'Paper Mario Sticker Star' of Pokemon

Recently I finished the latest game in the Pokemon franchise: Legends Arceus. Arguably the most ambitious Pokemon game in decades, Arceus marked a change for the series that many wanted, myself included. Inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Arceus features a world consisting of various open areas that you can navigate however you'd like. Not only that, but with it comes a brand new system of gameplay, one that offers various ways to navigate its world and interact with and catch Pokemon in all sorts of ways before you even battle them.

With such a break from the series tradition, I was excited to dig into the game. Yet the more I played it, the more I noticed a disconnect. I had four friends also anticipating the game. As we played it, all of them, from longtime Pokemon fans to ex fans who wanted to get back into the series, had a blast. They flew through it, clearing most of its content, and told me it is likely one of their favorite Pokemon games.

However, the more I played, the more I felt the opposite. My motivation for the game began to dwindle the further I got in, I began finding the overall gameplay uninteresting and repetitive, and now that I have finally finished it, while also completing the post game quest to collect all the elemental plates, I can say that this is probably one of my least favorite Pokemon games.

Yet all was not cause for disappointment. The more I played and understood Arceus, the more I came upon a shocking revelation: Legends Arceus reminded me of one infamous game in the Paper Mario series, one that most people dislike while I, ironically, love it.

Yes, the controversial title that is Paper Mario: Sticker Star, a game I could write tons on, popped into the back of my mind the more I played Arceus. Part of why I enjoyed Sticker Star so much was because I had not played a game like it, and here, now, I found an unlikely companion to it in Legends Arceus.

This begs some questions. First, is Pokemon Legends Arceus actually similar to Paper Mario Sticker Star? When I proposed this theory to one of my friends, he couldn't have been more confused. Why do these games remind me so much of each other?

Second, if they are so similar, then why did Sticker Star resonate with me, where most fans disliked it, while Legends Arceus lost me, where most Pokemon fans praised the overall package? For this write up, I plan to answer these and more. So I hope you enjoy reading why I consider Pokemon Legends Arceus the 'Paper Mario Sticker Star' of Pokemon.

Genshin Impact Thoughts V - Genshin Impact as a Chinese Game

This is the fifth and final part of write ups I produced, detailing my thoughts and experiences with Genshin Impact. In this one, I discuss the world of Genshin Impact, what makes it so captivating, and why one part of it in particular has left a powerful impact on me, partly due to the fact that this is the first Chinese game I've played extensively.

Genshin Impact Thoughts IV - Genshin Impact as a Console/PC Game 2

 

This is the fourth in a series of five write ups I produced, detailing my thoughts and experiences with Genshin Impact. In this part, I go in depth on Genshin Impact's fun and varied combat, character, and customization systems, detailing how it ties its many characters and dungeons together, and giving an example of a team I put much thought and fun into.

Genshin Impact Thoughts III - Genshin Impact as a Console/PC Game (Breath of the Wild Comparisons Abound)

This is the third in a series of five write ups I produced, detailing my thoughts and experiences with Genshin Impact. In this part, I discuss the appeal of the game as well, a game. I compare it to the legendary Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, discussing what makes Genshin Impact similar and different from it, for better and worse.

Genshin Impact Thoughts II - Genshin Impact as a Gacha Game

This is the second in a series of five write ups I produced, detailing my thoughts and experiences with Genshin Impact. In this part, I focus on the controversial gacha mechanics of Genshin Impact. I go into their pros and cons, and how Genshin has changed my perception of them.

Genshin Impact Thoughts I - What is Genshin Impact?

Hello! Welcome to the first of five write ups, in which I share my experiences and thoughts on a game that has captivated me in a way few have: Genshin Impact. Coming out of nowhere, over the past six months I have fallen head over heels in love with this game, no doubt it will go down as one of my favorites. But of course, the question is: why? What it is about this game that makes it so interesting? What of its many obvious problems, chief among them being its gacha mechanics? I plan to share my thoughts on all that and more in this series of short write ups covering Genshin Impact. Without further ado, let’s begin!