This year’s story echoes so many of the same beats as Natlan’s Archon Quests that the similarities really stood out, but even though I was disappointed with Act V, I found myself thoroughly enjoying almost the exact same story a mere three weeks later.
While some might assume this is just prejudice against Natlan, the fact is that I had really enjoyed the archon quests up to Act IV. I don’t expect perfection. I’d love for Hoyo to up their storytelling game, but I would have been satisfied with just a solid conclusion. Instead, it left me feeling let down.
I went into Lantern Rite a little wary because of the lingering disappointment, and ended up thoroughly impressed.
Was it really that much better, or did the contrast with my low expectations just make it feel like it was? After all, nothing is perfect. But the closer I look, the more I see it as a legitimately good story.
Let’s talk about it!
00:00 Intro
00:51 Disclaimer
01:09 Lantern Rite • The Eight Adepts
02:20 Lantern Rite • Rescuing Qiqi
04:19 Lantern Rite • The Rite of Homa
06:25 Lantern Rite • The party
06:42 Verdict
08:41 Similarities
09:47 Lack of risk
10:28 Differences
10:59 Differences • Pacing
12:29 Differences • Use of subtext
13:58 Differences • Rules & solutions
16:58 Differences • Characterisation
19:23 Differences • Power of friendship
21:17 Differences • Overdue payoffs
24:06 Conclusion
Genshin Impact is an open-world action/exploration game, available on PC, PS4, PS5 and mobile devices (iOS & Android).
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