In January 2021, I wrote about what 100 days and $60 got me in Genshin Impact, with the gist being: a lot of fun. January 2021 me had no idea what he was getting into. As of June 27, 2023, I've been playing Genshin Impact for 1,000 days and have sunk $500 into it. And after all this time, Genshin Impact is not only my favorite open-world game, it's the comfort game I can't imagine leaving.
At this headline-friendly milestone, I thought it'd be fun to examine why I'm still spending so much time – and a little money each month – on Genshin Impact. I still recommend the game to everyone and their dog, after all, so I suppose I should explain why. Think of this as a not-quite-review ahead of the game's long-awaited 4.0 update, which will add the Fontaine region and no-doubt pull me even deeper judging from its many fashionable characters.
