Honkai: Star Rail arrived right on time. Everything anime has exploded in the last few locked years, especially in the West. People are recreating JoJo's Bizarre Adventure poses on TikTok, posting edits of Chainsaw Man quarantine characters and streaming as anime girls on Twitch.
Free-to-play anime gacha games have massively grown too. It only took six short months for Genshin Impact to make $1 billion in revenue after it launched in 2020, cementing its status as one of the most successful mobile games around. It blends the charm of a big open world with the detailed combat systems of action RPGs. It's a Breath of the Wild that never ends. And with every new update, it expands its map and its roster of playable anime people.
To me, and I suspect many others, Genshin Impact occupies a similar space in the Western gaming consciousness as World of Warcraft. It’s a distinct game with a distinct fandom, and almost everyone you talk to has heard of it or plays it. When new characters come out, social media fills up with fan art, cosplays and people commiserating on their gacha luck. Even if you only play games casually, Genshin Impact is practically inescapable.
Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av PC Gamer US Edition.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av PC Gamer US Edition.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Special Report- Stacked Deck - Monster Train, a deckbuilding roguelike that firmly entrenched itself as the crown prince to the kingly Slay the Spire back in 2020, was the kind of smash success you might call Champagne Big.
Monster Train, a deckbuilding roguelike that firmly entrenched itself as the crown prince to the kingly Slay the Spire back in 2020, was the kind of smash success you might call Champagne Big. Four years later, its successor Inkbound’s launch from Early Access was looking more like Sandwich Big.I’m not just saying that because of the mountain of lamb and eggplants I ate while meeting with developer Shiny Shoe over lunch, to feel out what the aftermath of releasing a game looks like in 2024. I mean, have I thought about that sandwich every day since? Yes. But also, the indie team talked frankly about the struggle of luring Monster Train’s audience on board for its next game.
SCREENBOUND
How a 5D platformer went viral two months into development
OLED GAMING MONITORS
A fresh wave of OLED panels brings fresh options, greater resolutions and makes for even more impressive gaming monitors
CRYSIS 2
A cinematic FPS with tour de force visuals.
PLOD OF WAR
SENUA’S SAGA: HELLBLADE 2 fails to find a new path for its hero
GALAXY QUEST
HOMEWORLD 3 is a flashy, ambitious RTS, but some of the original magic is missing
FAR REACHING
Twenty years ago, FAR CRY changed the landscape of PC gaming forever.
THY KINGDOM COME
SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE is the culmination of decades of FromSoftware RPGs, and a gargantuan finale for ELDEN RING
KILLING FLOOR 3
Tripwire Interactive's creature feature is back
IMPERFECTLY BALANCED
Arrowhead says HELLDIVERS 2 balancing patches have 'gone too far'
