Overall, I’ve had a blast with this game. The storytelling really makes you bond with the characters, and the visuals and mechanics are top-tier. ​Quests/Story: ★★★★☆ I’m giving it 4 stars because some chapters feel a bit dry or slow. But if you’re a lore hunter, you’ll probably love how even the side quests tie back into the main plot. ​Game Mechanics: ★★★☆☆ The core systems are solid, but there are some head-scratching additions while essential features are still missing. For instance—where is the Skip button? Not everyone plays for the story, so a skip feature is a must-have at this point. As for exploration, I like the mechanics in each region, but compared to newer titles like NTE, I feel NTE handles it better. Genshin changes exploration mechanics based on the region, which is a double-edged sword. It keeps things fresh, but it also means some cool mechanics become useless once you leave that area. ​Bottom line: With so many new Open World RPGs like Wuthering Waves and NTE coming out, Genshin really needs to step up its Quality of Life (QoL) updates to stay ahead.