Genshin Impact exploded in 2020 with its free-roam exploration and diverse set of characters. Personally, the characters largely factored into why I play the game, which brings me to the question: what if Genshin Impact was a dating simulator?
Now, Hoyoverse, the developer, already released a dating simulator app called Tears of Themis which follows a detective adventure storyline. Akin to Genshin Impact, this game utilizes a gacha system to pull for cards that are utilized in debates to conquer opponents and win trials.
Tears of Themis actually came out for China earlier than Genshin Impact but didn’t release worldwide until a year later in July 2021. Although it had a good reception, its popularity was definitely not at the height of Genshin Impact.
Keeping this in mind, I considered a few things when looking at a Genshin Impact dating simulator. Firstly, with such a diverse set of characters, the selection definitely would become limited if put into a dating simulator as the case with Tears of Themis featuring only three love interests whereas Genshin Impact has over 50 playable characters.
I also considered how people would have reacted to a dating sim if it was created before the base game versus creating a dating sim spin-off after the fact. Players get attached to the characters because they’re playable and have their own stories. Creating a dating simulation game after knowing the characters would have more success because players are already attached and have a foundation of insight into the love interests.
However, I feel that if Genshin Impact first came out as a dating simulator, it would have lacked a lot of momentum as dating simulators tend to target specific audiences. Although the characters push a lot of the game’s appeal, so too do the combat and lore, both of which could somewhat be prevalent in a dating simulation but to a much lesser degree and without many of the mechanics that make it enjoyable to players now.
Genshin Impact is appealing because it has different ways players enjoy the game whether it’s through the gacha system, the characters, the combat, or the storyline. It is more orientated to a diverse audience whereas dating simulators had primarily been targeted towards women, only now changing to target other audiences.
I can see Hoyoverse having great success with creating a dating simulation off Genshin Impact today but not as the first game players would get introduced to. It would still be fun to better know the characters and attempt to capture their hearts.
What do you all think? Would you be drawn to Genshin Impact more if it was a dating simulator? Tell us your thoughts on our Boss Rush Discord!
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Source: Hoyoverse
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