If hoyoverse has anything to flex, it's their creative bank. That company is full of insanely creative people. There are some misses here and there, but they've always had a banger, whether it's character design, storytelling, or thematics.
Their stories has soul/heart even in their worst execution(inazuma) they explore their themes and concepts well. And the world quests, in-game books, and archon quest, how it all connect to each other is insane. Combined that with the gorgeous Open-World... im just grateful this game exists
If you play close attention, the storytelling devices used in the regions of genshin often have identifiable roots in the culture the region is influenced by. Liyue's writing feels like a chinese novel (think Xianxia and wuxia), Inazuma feels like jumping into a shounen, and Fountain is a front row seat to a French opera. I've love the approach Genshin takes to storytelling, my only wish is that certain chapters would be condensed a bit. The community has long complained about the "dialogue bloat"
The dialogue is a fruit of localization issues. We have several cases of something being a regular sentence in Chinesa and several lines in English. Even then there’s a lot of nuance that is lost simply because both languages structure is really different.
So we are getting a drama novel for natlan? I love em and if that is the case i already intend there are gonna be a lot of faked deaths and burned houses and maybe kidnapping involved and like while all of that happens a subtle romantic subtrama in the background to balance everything out
When I spend money on this game, I feel like I'm paying for an extraordinary experience. The world is beautifully crafted, the story is compelling, and the music?? THE MUSIC??? Worth every penny (not me justifying my financial irresponsibility)
As an artist I feel similarly haha, when I spend money on genshin it’s not me ‘whaling’, it’s just an artist supporting the (probably) hundreds of artists (whether it be concept artists, character artists, video editors, composers, musicians, animators, game designers, etc etc ETC.) that contribute to making this amazing game the piece of art that it is.
After finishing Liyue chapter, being blow away by the boss fights and epic cutscenes, their music! It hit me... THIS GAME IS FREE!? I Actually felt bad that I hadn't paid anything for all that incredible experience.
In my opinion, Furina is one of the best written characters in modern media and I don't exactly have more to say that you didn't already but I mentioned this in one of your streams that I think it so sad that Furina is meant to be this godly figure but is one of the most human characters in any media i have seen - including live TV and movies. She is so relatable and I have saved up 235+ wishes for her because I adore her so deeply (I am terrible at saving in genshin and other gachas, like pull the second I have enough)
As a queer person with some religious trauma, I have similar feeling towards Wanderer that you have towards Furina. The idea of feeling rejected by your creator for something out of your control, the feeling of desiring to be one thing but being convinced you can't because of some thing you inheritely lack, the journey to healing and finding one's identity. Genshin has an amazing way to make its characters so deeply entrenched into the fantasy world building, yet so relatable
I feel the same way about Wanderer... He gives me such great comfort. Ei too. It's interesting to see that both mom and son give me such relatable experiences that I can see myself in.
I heard that most people didn't like Furina because she was like another version of Fischl but as people progress through the Fontaine story arc & seen what she had to go through, they start to really like Furina. However, as for me. I liked Furina from the day she was introduced. I liked her unique personality & look. And when I saw what she went through for 500 years, I almost cried. Now, she is one of my favorite characters in the game. I even have a C3 Furina to use. So I agree that Furina is a well written character & one of the best.
I honestly never understood the Fischl and Furina similarities- is it because they both spoke loudly? Like Fischl talks confidently but doesn’t make sense when she talks but she has Oz, Whereas Furina, just spoke loudly and confidently, but you could understood what she was saying. Edit: sorry my English isn’t very good 😅
@@otakuwhat_ At first I didn't get it either. But when I first saw Fischl, she acts like a Chunibyo character & she even does the "Evil Eye" reference. And at first introduction to Furina, she kinda reminded me of a Chunibyo. If you look at the two characters when they are first introduced they seem similar, although Fischl is a reference to a Chunibyo character & Furina was just acting a part.
Even if they were similar both are still really good characters 💀 personally as somebody that really enjoys the character that fischl represents (playing up a persona despite being very self aware) I would take that as a compliment for furina's character!
I really thought this was going to be such a dramatic little anime game when I started in 2021, but its so much more than that. You and the community keep opening my eyes more and more about the background of characters and the story itself instead of just knowing their general lore. Plus the inside community lore we have makes the game feel so much more fun too 😭🩵
With the ‘marvelization’ of stories and just overall predictability (i literally couldn’t watch the new atla remake on netflix the amount of times me and my friends almost died from the awful writing…💀), Hoyo really is a breath of fresh air. And even though their execution isn’t always great (yapmiya/fortress of meropide incident) one thing they will always deliver on is their sincerity in telling stories that they want to tell. I especially love the way they handle lore and worldbuilding; they take a dark souls approach and hide interesting lore in descriptions. I legitimately feel like a silly little archeologist whenever i uncover some new lore titbit that connects to another lore titbit.
I love, LOVE Furina. Her story resonated with me because of her loneliness. Back when I lived with my parents I felt alone. Stuck in a routine. I hardly talked to people because of how I felt at home. My friends told me on the few occasions we hung out that I looked burnt out and exhausted, but I had no idea. I barely paid attention to how I was feeling, because I at one point looked into myself and felt myself unraveling from my work. I was exhausted to the point I couldn't feel the encroaching exhaustion. I just knew that I needed money and I wanted to move out. So I stopped trying to listen to my body's cries of physical and mental exhaustion and pushed forward. For about four months after I moved out, I didnt realize that I didn't move on from this mindset, until I got struck down with either a cold or covid for long enough that my job let me go. When I did get a new job though, I wasn't being run ragged. Whether it was by myself or the workplace, most likely both, I had ran myself to absolute exhaustion before that and then... I was free. For a time, but it was enough to reorient myself and become me again. Furina made me feel seen. But because of my own feelings, all I can say is that I wish to hug her now. Because hugs made me feel far more grounded and happy after that experience, and I dont think she really got any of the hugs she needed. Even a girlboss needs rest.
The spiritual aspect in Genshin is crazy levels of well thought: It pretty much encompasses ALL human religions, none skipped, and does it coherently while staying parallels that actual religion scholars are just "now" discussing, like the rise of proto-christianity in detriment of the politeist stuff that pre-dated it from all sides (Sumeru is absurdly lore heavy in that regard).
This is gonna be a long comment but your video was a breath of fresh air and it made me want to act out on my frustration that Fontaine and Furina aren't getting the critical examination and praise they deserve. Fontaine genuinely has the best, most complex writing I've seen in the medium. While Disco Elysium has it beat by a mile in terms of prose and the sheer beauty of its poetic words, Fontaine is peerless when it comes to actual narrative. It should be written about by journalists and dissected in essays because writers, even experienced ones, can learn so much from it. I won't bother throwing out superficial praises like it being emotional and fun, or having basic competencies like character agency, arcs, pacing, etc. It does, as many stories do. I'm more interested in how it nails realizing the full potential of its themes. This is something that's missing in a lot of modern writing, not just video games. Fontaine takes an unusual combination of themes (court and opera) and makes full use of both of them, outdoing our expectations of its scope multiple times. On the court side you obviously have the trials and the question of what justice really is, but then you also learn that the point of everything for the past 500 years was all for the sake of one man making one verdict, and making sure he gives the right one. On the opera side it's even more complex, with multiple reversals of roles and re-framings of the story itself. The trials are plays, Furina's whole life is a play, Fontaine and its history are a play for an audience of one, and that audience member himself turns out to be a pivotal character one the final stage in the end. Focalor's last words, "Farewell Neuvilette..I hope you enjoyed the part you played these 500 years," are where it all clicks and comes together beautifully. Two seemingly opposing themes intertwined and expanded on to their full potential. This is how you write a thematic core, god dammit. Not to mention the lore implications and foreshadowing about the whole of Teyvat being a play and us, the player, a spectator. Additionaly, choosing a unique combination of themes enables your story to utilize incredible imagery that your audience won't see anywhere else. I'll never forget that final cutscene, and I can't get the image of a lonely god doing one last dance on a dreamlike stage followed around by the spotlight cast by a glowing guillotine out of my head. It's so beautiful. Then there's also the Biblical allegory. Because of course there is. Furina/Focalors is literally Jesus, walking on water and sacrificing herself to rid her people of the original sin that would see them be wiped out in a flood...it's obvious. Many stories wear existing folklore or literature as a nice coat of paint to add more richness in symbolism (or just to look cool or be pretentious) but in my opinion you have to actually do something interesting with the allegory for it to be worth it. And Fontaine does something I've never seen a story do: it puts the protagonist in the role of Satan. Instead of saving the day as we do in every other nation, our role in the story of Fontaine is to seed doubts about Furina's divinity, try to prove she is not a god, and tempt her at her lowest. We give her wonderful excuses to stray from the right path: "This one time is okay, you've worked hard, you deserve this one break, it's your last chance, I'm different, you can trust me." Not only are we her ultimate test of will, we are her last. Her final trial before salvation. If she caved there, it would be the most disastrous time to give in to temptation as we were tricking her and the secret would be out before all of Fontaine. And yet despite everything she prevails and the day is saved. I've never seen a story do this, much less a video game where the player is the one who has to uncover the truth at all costs, get confided in by all the pretty NPCs, and recieve accolades after saving the day. This moment was something really special as it challenges the most fundamental tropes of the medium without going all 4th wall breaky "lol this is a video game ain't that funny? Imma delete your files" type of way. Honestly this comment is hard to write as for every point I touch on I feel like I have to expand massively to truly convey how impressive it is, as well as realize it connects with 5 different points that also branch out. So instead I'll just gush about Furina as she's just the fucking best. Now, I know a lot of people tend to justify loving a character by saying it resonates with them or is relateable, which is completely fine, but the most objective praise I can give to Furina is that I do not relate to her in the slightest. She is pretty much the opposite of me in every way. There is nothing about her that resonates with my personal experiences. And yet she is tied for my favorite character of all time. The only other character I love as much as her is Harrier Du Bois, and he is literally me. A bitter alcoholic just like me, who can't get over his ex for over a decade just like me, who thinks like me and speaks like me, who has the same virtues and same flaws as me. Furina needs none of that. All the love I have for her stems purely from her objective qualities. She's just that well written. Much of that is due to Fontaine being a fantastic story, but she's its beating heart and it wouldn't be as good if she wasn't so great. She's beautifully realized to the point watching the Archon Quest on RUclips just gives you more appreciation for her and the story after knowing the truth. She's a tragedy in plain sight all the way, and also the most inspiring character I can think of. Just a tiny, frail human possessing the willpower of a god. She makes getting through the day easier. Every time I want to make an excuse for myself I think of her story and I find some nugget of willpower in me to do whatever it is I have to do. I've quit drinking because of Furina. And while that might be funny, considering she's an anime gatcha game character, it has turned my life around. Not even Harrier managed to make me quit. For months now I haven't missed a single day of going to the gym, and I haven't faltered even once in my diet. I've never managed to do that before experiencing Fontaine's story. And the thing is, I don't think it's enough for a character to just have incredible willpower. No, Furina works because despite possessing such an over-the-top admirable trait, the writers managed to make her feel so human at the same time. Especially during her story quest, she's one of the most down to earth and real fictional characters I've come accross. She reacts how I'd imagine a real person in her shoes to react, she copes and fails to cope so painfully human, and moves forward with real words of advice that can help real people. I could imagine her existing in the real world, meeting her and having an actual conversation that would feel real. And that's the secret sauce. If you make a well-rounded, complex, human character, and give them one of the most inspiring stories out there, you can write something that has the power to change someone's life. And that's the holy grail of writing. I just love this arc, man. I started playing the game because other people begged me to, citing Fontaine as the reason, and I went in with high expectations. Somehow, it exceeded them.
Wow this was incredibly insightful. I totally understand the feeling of wanting to say more but literally being prevented from doing so from the sheer amount of labor required. I think its why I started using audio and video. I just want to touch on something that I really liked in the beginning. I never considered the writing STYLE and how it adds finesse to storytelling. Obviously, it makes so much sense, but reading it helps me to understand why I loved disco elysium so much. This is interesting because, I feel the same about DE where I dont actually relate a lot to the main character, but the story and style helped me to explore a perspective that I normally wouldnt be able to delve into. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. My INTP brain is enriched 💖💖
i just wanted to say that this is a beautiful comment. i havent cried reading something in a while, but i couldn’t help it… this was very inspiring. thank you for sharing this
As a viewer, and long term Genshin enjoyer, I really appreciate how you were able to open yourself up to it and the reverence you have for the artistic aspect of it... also... as much as I want to say Nahida is the best Archon... Furina has my heart.
When I say not only did I cry for Furina but the archon quest and how she really is that girl made me c2 her immediately. I also really appreciate your open mindedness towards Genshin.
I’m so happy Genshin is getting a proper celebrity endorsement! thank you Phaun! I love watching sharing your content with all my friends, especially your Genshin reactions and streams
honestly one of my favorite aspects of the game is the underlying and continuous motifs present through each region, and how through every single little world quest, they find a way to include a beautiful message. the most important part of any story, to me, is the lesson the writers are attempting to teach the audience, and genshin impact has an abundance of it. theres of course overarching themes of moving on past loss and a heavy motif of anti-colonialism(which i could speak on for ages); but each chapter of archon quest also has it's own topics that it covers, and i find that really special. each nation covers the overall motif of the land (freedom, justice, eternity, etc) but also in turn shows the opposite of these ideals, and the different ways they can be interpreted. i really loved inazuma for portraying how both tradition and innovation are important, and can coexist together--and also showing how the refusal to accept modernity will eventually cause harm. fontaine also stands out to me in the way that hoyo gives us tons of characters with different perspectives on how justice should be upheld (ie the juxtaposition of Clorinde and Navia's relationship and how they view the court's system of allowing duels to death). i also really love how they stick certain with symbolisms with their story beats to foreshadow the greater plot of the game. for example, the usage of tragedy with twins in every nation. and with the music as well, they include leitmotifs that represent certain areas in the lore, and when you catch them you can start to understand deeper connections in the stories being told. i treat each story given to us by hoyoverse as a fable, and can clearly see the lessons they are trying to teach in every quest. i wish more people would look past the gachapon and "anime waifu" part of the game and actually play it for what it's worth.
I was just reading about one of the background characters that are very important to the Lore of the game, specifically fontaine, that is Egeria while you droped this video. After watching, I literally went on an euphoric filled RANT on how you can just delve into 1 aspect of the game and it will tie itself to already created narratives FLAWLESSLY! Genshin really feels like a poem or novel being written infront of our eyes by so many passionate and creative poeple. AND LIKE YOU SAID, FOR FREE! And it includes pretty colours.
Storytelling aside, let’s have some appreciation for her voice actor for a record. Amber Lee Connors did went above and beyond for her. If you haven’t heard it yet, right after Fontaine act 1 go to the fountain. The way she’s able to express deep emotion, panic, and sadness are actually incredible. And after the archon quest her voice for, “real” Furina sounds, well, real. It’s realistic and different from her archon acting voice, but in a good way.
20:37 "if [natlan] doesn't compare to fontaine then that's fine because fontaine was a beautiful story" THIS like i of course have confidence that natlan's story will be great but genshin has already made its mark on storytelling with fontaine alone imo. Furina's whole character is so wonderfully gorgeous that I have already gotten what I wanted from hoyoverse. And on top of that their other games also have very beautiful stories like it almost makes me feel that they won't make natlan flop.
Genshins story is moving along so beautifully. When I first installed this game I wasn’t expecting much, just an anime rpg. But the intro hooked me right away. That first cutscene, is still one of my favourites to this day. I’m excited for the future of Genshins story because each patch turns it up a notch. Furina is also one of my favourite characters and Fontaines story, especially the finale was just incredible- so beautifully done. The entire Fontaine lineup is getting all my pulls. Just two elemental regions left- I’m so hyped for Natlan!
What I love about Genshin is just how much they’ve been improving with the storyline of each patch. I think the fact that each nation narratively represents a certain value helps them keep focused while still bringing such an interesting twist to the storylines we are so used to. Like justice in Fontaine ultimately culminating in the justice for its people, wrongfully convicted of a crime that shouldn’t have even been a crime in the first place was just incredible to me, not to mention the justice for Neuvilette as for the first time in centuries a dragon sovereign has regained the power stolen from them and then we have Furina….my favourite character who got the happy ending she and Focalors wanted all along. Their own justice. GOD SO MANY TEARS IN FONTAINE I AM SO EXCITED FOR NATLAN!!
I'm not an overly religious person (I'm still Catholic, but I'm open minded, accepting, and not a bible thumper hypocrite like some boomers), but when I progressed through the Fontaine Archon quest I honestly saw Furina as Jesus adjacent and the story as an excellent parallel of the story of Jesus. They form the Holy Trinity, Focalors as the Father (God), Furina as the Son (Jesus, the human incarnation of God), and the Holy Spirit (The Hydro Archon's 'divinity', their authority over Hydro). Furina can walk on water. The people persecuting Jesus (Furina being put on trial), and then in the end, Forgiving the 'sins' of humanity. I honestly want more religious people to see this and be touched by it and not treat videogames, TV shows, or movies they don't like as "the devil's distraction" or something stupid like that.
I like the comparison of the story telling in Genshin Impact to Elden Ring. I love both of the games, and wondered recently if there were people who loved such different games as I do, and there are! Also, it makes me feel connected to hear you talk about video games in a way that reveals their depth and value. I haven't gotten as far as you in Genshin but I was crying hot tears at the end of the Liyue Archon Quest, and when Yunjin sang Shenhe's story. Also, as someone who is gay and grew up religious with good and bad experiences, I enjoyed seeing Zhongli's interaction with the people of Liyue and him passing the power over to the people, all the while still being present in his absence. Thank you for your content and for bringing a community of people together!
What a beautiful video. And needed in a time where people adore to trash on Genshin for the most absurd reasons. The way you express yourself about the game is similar to mine. What you felt about Fontaine is how I felt about Sumeru. It truly grasped me completely. It's funny how you said how people think how Fontaine can be topped when they as well told that about Sumeru. The players should just trust the process by now. Adding the lore you talked about. Not only in the main story, but in the world with books, notes, world quests, notes, artifacts, story quests, character profiles, and limited events. It was so massive and fully fleshed out. And there is still much more to come. A masterful work of storytelling and worldbuilding even when it is not finished. The skill and talent to pull that off is out of this world. Besides the story, the gameplay is so much fun in various aspects like: combat, minigames, housing system, exploration, etc. The music that adds to the senses, feelings, and immersion. The design of each region. They are all meticulously crafted. This game is an experience, just as Garnet from SU says to Steven about fusion. And one of the most special experiences at that. As to why I don't pay mind to what preposterous notions some have because they don't get bestowed more free rewards(which by now, is the main complain people have, and is not really a flaw). Genshin has so much GOOD in it. Not just the music as the few say, but everything else. There are things that I desire to be better, but the overall game is too wonderful to cherry-pick those few faults I have and condemn it. Anyways, sorry for the long read. Again, the video was wondrous. Hopefully, you can go and watch the limited events stories around youtube. Some are tear-jerkers for sure.
So first of all I am glad you didn't "try to dislike" the game while trying it out and actually gave it a fair shot and I am happy to see you have enjoyed the story in the time you have played. There is one thing I want to mention to expand upon what you said about furina at 17:05 you say that focalor is the one who wants to experience humanity because she can't have that as a god but that's not quite how it went and what actually happened makes it even more tragic, focalor/furina and the people of fontain were originally all oceanids living with the previous hydro archon egeria, they saw the way of life of humanity and yearned for it so egeria tried to grant them their wish to become human but as she (to make it simple and not to get too deep into the lore) was too weak of a god to make true humans and there are gods with higher authority forbidding the creation of human life she made imperfect humans with primordial sea water and was punished for it by the prophecy of destruction that plays out, after egeria died focalors took over and now had to deal with this punishment in her stead with no fault of her own so she had to make the elaborate plan to scarifice herself we see play out in the quest, furina is not a different being from focalors per se she is basically her "self" split off from the divine aspect she gained when becoming an archon so the task focalors gives furina is really one she gives herself, focalors/furina take up the burden of sacrificing their divinity and hundreds of years of self expression for the benefit of the people of fontaine this makes the trial furina is put on all the more tragic the reason she cant be truthful to her people is that in her mind if she was they would all die And now add to these dramatic well thought out stories taht have even more added context if you know alot about the background of the world aspects that are teased and revealed years apart, for example we had known of skirk for years when she was revealed at the end of the fontaine archon quest, the fake sky mentioned in sumeru was also something we had known about for a verly long time, the sinners now layed out by dainsleif in a bedtime story were also known about and speculated upon. these moments are all the more incredible when they are sprinkled into an already great story if you have been invested in them for a long a time in the end everything just comes together so nicely to form a very long overarching narrative we can all enjoy in an evolving world
Furina feels so brittle from the very get go. Her literally meeting you at the gates of Fontaine to immediately address the "threat" she sees in you. In 500 years she has not gained the confidence to think, that a single traveler couldn't bring everything crashing down. I also love how while the dam is literally breaking in the fortress, your task as the hero is just to be her emotional support with the knave. In general Fontaine was very good at elevating the very personal to be on the same level of importance as the dramatic stakes of the plot. It never felt like one was taking away from the other.
furina as a character was so cool to watch throughout the story, as someone we first didn’t rlly trust to someone we suspected to someone we felt bad for. the way they wrote her, where so many hints and loose ends were left only to be revealed in the end was rlly well done for me. after finding out about her and focalors, you understand why she always behaved the way she did, you can understand and even imagine the amount of fear she must’ve felt whenever being called out, especially when we called her out. that absolute just crushing feeling, that state that we saw her in when she was claimed guilty, the whole “it was all for nothing” face she had, you look back after finding out the truth and realise what a weight she must’ve carried as a character, and how exhausting it must’ve been for her. it’s honestly rlly sad to see, and again as a queer person myself it can be very relatable to always be playing that character and the fear of being discovered that it’s all a facade
Furina is really amazing character for an Archon and almost perfect Parallel to the Archon who came before her Nahida. Both of their creators could not let things be the way they were so they created their incarnations as Furina and Nahida, entrusting them with the future that they could not be a part of. Nahida tho born an Archon did not have the wisdom of the Gods so she was isolated separated from what was rightfully hers. Even her own people didn't know her at all almost. And on the other end we have Furina who was the Vessel of a God who seperated her mind and body entrusted Furina the entire Nation of Fontaine to play the part of an Archon without any true power or Wisdom of the Archon. Nahida had no authority over her nation and it's governence yet she wanted nothing more then to save and protect her people the exact opposite of which was Furina who had the Authority but didn't know how to act on it while always trying her best. Furina became who the people wanted her to be while Nahida stuck to her path and did what she knew best. Both experienced similar yet opposite tragedies. And the end of their stories tho they got what they wanted how they reacted to that accomplishment says it all. Nahida rose to power and finally acknowledged as Sumeru's Archon, while Furina was released from her duty as an Archon Finally freeing herself from the weight of that responsibility. I was a bit Ironic seeing how Furina's obsession with theatrics began due to her longing for the trial that will save Fontaine and free her but when it actually takes place she's the one firmly trying oppose it even going as far as to say "I will use this trial to you the true meaning of Justice" that line just sent shivers down my spine and was the moment I really loved her character. Furina's character through Archon Quest also does a really amazing thing that we don't really notice in the previous Archon quests I mean it's there but we didn't really understand what it meant. Furina's character Arc shows or rather makes you experience the weight of what it means to be an Archon. We only true start to understand what the position of the Gods is when a human is pushed into the spotlight and named a God even though she is not. People question her with doubts whether she's a true Archon or not, through her act she convinced them that they can put their faith in her as the new Archon of Fountaine. That one personal interaction with Furina with a citizen's countless generations of her descendants following suit crushed her with the weight of time that had past. The Regret and guilt that she feels when she visit Poison again after she could not deliver on the faith that people put in her destroys her to the point where she almost confessed the truth to the traveller. This shows what kind of mental fortitude you need to be an Archon, what it truly means to be a God. Furina after the events of the story tho slowly recovering is still a bit traumatised and I believe the only cure for that is for her to come face to Face with the remaining Archons as they all wholeheartedly acknowledge her as a true Archon and one of the best at that.
I started in February and am also speed running through the archon quests and I also have to say that the story and world building just keep getting better with each region. One of my favorite things about Fontaine is how the animals and monsters interact with each other. They aren’t just mindlessly staring off into the distance but playing with each other and having fun. It’s so cute and I love exploring and looking for these interactions 🥰
The creative team at Hoyo have their brain on a level I can only wish to have mine one day, as a creator, as an artist… I view genshin as this sort of media that reminds me what sort of things I want to do, why I started to be an artist. I want to make a beautiful world that feels homey and at the same time fills you with wonder.
I was playing genshin since day 1, and in the early days I figured it would’ve been cute and something I’d play for a bit and never again But I was pleasantly surprised when the game kept CONSTANTLY getting better, and still continues to do so I love this game ❤
You are a genius and this video is the love letter I've always wanted to write to Genshin. Thank you for taking the time to get into this incredible story and going through so much detail. Keep up the amazing work, we love it!!
When 4.0 first came out and everyone was hating on Furina and calling her a brat and worse things, my heart broke to pieces because I really got the feeling that she was being misunderstood and judged for a very clear facade she was putting... and at the same time, it felt so surreal that the fandom in a way mirrored the people of Fontaine's perception of their archon (that one guy at the beginning referring to her as a 'mascot'). When the final act of Fontaine's chapter dropped, I felt oddly vindicated in a way as the community did a 180 on their opinions about her. How quick people can be to judge others!!! And as a neurodivergent person who has to constantly mask to not be bullied/ostracized in society, I also related so much to Furina's exhaustion from playing her role as the archon. Also another part about the Fontaine storyline that really reaaaally surprised me was the Vacher ending; I was expecting with mild disappointment that the meeting with the oceanid of his lover was going to be bittersweet and somehow try to justify his actions in a 'but he did it for love' type of trope; but the CHILLING (and deserved!) ending he got instead was like a bucket of cold water was thrown on my head from the unexpected-ness of it all 0_0 . And the added fact that the consequences of his actions continue to ripple as I complete more quests throughout Fontaine really hammers it home that the writers were more intent on showing how a crime of that magnitude affects so many lives, using the perspective of those left behind with their grief and the way their lives are now changed... It was never about Vacher, it was about the lives he took and their loved ones who now deal with the aftermath. And I LOVE that they took that storyline from that angle!!! I could go on and on about the Fontaine quest, but I'd be here typing my ramblings for hours, haha So I'll just end with saying that the storytelling and the characters make me absolutely love this game, flaws and all
i’ve been playing genshin since the day after it released, and i am always happy to see new fans enjoying the game because it often gets such a bad rep because of the fanbase. it also does have some very large flaws but its been such an important part of my life now bc of how many friends i made through it and the environment, music, characters, and most of all the story and lore always captivated me. i’ve been watching your tiktoks and it is so nice to see the story being appreciated for what it is. your analysis of furina was lovely, i also found myself relating to her a lot! im excited for you to play honkai star rail, i didn’t enjoy the first two planets but penacony was absolutely remarkable and i think you’ll love it since you loved fontaine!! its very narrative focused ❤️
I quickly fell in love with Furina even before I started the Fontaine archon quests. And I kept hearing about how much people loved her. And I was not dissapointed when I finally got to know her. Furina has quickly become one of my favorite characters in fiction through both the archon quests and her story quest. I relate to her so much because as a queer/neurodivergent person, I always keep hiding myself from the world and have issues with letting others know how I feel, and well as overcoming your fear of engaging with something associated with your trauma. And the way that is portrayed in Genshin through Furina is just so human and raw. Like Hoyoverse is really good at writing a character's internal struggles like with Shenhe, Ei, Nahida, and Wanderar in Genshin, or with some of the characters in Star Rail like Aventurine and Firefly. And while I'm not caught with it yet, I've heard a lot of praise towards Impact 3rd's characters. Furina's story is one of the rare ones that hit me so hard, I cried. Especially with the story quest. I played through both that and the final archon quest soon after I got an autism assessment earlier this year. And I was dealing with some thoughts related to it ( and still am ). So playing through Furina's story gave me so much comfort and reassurance and made me feel like I'm okay, and I'm not alone.
it's nice to see someone defending the game i love once in a while, unfortunately being a genshin fan is being constantly shitted by every community in existence
I always love seeing folks who didn’t like Gacha and Genshin come around to it because they recognize that the game is doing something more and the sincerity and hard work that goes into the worldbuilding and characters. Gacha has a bad reputation and it’s not necessarily unearned, but Genshin (and Hoyoverse’s other games as well) really rises above the pack because they care and put in so much effort for the story and the world and you can feel it. I’m never gonna complain that I get to experience something so wonderful like this for free. It gives me so much joy! ❤️
10:06 I've never met someone else perfect describe my own rational for why organized religion is important & culturally necessary. I've often tried having these convos with my atheist friends when they question how i could be catholic or try to get me to convince them g-d is real. A deity being real or not is not really the main point of religion as a whole & not something I can convince someone else of. Back to genshin impact, I really do love how deeply philosophical all the hoyo games are when you go deeper into the lore. They're constantly challenging Utilitarianism & hyper individualism. Does a being in power have a responsibility to protect ppl below them? Is locking them in a cage too far when they're unable to comprehend the outside threat? How much freedom do you give up for safety? What is 'just' when the people determining justice are inherently flawed? etc. Also, I was really shocked and surprised that the overall messaging with Focalors was land sovereignty & indigenous rights. I never expected a highly successful commercial game to take that kind of stance.
Can you please do a video ranking the story quests once you've done them all? I rarely see genshin content creators talk about story and lore, it's all about the meta. Keep up the good work 🫡
Genshin combines the storytelling method of Elden Ring. Most of the real lore of the game is hidden in items you find. The lore is the game, what you are playing is the aftermath of what was and it is the travellers duty to piece together what actually happened in order to understand the fate of his sister. This is in itself genius because it forces players to engage in the world. You could argue that the lore is hidden to well that is the same critic Elden Ring got these games share even more. Both are centered around a tree that controls fate with the original inhabitants being dragons.
As someone who is autistic, and heavily masked most of the time except for very very few people. I relate to Furina so so much. She to me perfectly incapsulates the feminine experience of autism. Trying to be yourself early on but quickly having to put on an act of someone you aren't to make others happy. To have yourself fit in. When I played through the final part of the Fontaine Archon quest I cried so hard because I felt so seen with Furina. Going into her mind, seeing how her thoughts really were. It was me. She is who I am, what I feel like. Proud Furina main since she was released, got her weapon because she deserves it, got Neuvilette so I could give her the best team possible. I love her so so so much. Also working on C6'ing her. I'm oing for C3 on her rerun.
You truly worded everything perfectly for me. I've loved the game since I started in 2020 and I've been in love with the lore and the writing, and the beauty of it all 😍 Yeah, I had to grind and try to improve in combat, but there's lore written about the artifacts and the weapons, and those got me really invested. 🥰
Louder on the Spirituality point. I'm a type of person who loves learning about different kind of religion, spirtuality and beliefs and the amount of reference I get from this game is Insanse. Ranging from Valentinian Gnosticism to Zoroastrianism to even Ainu Folk belief. That's just Incredible.
As a trans girl, i see furina as myself. ive never felt so seen in fiction. furinas extravagent, gaudy air is something i have developed through life as a defense mechanism against people. it keeps the flops, out, but also keeps out the good people.
I started playing during Inazuma and it's been really incredible watching the team behind Genshin Impact grow and improve - Fontaine's characters, it's story and even the new ways they've spun characters are incredible. And the game isn't anywhere near done- this story is just a little past halfway done. If they keep improving upon their writing and their characters and their themes I will stick with this game to see it to its finale. It's been a genuine joy watching you experience the story, hear your perspectives and watch this video!
Yet people focusing on the dev not being generous in giving FREE primos and rewards. Ignoring all the beauty of the world they created and storytelling lore etc, aren't these are well given rewards? the music? the scenery? I guess gacha addicts have different priorities
that would make sense if they were like indie, but they get millions and million every month and are the most profitable games right now. and they are able to fund their game from us the players, yet they didnt give back to us as its a 2 way street, that was the problem. also in gacha culture anniverssarys are INCREDIBLY important
@@breesnutz off game irl events, concerts, collabs, discovery, I'm sorry Genshin is not the most standard gacha culture you expected, they have been doing good deeds for the peoples instead of feeding your gacha addicts, your response proved it. This is why I like what genshin did, instead of feeding the addicts like most gacha especially what WuWa did, spoonfeeding tons of free pulls every time they made a bug mistake expecting player to play more, but Genshin don't do that, they encouraged you to interact with the irl world more rather than blindly addicts to the gacha, so yea no rewards still? Then I have no argument with gacha addiction like yourselves here. Let me add some advice for you, TOUCH SOME GRASS KID
@@breesnutz they did spend alot of offline event etc though? Or you just saying they are not feeding your gacha addicts perhaps? The Discovery they did recently, the concerts they did throughout the years, the sponsers they provided for those artist to do the hoyofair to provide some really good quality contents. So you consider free pulls is the only 2 way street reward system that legit will satisfy you? Then I have nothing to say to a gacha addict, is pointless. And yes I do went to one of the concert in Shanghai and the collabs they did in Japan, I felt rewarding subjecting to that, and I hope they continue to do it that way, is very positive to the society.
@h.o.p.e1415 I don't care about rewards mich since getting to 80 pity isn't hard we care about the quality of life features and issues the game has and the fact that the devs don't listen to the player base. watch literally any video and you will get it lol
I hated the way Furina acts at first, but after undestanding what she was created for and how she and focalors saw humans life as a theatre, i finally love her.. Her story of being forced and cursed to play on a role resonate with how I used to play a role of a "straight man" just to be safe (I live in a place where being openly gay possibly hinder my life). Nowadays I let loose sometimes but still not 100% open. I had friends as my support but it is still a lonely fight, i can only imagine what Furina felt as she only have herself for 500 years... I kinda don't like how the cast just left furina there and not care about her when the revelation happened, i also think furina deserve to be treated better by everyone after the archon quest, neuvi should've clear her name and told everyone the exact truth.. Even if she deceive everyone, she's as much a victim of egeria's choice.. She did her best and should be respected for that
very good video. at 1st i recall alot of people criticizing furina.. till they got to complete the story and realized who she really was and how she truly felt about things. from people hating on her to crying for her, that in it self to me means genshin is one of the best at story telling. as for how i felt about her, i loved her look from the start but i couldnt judge her till i understood her and once i did, watching her story play out.. i too saw myself in her, being trans i also lived out so many years as who people expected me to be and never allowing that mask to slip, no one seeing, knowing, feeling how and who i really was.. so i clearly related with her and her life and like you said its not just lgbtq everyone has sides they hide and thats why i think if people are honest with themselves everyone deep down will relate with her.
I'm glad I got to know another Genshin content creator who has a higher level of appreciation for the game and its creators other than Genshin being just a game. For the past 3 years, Genshin story telling has given me the best stories there ever is to experience in a video game.
This video makes me want to go back and just sit there and play through the story. I dropped genshin because it WAS so story heavy but I just didnt care, but seeing how passionate this specific region has affected so many people, I might just have to. This was a beautiful video, loved it.
I will say, being unable to skip multi hour long exposition is the major flaw of this game. I have dedicated like 4-10 hours a weekend for MONTHS to get to this point. Thankfully you can play thru the story with mostly week characters, but I would consider this game to be like watching a 100 hour east asian opera. Like a wuxia or kdrama. The writing is fantastic if you have the endurance
Here's my thoughts on Genshin's story: I do not want to oversimplify it to "People need more media exposure" or "It still has flaws so it's bad", but I do think that Genshin is in a unique place in storytelling because it exploded in a market that has really lacked stories like it. It tells stories that have made me tear up too, but it's also hitting an audience that is completely unexposed to the media it takes inspiration from. I do not think Genshin is the best story ever told in gaming. However, its popularity far outstrips any comparisons I could make, the games really pushing narrative integration are either niche indie titles, or not primarily known for their actual most interesting qualities. (Take Nier: Automata. it has some truly sublime moments fully utilizing its nature as a game, but it's mostly known for 2B having thick thighs, despite universal praise it still hasn't sold 10mil copies in 8+ years) (Well, I do have to give Undertale a mention for being a game pushing narrative and medium together that probably has had an even greater Impact in popular culture than Genshin) Genshin also draws from a lot a Eastern media traditions, and while that includes anime obviously, Chinese modern media, Japanese non-animated media, and indian and middle-eastern media all have unique, different ways of presenting stories and themes that Genshin draws from at various points that will feel completely new if you haven't gone out of your way to experience them. Anyway, that was a long ramble, Genshin still good, glad other people appreciate it too.
Beautiful analysis! I feel like you touched on the subjects of the story that rarely get discussed. Even as a veteran, who played since launch, for me Furina became one of my favorite characters so easily and so quickly, alongside with Wanderer (with him, it took time). There was something so special about her and I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but your words made it make perfect sense
Fontaine really blew me away, I adore every single Fontaine character and all of their arcs. Lyney really resonated with me and he is my all-time favorite, I was worried they'd just make him a typical swindling backstabbing magician but the duality between his show face, "plain old Lyney," and then his vulnerable side he won't even show his family. And when I read his, Lynette's, and Freminet's character stories oh my GOD-- idk his morals of family and cherishing them through the good, bad, and ugly just really sit well with me and I can relate to it deeply. I could yap about all the Fontaine characters though they're all so incredibly well-written 😭😭
The Fontaine archon quest felt like the big dramatic song number at the end of act 1 of a Broadway musical right before the intermission. Thank you for this video. I've had several friends drop genshin before doing Fontaine and many of them don't seem to understand why I'm so invested in sticking with Genshin now and I can only tell them "if you don't play through (or even just watch) the Fontaine Archon quest you won't be able to understand"
Agree with you, its good to see people in my recommendations talking about the positives, because all I see nowadays are just negative and criticizing without seeing the game as its whole, what the game is, but they compare it to other games and their mechaniques and forget what great story telling it got and in all its aspects which you cant compare to other games as every game is unique on its own. I feel related to Furina and Neuvillette the most, puting on a mask and let no one in of the danger of it all falling down onto you, feeling exposed and buring myself in things like work to forget my own problems, having trouble expressing myself and my emotions as I don't know who I am or want to be. Awesome video you got my sub and like
I have dedicated so much time to this story and it feels so great to see a person see that beauty beneath the facade of the "mobile game" notoriety. I am also playing Star Rail and I must say, it is fantastic. The story really picks up when you get to Penacony (the 4th explorable area) but it is a great ride until then too.
9:00 well said . I am an agnostic/atheist myself and yet I dont have to mock others fate and what they believe in. You earned a sub for understanding that seemingly a huge chunk of the world dont understand.
I’ve been struggling to accurately word/verbalize my full appreciation for Genshin and why I’m still hooked on it, and you delivered it all so elegantly and cleanly in just 20 min! I havent had the time nor privilege to dive deeper into all the lore and make my own analyses, so I’m very grateful for creators like you who are willing to put the time & effort into exploring and analyzing the world of Teyvat for us, and thereby give us a starting point to develop our own thoughts. You’ve just earned yourself a new subscriber; endless thank you’s! 💕💗
I enjoyed Sumeru's story a lot, play the whole Sumeru's quests, Archon, Character Story and World quests. All of them together brought the land of Sumeru to life. Whenever I stepped into the world of Vanarana (those cute lil mushrooms that only Sumeru kids can see.) I felt really peaceful haha. Inazuma was good, it was there where I started to really get immersed into the story, Sumeru brought it to a whole new level and Fontaine's Archon arc extended that height even further. However, the World Quests of Fontaine wise, only a few really caught my attention. Hoyo definitely set themselves a very high expectation from players for Natlan. I just wished that they could deliver a lot more Character Story quests. There are so much to build upon when there are over 70 characters in the game. Every character deserves more development than they're given.
great video! at first i was kind of reluctent to give genshin a try, but after i tried it i have played it consistentily for more than a year and half now! i think fontaine's archon quest is the best archon quest. i already liked genshin before fontaine, but fontaine is just next level. so many of my favorite characters now are from fontaine! and of course, furina. she's my favorite character in the game! i could go on and on about her honestly. i think what you said about furina's story from a queer perspective was interesting! i didn't even think about that but it makes total sense (i'm also queer haha). also furina's banner is in 5 days and i have saved up primos for 2 months to get her i WILL get her this time OR SO HELP ME
I was talking to myself saying that a great thing about video games is that we all take away something different from it, just as you said the same thing but in a slightly different way. The timing kinda gagged me😅
Very well said! It's tough because introspective players are the minority when it comes to mihoyo games and gacha in general, it feels disconnecting to hear the bigger part of the community partaking in drama on things that are just really is so inconsequential compared to what the game has to offer. I hope you consider making highlights of your playthrough someday.
I’m doing a third Genshin account where I’m focusing on lore, tbh liyue and mondstadt lore don’t interest me much but from inazuma onwards it does. So I’m p,anning on staying in each region until I can understand the lore and characters all as much as possible and I’m having the most fun cuz I’m just walking around, talking to npcs, picking berries and books, super fun lmao. I’m planning to usein game lore and make theories and then watch lore yt to make more connections
If you can, I would suggest watching the previous events on RUclips. There is so much lore hidden in them ! As for the lore of the game, I don't think the players all realized how deep it can be ! Ashikai made very interesting lore videos. Now that you have finished the archon quests, the main world quests are full of lore... But please, take your time ! There is so much content, you don't need to rush.
What I love about Genshin is not only the different spirituality systems it uses, but how it show’s different cultures and how it opens up a discussion into them. I’ve learned so much because people from these cultures will come and explain aspects used in the game and I e done the very same for my own culture. I can’t explain how it feels to have your culture representation positively when generally media only brings up the bad aspects.
I really like your perspective on this game. Genshin just does such a good job at world building and creating a unique and interesting story. And judging by my profile picture you can probably tell that I really like Furina. I don’t have much to add to what you alrrady mentioned but I can talk about my own experiences. I see myself in Furina. I am not queer, or trans, or autistic or anything but I really relate to Furina because I too had to pretend to be someone I‘m not. As a kid I often was told I was annoying, simply because the way I showed love and trust wasn’t how people expected. I was told I was weird and annoying and as a result I went into myself and closed myself of from the world. I became quiet and just stopped being who I am. Sure the parts I was showing others were still in a sense part of who I was but they were subdued. Even to this day when I let myself be who I am in the safety of my own home my mom tells me not to do that because people will think I‘m weird. When I played the Fontaine story quest I felt seen in Furina because she too had to act the way others expected her to act like, closing her real self off from the world.
Furina is the most relatable character ever to me, with how she was made to fake her entire personality and self just to be good enough for the people and accepted.
Love this review! I'd already planned on playing this game long before it was released just cuz the graphics and the character designs looked amazing for a game that can be played on mobile too! Honestly expected this to another cash-grab, considering most mobile RPGs are, and I was perfectly fine with that. But I really didn't expect the storytelling to pull me in so much that I've continued to play this even now, no matter how many hard pities I've had to hit! 😅 They'd have to pry this game from my cold dead hands lol
The thing that I love is that there is sooo much more to what the archon quests tell you, every single character has a unique and very detailed stories and real life inspirations from religions and cultures, from clothing to names to colors to mythologies from all over the world... I just am exited to see how every region from now is going to step up our expectations, considering the planning they have been doing for all these years, considering up until now every quest has been "filler" to get to the real story and goal that is going to start from snezhnaya
this is what ive been saying!! i think you reallg touch on how the genshin story slowly starts getting better and better to the point of such a beautiful story in fontaine
A reason i love you as a content creator is your very nuanced but refreshing take on video games! This video is a masterpiece! You really shine in long form content like this. 💕💕
I may have stopped playing Genshin, but I am glad to see a video essay understanding the way they wish to tell their stories so well. Sadly so many just write it off so easily because it’s a Gacha, calling it a rip off of other games or just because it’s not their thing (story telling/fighting gameplay wise) and insult them and their players. They may hit or miss in their game’s patches from time to time but they really do try their best. Great video! 👏🏽👏🏽
For me, Genshin is a game about loss, grieving and letting go. Every world quest and every quest driving the main story is about losing someone/something, letting go, making your peace with it, going on with your life. It's the thing that always stands out for me.
this is one of the first games ever where I see that the money that they have garnered has gone back into improving the art quality, I know you’re just focusing on the story right now but when you get into world quests and stuff the lore will explode even more trust me. Also, genshin has some of the best in game soundtracks i’ve ever heard, if you can get into those it is incredible.
ever since the girlypop tier list video i've been tuning in to your fontaine archon quest streams!! they have been such a delight. pls keep doing what ur doing 💖💖💖
After finishing the fontaine archon quest, re-watch the demo and the lyrics translation of the French song that played. You will now understand her demo more deeply. To whoever is behind all this, scriptwriter or any, they deserve a raise.
![Chlöe - Shake (Feat. Jeremih) [Official Visualizer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/aDs_1ufpfv8/mqdefault.jpg)
![Kachina is FREE! [Genshin Impact Geo Only]](/img/1.gif)
If hoyoverse has anything to flex, it's their creative bank. That company is full of insanely creative people. There are some misses here and there, but they've always had a banger, whether it's character design, storytelling, or thematics.
and music. That music slaps every single time
Their stories has soul/heart even in their worst execution(inazuma) they explore their themes and concepts well. And the world quests, in-game books, and archon quest, how it all connect to each other is insane. Combined that with the gorgeous Open-World... im just grateful this game exists
💯 💯💯 and that's not even including the phenomenal music score. I love this game sm. playing since 2.1 and haven't gotten bored yet
If you play close attention, the storytelling devices used in the regions of genshin often have identifiable roots in the culture the region is influenced by. Liyue's writing feels like a chinese novel (think Xianxia and wuxia), Inazuma feels like jumping into a shounen, and Fountain is a front row seat to a French opera. I've love the approach Genshin takes to storytelling, my only wish is that certain chapters would be condensed a bit. The community has long complained about the "dialogue bloat"
The dialogue is a fruit of localization issues. We have several cases of something being a regular sentence in Chinesa and several lines in English. Even then there’s a lot of nuance that is lost simply because both languages structure is really different.
So we are getting a drama novel for natlan? I love em and if that is the case i already intend there are gonna be a lot of faked deaths and burned houses and maybe kidnapping involved and like while all of that happens a subtle romantic subtrama in the background to balance everything out
When I spend money on this game, I feel like I'm paying for an extraordinary experience. The world is beautifully crafted, the story is compelling, and the music?? THE MUSIC??? Worth every penny (not me justifying my financial irresponsibility)
As an artist I feel similarly haha, when I spend money on genshin it’s not me ‘whaling’, it’s just an artist supporting the (probably) hundreds of artists (whether it be concept artists, character artists, video editors, composers, musicians, animators, game designers, etc etc ETC.) that contribute to making this amazing game the piece of art that it is.
After finishing Liyue chapter, being blow away by the boss fights and epic cutscenes, their music! It hit me... THIS GAME IS FREE!?
I Actually felt bad that I hadn't paid anything for all that incredible experience.
oh my god yes the music is STUNNING, i love listening to it when im studying
@@inspectorwhoreacts Wait for Sumeru. The first time I walked into Port Ormos I just stopped there and listened to the music.
In my opinion, Furina is one of the best written characters in modern media and I don't exactly have more to say that you didn't already but I mentioned this in one of your streams that I think it so sad that Furina is meant to be this godly figure but is one of the most human characters in any media i have seen - including live TV and movies. She is so relatable and I have saved up 235+ wishes for her because I adore her so deeply (I am terrible at saving in genshin and other gachas, like pull the second I have enough)
i wrote my english final on her and i yapped sm my prof decided to play genshin
@@KakoThePoet w professor
As a queer person with some religious trauma, I have similar feeling towards Wanderer that you have towards Furina. The idea of feeling rejected by your creator for something out of your control, the feeling of desiring to be one thing but being convinced you can't because of some thing you inheritely lack, the journey to healing and finding one's identity. Genshin has an amazing way to make its characters so deeply entrenched into the fantasy world building, yet so relatable
The fuk are you saying
The fk are you saying. Touch some grass outside lol
@@Amacherasu just say youre illiterate and leave
@@Amacherasu why're you on a video like this if you don't care to practice literacy
I feel the same way about Wanderer... He gives me such great comfort. Ei too. It's interesting to see that both mom and son give me such relatable experiences that I can see myself in.
I heard that most people didn't like Furina because she was like another version of Fischl but as people progress through the Fontaine story arc & seen what she had to go through, they start to really like Furina. However, as for me. I liked Furina from the day she was introduced. I liked her unique personality & look. And when I saw what she went through for 500 years, I almost cried. Now, she is one of my favorite characters in the game. I even have a C3 Furina to use. So I agree that Furina is a well written character & one of the best.
I honestly never understood the Fischl and Furina similarities- is it because they both spoke loudly?
Like Fischl talks confidently but doesn’t make sense when she talks but she has Oz, Whereas Furina, just spoke loudly and confidently, but you could understood what she was saying.
Edit: sorry my English isn’t very good 😅
@@otakuwhat_ At first I didn't get it either. But when I first saw Fischl, she acts like a Chunibyo character & she even does the "Evil Eye" reference. And at first introduction to Furina, she kinda reminded me of a Chunibyo. If you look at the two characters when they are first introduced they seem similar, although Fischl is a reference to a Chunibyo character & Furina was just acting a part.
Even if they were similar both are still really good characters 💀 personally as somebody that really enjoys the character that fischl represents (playing up a persona despite being very self aware) I would take that as a compliment for furina's character!
@@NatWarrior1as someone who cried watching fischl's backstory during 2.8 ... Agreed
I really thought this was going to be such a dramatic little anime game when I started in 2021, but its so much more than that. You and the community keep opening my eyes more and more about the background of characters and the story itself instead of just knowing their general lore. Plus the inside community lore we have makes the game feel so much more fun too 😭🩵
With the ‘marvelization’ of stories and just overall predictability (i literally couldn’t watch the new atla remake on netflix the amount of times me and my friends almost died from the awful writing…💀), Hoyo really is a breath of fresh air. And even though their execution isn’t always great (yapmiya/fortress of meropide incident) one thing they will always deliver on is their sincerity in telling stories that they want to tell.
I especially love the way they handle lore and worldbuilding; they take a dark souls approach and hide interesting lore in descriptions. I legitimately feel like a silly little archeologist whenever i uncover some new lore titbit that connects to another lore titbit.
Vacher... Vacher... Vacher... Drown.
Trivia: He is based on a real life serial murderer Joseph Vacher.
I love, LOVE Furina. Her story resonated with me because of her loneliness.
Back when I lived with my parents I felt alone. Stuck in a routine. I hardly talked to people because of how I felt at home. My friends told me on the few occasions we hung out that I looked burnt out and exhausted, but I had no idea. I barely paid attention to how I was feeling, because I at one point looked into myself and felt myself unraveling from my work. I was exhausted to the point I couldn't feel the encroaching exhaustion. I just knew that I needed money and I wanted to move out. So I stopped trying to listen to my body's cries of physical and mental exhaustion and pushed forward. For about four months after I moved out, I didnt realize that I didn't move on from this mindset, until I got struck down with either a cold or covid for long enough that my job let me go. When I did get a new job though, I wasn't being run ragged. Whether it was by myself or the workplace, most likely both, I had ran myself to absolute exhaustion before that and then... I was free. For a time, but it was enough to reorient myself and become me again.
Furina made me feel seen. But because of my own feelings, all I can say is that I wish to hug her now. Because hugs made me feel far more grounded and happy after that experience, and I dont think she really got any of the hugs she needed. Even a girlboss needs rest.
The spiritual aspect in Genshin is crazy levels of well thought: It pretty much encompasses ALL human religions, none skipped, and does it coherently while staying parallels that actual religion scholars are just "now" discussing, like the rise of proto-christianity in detriment of the politeist stuff that pre-dated it from all sides (Sumeru is absurdly lore heavy in that regard).
This is gonna be a long comment but your video was a breath of fresh air and it made me want to act out on my frustration that Fontaine and Furina aren't getting the critical examination and praise they deserve.
Fontaine genuinely has the best, most complex writing I've seen in the medium. While Disco Elysium has it beat by a mile in terms of prose and the sheer beauty of its poetic words, Fontaine is peerless when it comes to actual narrative. It should be written about by journalists and dissected in essays because writers, even experienced ones, can learn so much from it. I won't bother throwing out superficial praises like it being emotional and fun, or having basic competencies like character agency, arcs, pacing, etc. It does, as many stories do. I'm more interested in how it nails realizing the full potential of its themes. This is something that's missing in a lot of modern writing, not just video games. Fontaine takes an unusual combination of themes (court and opera) and makes full use of both of them, outdoing our expectations of its scope multiple times. On the court side you obviously have the trials and the question of what justice really is, but then you also learn that the point of everything for the past 500 years was all for the sake of one man making one verdict, and making sure he gives the right one. On the opera side it's even more complex, with multiple reversals of roles and re-framings of the story itself. The trials are plays, Furina's whole life is a play, Fontaine and its history are a play for an audience of one, and that audience member himself turns out to be a pivotal character one the final stage in the end. Focalor's last words, "Farewell Neuvilette..I hope you enjoyed the part you played these 500 years," are where it all clicks and comes together beautifully. Two seemingly opposing themes intertwined and expanded on to their full potential. This is how you write a thematic core, god dammit. Not to mention the lore implications and foreshadowing about the whole of Teyvat being a play and us, the player, a spectator.
Additionaly, choosing a unique combination of themes enables your story to utilize incredible imagery that your audience won't see anywhere else. I'll never forget that final cutscene, and I can't get the image of a lonely god doing one last dance on a dreamlike stage followed around by the spotlight cast by a glowing guillotine out of my head. It's so beautiful.
Then there's also the Biblical allegory. Because of course there is. Furina/Focalors is literally Jesus, walking on water and sacrificing herself to rid her people of the original sin that would see them be wiped out in a flood...it's obvious. Many stories wear existing folklore or literature as a nice coat of paint to add more richness in symbolism (or just to look cool or be pretentious) but in my opinion you have to actually do something interesting with the allegory for it to be worth it. And Fontaine does something I've never seen a story do: it puts the protagonist in the role of Satan.
Instead of saving the day as we do in every other nation, our role in the story of Fontaine is to seed doubts about Furina's divinity, try to prove she is not a god, and tempt her at her lowest. We give her wonderful excuses to stray from the right path: "This one time is okay, you've worked hard, you deserve this one break, it's your last chance, I'm different, you can trust me." Not only are we her ultimate test of will, we are her last. Her final trial before salvation. If she caved there, it would be the most disastrous time to give in to temptation as we were tricking her and the secret would be out before all of Fontaine. And yet despite everything she prevails and the day is saved. I've never seen a story do this, much less a video game where the player is the one who has to uncover the truth at all costs, get confided in by all the pretty NPCs, and recieve accolades after saving the day. This moment was something really special as it challenges the most fundamental tropes of the medium without going all 4th wall breaky "lol this is a video game ain't that funny? Imma delete your files" type of way.
Honestly this comment is hard to write as for every point I touch on I feel like I have to expand massively to truly convey how impressive it is, as well as realize it connects with 5 different points that also branch out. So instead I'll just gush about Furina as she's just the fucking best.
Now, I know a lot of people tend to justify loving a character by saying it resonates with them or is relateable, which is completely fine, but the most objective praise I can give to Furina is that I do not relate to her in the slightest. She is pretty much the opposite of me in every way. There is nothing about her that resonates with my personal experiences. And yet she is tied for my favorite character of all time. The only other character I love as much as her is Harrier Du Bois, and he is literally me. A bitter alcoholic just like me, who can't get over his ex for over a decade just like me, who thinks like me and speaks like me, who has the same virtues and same flaws as me. Furina needs none of that. All the love I have for her stems purely from her objective qualities. She's just that well written. Much of that is due to Fontaine being a fantastic story, but she's its beating heart and it wouldn't be as good if she wasn't so great. She's beautifully realized to the point watching the Archon Quest on RUclips just gives you more appreciation for her and the story after knowing the truth. She's a tragedy in plain sight all the way, and also the most inspiring character I can think of. Just a tiny, frail human possessing the willpower of a god. She makes getting through the day easier. Every time I want to make an excuse for myself I think of her story and I find some nugget of willpower in me to do whatever it is I have to do. I've quit drinking because of Furina. And while that might be funny, considering she's an anime gatcha game character, it has turned my life around. Not even Harrier managed to make me quit. For months now I haven't missed a single day of going to the gym, and I haven't faltered even once in my diet. I've never managed to do that before experiencing Fontaine's story. And the thing is, I don't think it's enough for a character to just have incredible willpower. No, Furina works because despite possessing such an over-the-top admirable trait, the writers managed to make her feel so human at the same time. Especially during her story quest, she's one of the most down to earth and real fictional characters I've come accross. She reacts how I'd imagine a real person in her shoes to react, she copes and fails to cope so painfully human, and moves forward with real words of advice that can help real people. I could imagine her existing in the real world, meeting her and having an actual conversation that would feel real. And that's the secret sauce. If you make a well-rounded, complex, human character, and give them one of the most inspiring stories out there, you can write something that has the power to change someone's life. And that's the holy grail of writing.
I just love this arc, man. I started playing the game because other people begged me to, citing Fontaine as the reason, and I went in with high expectations. Somehow, it exceeded them.
Wow this was incredibly insightful. I totally understand the feeling of wanting to say more but literally being prevented from doing so from the sheer amount of labor required. I think its why I started using audio and video.
I just want to touch on something that I really liked in the beginning. I never considered the writing STYLE and how it adds finesse to storytelling. Obviously, it makes so much sense, but reading it helps me to understand why I loved disco elysium so much.
This is interesting because, I feel the same about DE where I dont actually relate a lot to the main character, but the story and style helped me to explore a perspective that I normally wouldnt be able to delve into.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. My INTP brain is enriched 💖💖
i just wanted to say that this is a beautiful comment. i havent cried reading something in a while, but i couldn’t help it… this was very inspiring. thank you for sharing this
As a viewer, and long term Genshin enjoyer, I really appreciate how you were able to open yourself up to it and the reverence you have for the artistic aspect of it... also... as much as I want to say Nahida is the best Archon... Furina has my heart.
When I say not only did I cry for Furina but the archon quest and how she really is that girl made me c2 her immediately. I also really appreciate your open mindedness towards Genshin.
I’m so happy Genshin is getting a proper celebrity endorsement! thank you Phaun! I love watching sharing your content with all my friends, especially your Genshin reactions and streams
He's a celebrity!?
Where do they make reactions and streeams?
Best new game in a long time, furinas english VA really did such an amazing job
They're the BEST!
honestly one of my favorite aspects of the game is the underlying and continuous motifs present through each region, and how through every single little world quest, they find a way to include a beautiful message. the most important part of any story, to me, is the lesson the writers are attempting to teach the audience, and genshin impact has an abundance of it. theres of course overarching themes of moving on past loss and a heavy motif of anti-colonialism(which i could speak on for ages); but each chapter of archon quest also has it's own topics that it covers, and i find that really special.
each nation covers the overall motif of the land (freedom, justice, eternity, etc) but also in turn shows the opposite of these ideals, and the different ways they can be interpreted. i really loved inazuma for portraying how both tradition and innovation are important, and can coexist together--and also showing how the refusal to accept modernity will eventually cause harm. fontaine also stands out to me in the way that hoyo gives us tons of characters with different perspectives on how justice should be upheld (ie the juxtaposition of Clorinde and Navia's relationship and how they view the court's system of allowing duels to death).
i also really love how they stick certain with symbolisms with their story beats to foreshadow the greater plot of the game. for example, the usage of tragedy with twins in every nation. and with the music as well, they include leitmotifs that represent certain areas in the lore, and when you catch them you can start to understand deeper connections in the stories being told.
i treat each story given to us by hoyoverse as a fable, and can clearly see the lessons they are trying to teach in every quest. i wish more people would look past the gachapon and "anime waifu" part of the game and actually play it for what it's worth.
It's not a problem. Yap for all day and we'll be here to hear it
I was just reading about one of the background characters that are very important to the Lore of the game, specifically fontaine, that is Egeria while you droped this video. After watching, I literally went on an euphoric filled RANT on how you can just delve into 1 aspect of the game and it will tie itself to already created narratives FLAWLESSLY! Genshin really feels like a poem or novel being written infront of our eyes by so many passionate and creative poeple. AND LIKE YOU SAID, FOR FREE! And it includes pretty colours.
Storytelling aside, let’s have some appreciation for her voice actor for a record.
Amber Lee Connors did went above and beyond for her.
If you haven’t heard it yet, right after Fontaine act 1 go to the fountain. The way she’s able to express deep emotion, panic, and sadness are actually incredible.
And after the archon quest her voice for, “real” Furina sounds, well, real. It’s realistic and different from her archon acting voice, but in a good way.
20:37 "if [natlan] doesn't compare to fontaine then that's fine because fontaine was a beautiful story" THIS like i of course have confidence that natlan's story will be great but genshin has already made its mark on storytelling with fontaine alone imo. Furina's whole character is so wonderfully gorgeous that I have already gotten what I wanted from hoyoverse. And on top of that their other games also have very beautiful stories like it almost makes me feel that they won't make natlan flop.
Genshins story is moving along so beautifully. When I first installed this game I wasn’t expecting much, just an anime rpg. But the intro hooked me right away. That first cutscene, is still one of my favourites to this day. I’m excited for the future of Genshins story because each patch turns it up a notch. Furina is also one of my favourite characters and Fontaines story, especially the finale was just incredible- so beautifully done. The entire Fontaine lineup is getting all my pulls.
Just two elemental regions left- I’m so hyped for Natlan!
What I love about Genshin is just how much they’ve been improving with the storyline of each patch. I think the fact that each nation narratively represents a certain value helps them keep focused while still bringing such an interesting twist to the storylines we are so used to. Like justice in Fontaine ultimately culminating in the justice for its people, wrongfully convicted of a crime that shouldn’t have even been a crime in the first place was just incredible to me, not to mention the justice for Neuvilette as for the first time in centuries a dragon sovereign has regained the power stolen from them and then we have Furina….my favourite character who got the happy ending she and Focalors wanted all along. Their own justice.
GOD SO MANY TEARS IN FONTAINE I AM SO EXCITED FOR NATLAN!!
I'm not an overly religious person (I'm still Catholic, but I'm open minded, accepting, and not a bible thumper hypocrite like some boomers), but when I progressed through the Fontaine Archon quest I honestly saw Furina as Jesus adjacent and the story as an excellent parallel of the story of Jesus.
They form the Holy Trinity, Focalors as the Father (God), Furina as the Son (Jesus, the human incarnation of God), and the Holy Spirit (The Hydro Archon's 'divinity', their authority over Hydro). Furina can walk on water. The people persecuting Jesus (Furina being put on trial), and then in the end, Forgiving the 'sins' of humanity.
I honestly want more religious people to see this and be touched by it and not treat videogames, TV shows, or movies they don't like as "the devil's distraction" or something stupid like that.
I like the comparison of the story telling in Genshin Impact to Elden Ring. I love both of the games, and wondered recently if there were people who loved such different games as I do, and there are! Also, it makes me feel connected to hear you talk about video games in a way that reveals their depth and value. I haven't gotten as far as you in Genshin but I was crying hot tears at the end of the Liyue Archon Quest, and when Yunjin sang Shenhe's story. Also, as someone who is gay and grew up religious with good and bad experiences, I enjoyed seeing Zhongli's interaction with the people of Liyue and him passing the power over to the people, all the while still being present in his absence. Thank you for your content and for bringing a community of people together!
What a beautiful video. And needed in a time where people adore to trash on Genshin for the most absurd reasons.
The way you express yourself about the game is similar to mine. What you felt about Fontaine is how I felt about Sumeru. It truly grasped me completely. It's funny how you said how people think how Fontaine can be topped when they as well told that about Sumeru. The players should just trust the process by now.
Adding the lore you talked about. Not only in the main story, but in the world with books, notes, world quests, notes, artifacts, story quests, character profiles, and limited events. It was so massive and fully fleshed out. And there is still much more to come. A masterful work of storytelling and worldbuilding even when it is not finished. The skill and talent to pull that off is out of this world.
Besides the story, the gameplay is so much fun in various aspects like: combat, minigames, housing system, exploration, etc. The music that adds to the senses, feelings, and immersion. The design of each region. They are all meticulously crafted.
This game is an experience, just as Garnet from SU says to Steven about fusion. And one of the most special experiences at that.
As to why I don't pay mind to what preposterous notions some have because they don't get bestowed more free rewards(which by now, is the main complain people have, and is not really a flaw). Genshin has so much GOOD in it. Not just the music as the few say, but everything else. There are things that I desire to be better, but the overall game is too wonderful to cherry-pick those few faults I have and condemn it.
Anyways, sorry for the long read. Again, the video was wondrous. Hopefully, you can go and watch the limited events stories around youtube. Some are tear-jerkers for sure.
So first of all I am glad you didn't "try to dislike" the game while trying it out and actually gave it a fair shot and I am happy to see you have enjoyed the story in the time you have played. There is one thing I want to mention to expand upon what you said about furina at 17:05 you say that focalor is the one who wants to experience humanity because she can't have that as a god but that's not quite how it went and what actually happened makes it even more tragic, focalor/furina and the people of fontain were originally all oceanids living with the previous hydro archon egeria, they saw the way of life of humanity and yearned for it so egeria tried to grant them their wish to become human but as she (to make it simple and not to get too deep into the lore) was too weak of a god to make true humans and there are gods with higher authority forbidding the creation of human life she made imperfect humans with primordial sea water and was punished for it by the prophecy of destruction that plays out, after egeria died focalors took over and now had to deal with this punishment in her stead with no fault of her own so she had to make the elaborate plan to scarifice herself we see play out in the quest, furina is not a different being from focalors per se she is basically her "self" split off from the divine aspect she gained when becoming an archon so the task focalors gives furina is really one she gives herself, focalors/furina take up the burden of sacrificing their divinity and hundreds of years of self expression for the benefit of the people of fontaine this makes the trial furina is put on all the more tragic the reason she cant be truthful to her people is that in her mind if she was they would all die
And now add to these dramatic well thought out stories taht have even more added context if you know alot about the background of the world aspects that are teased and revealed years apart, for example we had known of skirk for years when she was revealed at the end of the fontaine archon quest, the fake sky mentioned in sumeru was also something we had known about for a verly long time, the sinners now layed out by dainsleif in a bedtime story were also known about and speculated upon. these moments are all the more incredible when they are sprinkled into an already great story if you have been invested in them for a long a time in the end everything just comes together so nicely to form a very long overarching narrative we can all enjoy in an evolving world
I played this quest months ago and it still hits me with emotion just thinking about it that I tear up.
Furina feels so brittle from the very get go. Her literally meeting you at the gates of Fontaine to immediately address the "threat" she sees in you. In 500 years she has not gained the confidence to think, that a single traveler couldn't bring everything crashing down. I also love how while the dam is literally breaking in the fortress, your task as the hero is just to be her emotional support with the knave. In general Fontaine was very good at elevating the very personal to be on the same level of importance as the dramatic stakes of the plot. It never felt like one was taking away from the other.
furina as a character was so cool to watch throughout the story, as someone we first didn’t rlly trust to someone we suspected to someone we felt bad for. the way they wrote her, where so many hints and loose ends were left only to be revealed in the end was rlly well done for me. after finding out about her and focalors, you understand why she always behaved the way she did, you can understand and even imagine the amount of fear she must’ve felt whenever being called out, especially when we called her out. that absolute just crushing feeling, that state that we saw her in when she was claimed guilty, the whole “it was all for nothing” face she had, you look back after finding out the truth and realise what a weight she must’ve carried as a character, and how exhausting it must’ve been for her. it’s honestly rlly sad to see, and again as a queer person myself it can be very relatable to always be playing that character and the fear of being discovered that it’s all a facade
Furina is really amazing character for an Archon and almost perfect Parallel to the Archon who came before her Nahida. Both of their creators could not let things be the way they were so they created their incarnations as Furina and Nahida, entrusting them with the future that they could not be a part of.
Nahida tho born an Archon did not have the wisdom of the Gods so she was isolated separated from what was rightfully hers. Even her own people didn't know her at all almost.
And on the other end we have
Furina who was the Vessel of a God who seperated her mind and body entrusted Furina the entire Nation of Fontaine to play the part of an Archon without any true power or Wisdom of the Archon. Nahida had no authority over her nation and it's governence yet she wanted nothing more then to save and protect her people the exact opposite of which was Furina who had the Authority but didn't know how to act on it while always trying her best.
Furina became who the people wanted her to be while Nahida stuck to her path and did what she knew best. Both experienced similar yet opposite tragedies. And the end of their stories tho they got what they wanted how they reacted to that accomplishment says it all.
Nahida rose to power and finally acknowledged as Sumeru's Archon, while Furina was released from her duty as an Archon Finally freeing herself from the weight of that responsibility.
I was a bit Ironic seeing how Furina's obsession with theatrics began due to her longing for the trial that will save Fontaine and free her but when it actually takes place she's the one firmly trying oppose it even going as far as to say "I will use this trial to you the true meaning of Justice" that line just sent shivers down my spine and was the moment I really loved her character.
Furina's character through Archon Quest also does a really amazing thing that we don't really notice in the previous Archon quests I mean it's there but we didn't really understand what it meant. Furina's character Arc shows or rather makes you experience the weight of what it means to be an Archon. We only true start to understand what the position of the Gods is when a human is pushed into the spotlight and named a God even though she is not. People question her with doubts whether she's a true Archon or not, through her act she convinced them that they can put their faith in her as the new Archon of Fountaine. That one personal interaction with Furina with a citizen's countless generations of her descendants following suit crushed her with the weight of time that had past. The Regret and guilt that she feels when she visit Poison again after she could not deliver on the faith that people put in her destroys her to the point where she almost confessed the truth to the traveller. This shows what kind of mental fortitude you need to be an Archon, what it truly means to be a God.
Furina after the events of the story tho slowly recovering is still a bit traumatised and I believe the only cure for that is for her to come face to Face with the remaining Archons as they all wholeheartedly acknowledge her as a true Archon and one of the best at that.
I started in February and am also speed running through the archon quests and I also have to say that the story and world building just keep getting better with each region. One of my favorite things about Fontaine is how the animals and monsters interact with each other. They aren’t just mindlessly staring off into the distance but playing with each other and having fun. It’s so cute and I love exploring and looking for these interactions 🥰
The creative team at Hoyo have their brain on a level I can only wish to have mine one day, as a creator, as an artist… I view genshin as this sort of media that reminds me what sort of things I want to do, why I started to be an artist. I want to make a beautiful world that feels homey and at the same time fills you with wonder.
I was playing genshin since day 1, and in the early days I figured it would’ve been cute and something I’d play for a bit and never again
But I was pleasantly surprised when the game kept CONSTANTLY getting better, and still continues to do so
I love this game ❤
You are a genius and this video is the love letter I've always wanted to write to Genshin. Thank you for taking the time to get into this incredible story and going through so much detail. Keep up the amazing work, we love it!!
When 4.0 first came out and everyone was hating on Furina and calling her a brat and worse things, my heart broke to pieces because I really got the feeling that she was being misunderstood and judged for a very clear facade she was putting... and at the same time, it felt so surreal that the fandom in a way mirrored the people of Fontaine's perception of their archon (that one guy at the beginning referring to her as a 'mascot'). When the final act of Fontaine's chapter dropped, I felt oddly vindicated in a way as the community did a 180 on their opinions about her. How quick people can be to judge others!!! And as a neurodivergent person who has to constantly mask to not be bullied/ostracized in society, I also related so much to Furina's exhaustion from playing her role as the archon.
Also another part about the Fontaine storyline that really reaaaally surprised me was the Vacher ending; I was expecting with mild disappointment that the meeting with the oceanid of his lover was going to be bittersweet and somehow try to justify his actions in a 'but he did it for love' type of trope; but the CHILLING (and deserved!) ending he got instead was like a bucket of cold water was thrown on my head from the unexpected-ness of it all 0_0 . And the added fact that the consequences of his actions continue to ripple as I complete more quests throughout Fontaine really hammers it home that the writers were more intent on showing how a crime of that magnitude affects so many lives, using the perspective of those left behind with their grief and the way their lives are now changed... It was never about Vacher, it was about the lives he took and their loved ones who now deal with the aftermath. And I LOVE that they took that storyline from that angle!!!
I could go on and on about the Fontaine quest, but I'd be here typing my ramblings for hours, haha
So I'll just end with saying that the storytelling and the characters make me absolutely love this game, flaws and all
I really hope you play Furina and Neuvillette story quests right after this. You WILL LOVE IT!!
i’ve been playing genshin since the day after it released, and i am always happy to see new fans enjoying the game because it often gets such a bad rep because of the fanbase. it also does have some very large flaws but its been such an important part of my life now bc of how many friends i made through it and the environment, music, characters, and most of all the story and lore always captivated me. i’ve been watching your tiktoks and it is so nice to see the story being appreciated for what it is. your analysis of furina was lovely, i also found myself relating to her a lot! im excited for you to play honkai star rail, i didn’t enjoy the first two planets but penacony was absolutely remarkable and i think you’ll love it since you loved fontaine!! its very narrative focused ❤️
I quickly fell in love with Furina even before I started the Fontaine archon quests. And I kept hearing about how much people loved her. And I was not dissapointed when I finally got to know her. Furina has quickly become one of my favorite characters in fiction through both the archon quests and her story quest. I relate to her so much because as a queer/neurodivergent person, I always keep hiding myself from the world and have issues with letting others know how I feel, and well as overcoming your fear of engaging with something associated with your trauma. And the way that is portrayed in Genshin through Furina is just so human and raw. Like Hoyoverse is really good at writing a character's internal struggles like with Shenhe, Ei, Nahida, and Wanderar in Genshin, or with some of the characters in Star Rail like Aventurine and Firefly. And while I'm not caught with it yet, I've heard a lot of praise towards Impact 3rd's characters. Furina's story is one of the rare ones that hit me so hard, I cried. Especially with the story quest. I played through both that and the final archon quest soon after I got an autism assessment earlier this year. And I was dealing with some thoughts related to it ( and still am ). So playing through Furina's story gave me so much comfort and reassurance and made me feel like I'm okay, and I'm not alone.
You’re not alone. We see you and we love you 🥰
it's nice to see someone defending the game i love once in a while, unfortunately being a genshin fan is being constantly shitted by every community in existence
real like i get some aspects (like the devs and whatnot) really suck but honestly the story music and characters makes it all worthwhile
I always love seeing folks who didn’t like Gacha and Genshin come around to it because they recognize that the game is doing something more and the sincerity and hard work that goes into the worldbuilding and characters. Gacha has a bad reputation and it’s not necessarily unearned, but Genshin (and Hoyoverse’s other games as well) really rises above the pack because they care and put in so much effort for the story and the world and you can feel it. I’m never gonna complain that I get to experience something so wonderful like this for free. It gives me so much joy! ❤️
Great essay, you had me hanging into every sentence. I also love Furina very very much and you helped me put into words just why I love her so much!
10:06 I've never met someone else perfect describe my own rational for why organized religion is important & culturally necessary. I've often tried having these convos with my atheist friends when they question how i could be catholic or try to get me to convince them g-d is real. A deity being real or not is not really the main point of religion as a whole & not something I can convince someone else of. Back to genshin impact, I really do love how deeply philosophical all the hoyo games are when you go deeper into the lore. They're constantly challenging Utilitarianism & hyper individualism. Does a being in power have a responsibility to protect ppl below them? Is locking them in a cage too far when they're unable to comprehend the outside threat? How much freedom do you give up for safety? What is 'just' when the people determining justice are inherently flawed? etc. Also, I was really shocked and surprised that the overall messaging with Focalors was land sovereignty & indigenous rights. I never expected a highly successful commercial game to take that kind of stance.
So eloquently put, and it was really fun to hear your thoughts from a theatre perspective!
Can you please do a video ranking the story quests once you've done them all? I rarely see genshin content creators talk about story and lore, it's all about the meta. Keep up the good work 🫡
Genshin combines the storytelling method of Elden Ring. Most of the real lore of the game is hidden in items you find. The lore is the game, what you are playing is the aftermath of what was and it is the travellers duty to piece together what actually happened in order to understand the fate of his sister. This is in itself genius because it forces players to engage in the world. You could argue that the lore is hidden to well that is the same critic Elden Ring got these games share even more. Both are centered around a tree that controls fate with the original inhabitants being dragons.
The story was amazing! And I loved hearing your take on it. I can tell you are so passionate!
As someone who is autistic, and heavily masked most of the time except for very very few people. I relate to Furina so so much. She to me perfectly incapsulates the feminine experience of autism. Trying to be yourself early on but quickly having to put on an act of someone you aren't to make others happy. To have yourself fit in. When I played through the final part of the Fontaine Archon quest I cried so hard because I felt so seen with Furina. Going into her mind, seeing how her thoughts really were. It was me. She is who I am, what I feel like. Proud Furina main since she was released, got her weapon because she deserves it, got Neuvilette so I could give her the best team possible. I love her so so so much. Also working on C6'ing her. I'm oing for C3 on her rerun.
You truly worded everything perfectly for me. I've loved the game since I started in 2020 and I've been in love with the lore and the writing, and the beauty of it all 😍 Yeah, I had to grind and try to improve in combat, but there's lore written about the artifacts and the weapons, and those got me really invested. 🥰
Love this deep dive! Hoyo takes time in kicking into gear their narratives, but once you are in they hit hard!
Louder on the Spirituality point. I'm a type of person who loves learning about different kind of religion, spirtuality and beliefs and the amount of reference I get from this game is Insanse.
Ranging from Valentinian Gnosticism to Zoroastrianism to even Ainu Folk belief. That's just Incredible.
As a trans girl, i see furina as myself. ive never felt so seen in fiction. furinas extravagent, gaudy air is something i have developed through life as a defense mechanism against people. it keeps the flops, out, but also keeps out the good people.
you are gonna LOVEE honkai star rail then beacuse honestly the characters there are even better + consistent main cast!!!!
the events are permament too so u can start anytime and will not have missed anything!!
I started playing during Inazuma and it's been really incredible watching the team behind Genshin Impact grow and improve - Fontaine's characters, it's story and even the new ways they've spun characters are incredible. And the game isn't anywhere near done- this story is just a little past halfway done. If they keep improving upon their writing and their characters and their themes I will stick with this game to see it to its finale.
It's been a genuine joy watching you experience the story, hear your perspectives and watch this video!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
I adore Genshin and the love the team has put forth...and it makes me so sad to see the negativity and trolling!
Thank you again!
This is a great essay!! Youre a great speaker and you convey your thoughts and ideas clearly
Yet people focusing on the dev not being generous in giving FREE primos and rewards. Ignoring all the beauty of the world they created and storytelling lore etc, aren't these are well given rewards? the music? the scenery? I guess gacha addicts have different priorities
that would make sense if they were like indie, but they get millions and million every month and are the most profitable games right now. and they are able to fund their game from us the players, yet they didnt give back to us as its a 2 way street, that was the problem. also in gacha culture anniverssarys are INCREDIBLY important
@@breesnutz off game irl events, concerts, collabs, discovery, I'm sorry Genshin is not the most standard gacha culture you expected, they have been doing good deeds for the peoples instead of feeding your gacha addicts, your response proved it. This is why I like what genshin did, instead of feeding the addicts like most gacha especially what WuWa did, spoonfeeding tons of free pulls every time they made a bug mistake expecting player to play more, but Genshin don't do that, they encouraged you to interact with the irl world more rather than blindly addicts to the gacha, so yea no rewards still? Then I have no argument with gacha addiction like yourselves here. Let me add some advice for you, TOUCH SOME GRASS KID
@@breesnutz they did spend alot of offline event etc though? Or you just saying they are not feeding your gacha addicts perhaps? The Discovery they did recently, the concerts they did throughout the years, the sponsers they provided for those artist to do the hoyofair to provide some really good quality contents. So you consider free pulls is the only 2 way street reward system that legit will satisfy you? Then I have nothing to say to a gacha addict, is pointless. And yes I do went to one of the concert in Shanghai and the collabs they did in Japan, I felt rewarding subjecting to that, and I hope they continue to do it that way, is very positive to the society.
@h.o.p.e1415 I don't care about rewards mich since getting to 80 pity isn't hard we care about the quality of life features and issues the game has and the fact that the devs don't listen to the player base. watch literally any video and you will get it lol
I hated the way Furina acts at first, but after undestanding what she was created for and how she and focalors saw humans life as a theatre, i finally love her.. Her story of being forced and cursed to play on a role resonate with how I used to play a role of a "straight man" just to be safe (I live in a place where being openly gay possibly hinder my life). Nowadays I let loose sometimes but still not 100% open. I had friends as my support but it is still a lonely fight, i can only imagine what Furina felt as she only have herself for 500 years...
I kinda don't like how the cast just left furina there and not care about her when the revelation happened, i also think furina deserve to be treated better by everyone after the archon quest, neuvi should've clear her name and told everyone the exact truth.. Even if she deceive everyone, she's as much a victim of egeria's choice.. She did her best and should be respected for that
very good video. at 1st i recall alot of people criticizing furina.. till they got to complete the story and realized who she really was and how she truly felt about things. from people hating on her to crying for her, that in it self to me means genshin is one of the best at story telling. as for how i felt about her, i loved her look from the start but i couldnt judge her till i understood her and once i did, watching her story play out.. i too saw myself in her, being trans i also lived out so many years as who people expected me to be and never allowing that mask to slip, no one seeing, knowing, feeling how and who i really was.. so i clearly related with her and her life and like you said its not just lgbtq everyone has sides they hide and thats why i think if people are honest with themselves everyone deep down will relate with her.
I'm glad I got to know another Genshin content creator who has a higher level of appreciation for the game and its creators other than Genshin being just a game. For the past 3 years, Genshin story telling has given me the best stories there ever is to experience in a video game.
the raining is also a play on words!
pleure both means "to cry" and "to rain"
This video makes me want to go back and just sit there and play through the story. I dropped genshin because it WAS so story heavy but I just didnt care, but seeing how passionate this specific region has affected so many people, I might just have to. This was a beautiful video, loved it.
I will say, being unable to skip multi hour long exposition is the major flaw of this game. I have dedicated like 4-10 hours a weekend for MONTHS to get to this point. Thankfully you can play thru the story with mostly week characters, but I would consider this game to be like watching a 100 hour east asian opera. Like a wuxia or kdrama. The writing is fantastic if you have the endurance
Here's my thoughts on Genshin's story:
I do not want to oversimplify it to "People need more media exposure" or "It still has flaws so it's bad", but I do think that Genshin is in a unique place in storytelling because it exploded in a market that has really lacked stories like it. It tells stories that have made me tear up too, but it's also hitting an audience that is completely unexposed to the media it takes inspiration from.
I do not think Genshin is the best story ever told in gaming. However, its popularity far outstrips any comparisons I could make, the games really pushing narrative integration are either niche indie titles, or not primarily known for their actual most interesting qualities. (Take Nier: Automata. it has some truly sublime moments fully utilizing its nature as a game, but it's mostly known for 2B having thick thighs, despite universal praise it still hasn't sold 10mil copies in 8+ years)
(Well, I do have to give Undertale a mention for being a game pushing narrative and medium together that probably has had an even greater Impact in popular culture than Genshin)
Genshin also draws from a lot a Eastern media traditions, and while that includes anime obviously, Chinese modern media, Japanese non-animated media, and indian and middle-eastern media all have unique, different ways of presenting stories and themes that Genshin draws from at various points that will feel completely new if you haven't gone out of your way to experience them.
Anyway, that was a long ramble, Genshin still good, glad other people appreciate it too.
Beautiful analysis! I feel like you touched on the subjects of the story that rarely get discussed. Even as a veteran, who played since launch, for me Furina became one of my favorite characters so easily and so quickly, alongside with Wanderer (with him, it took time). There was something so special about her and I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but your words made it make perfect sense
Fontaine really blew me away, I adore every single Fontaine character and all of their arcs. Lyney really resonated with me and he is my all-time favorite, I was worried they'd just make him a typical swindling backstabbing magician but the duality between his show face, "plain old Lyney," and then his vulnerable side he won't even show his family. And when I read his, Lynette's, and Freminet's character stories oh my GOD-- idk his morals of family and cherishing them through the good, bad, and ugly just really sit well with me and I can relate to it deeply. I could yap about all the Fontaine characters though they're all so incredibly well-written 😭😭
The Fontaine archon quest felt like the big dramatic song number at the end of act 1 of a Broadway musical right before the intermission.
Thank you for this video. I've had several friends drop genshin before doing Fontaine and many of them don't seem to understand why I'm so invested in sticking with Genshin now and I can only tell them "if you don't play through (or even just watch) the Fontaine Archon quest you won't be able to understand"
you said it very well, there is some kind of "magic" in some of genshins stories
Agree with you, its good to see people in my recommendations talking about the positives, because all I see nowadays are just negative and criticizing without seeing the game as its whole, what the game is, but they compare it to other games and their mechaniques and forget what great story telling it got and in all its aspects which you cant compare to other games as every game is unique on its own. I feel related to Furina and Neuvillette the most, puting on a mask and let no one in of the danger of it all falling down onto you, feeling exposed and buring myself in things like work to forget my own problems, having trouble expressing myself and my emotions as I don't know who I am or want to be. Awesome video you got my sub and like
I have dedicated so much time to this story and it feels so great to see a person see that beauty beneath the facade of the "mobile game" notoriety. I am also playing Star Rail and I must say, it is fantastic. The story really picks up when you get to Penacony (the 4th explorable area) but it is a great ride until then too.
9:00 well said . I am an agnostic/atheist myself and yet I dont have to mock others fate and what they believe in. You earned a sub for understanding that seemingly a huge chunk of the world dont understand.
I’ve been struggling to accurately word/verbalize my full appreciation for Genshin and why I’m still hooked on it, and you delivered it all so elegantly and cleanly in just 20 min! I havent had the time nor privilege to dive deeper into all the lore and make my own analyses, so I’m very grateful for creators like you who are willing to put the time & effort into exploring and analyzing the world of Teyvat for us, and thereby give us a starting point to develop our own thoughts. You’ve just earned yourself a new subscriber; endless thank you’s! 💕💗
I enjoyed Sumeru's story a lot, play the whole Sumeru's quests, Archon, Character Story and World quests. All of them together brought the land of Sumeru to life. Whenever I stepped into the world of Vanarana (those cute lil mushrooms that only Sumeru kids can see.) I felt really peaceful haha.
Inazuma was good, it was there where I started to really get immersed into the story, Sumeru brought it to a whole new level and Fontaine's Archon arc extended that height even further. However, the World Quests of Fontaine wise, only a few really caught my attention. Hoyo definitely set themselves a very high expectation from players for Natlan. I just wished that they could deliver a lot more Character Story quests. There are so much to build upon when there are over 70 characters in the game. Every character deserves more development than they're given.
great video! at first i was kind of reluctent to give genshin a try, but after i tried it i have played it consistentily for more than a year and half now! i think fontaine's archon quest is the best archon quest. i already liked genshin before fontaine, but fontaine is just next level. so many of my favorite characters now are from fontaine! and of course, furina. she's my favorite character in the game! i could go on and on about her honestly. i think what you said about furina's story from a queer perspective was interesting! i didn't even think about that but it makes total sense (i'm also queer haha). also furina's banner is in 5 days and i have saved up primos for 2 months to get her i WILL get her this time OR SO HELP ME
I was talking to myself saying that a great thing about video games is that we all take away something different from it, just as you said the same thing but in a slightly different way. The timing kinda gagged me😅
ahh i thought of a reply but cant find my main comment :((( yt refresh pls
Very well said! It's tough because introspective players are the minority when it comes to mihoyo games and gacha in general, it feels disconnecting to hear the bigger part of the community partaking in drama on things that are just really is so inconsequential compared to what the game has to offer. I hope you consider making highlights of your playthrough someday.
I only have to say that I feel so happy to see people saying good things about the game :D
I’m doing a third Genshin account where I’m focusing on lore, tbh liyue and mondstadt lore don’t interest me much but from inazuma onwards it does. So I’m p,anning on staying in each region until I can understand the lore and characters all as much as possible and I’m having the most fun cuz I’m just walking around, talking to npcs, picking berries and books, super fun lmao. I’m planning to usein game lore and make theories and then watch lore yt to make more connections
If you can, I would suggest watching the previous events on RUclips. There is so much lore hidden in them !
As for the lore of the game, I don't think the players all realized how deep it can be ! Ashikai made very interesting lore videos.
Now that you have finished the archon quests, the main world quests are full of lore... But please, take your time ! There is so much content, you don't need to rush.
What I love about Genshin is not only the different spirituality systems it uses, but how it show’s different cultures and how it opens up a discussion into them. I’ve learned so much because people from these cultures will come and explain aspects used in the game and I e done the very same for my own culture. I can’t explain how it feels to have your culture representation positively when generally media only brings up the bad aspects.
I really like your perspective on this game. Genshin just does such a good job at world building and creating a unique and interesting story. And judging by my profile picture you can probably tell that I really like Furina. I don’t have much to add to what you alrrady mentioned but I can talk about my own experiences. I see myself in Furina. I am not queer, or trans, or autistic or anything but I really relate to Furina because I too had to pretend to be someone I‘m not. As a kid I often was told I was annoying, simply because the way I showed love and trust wasn’t how people expected. I was told I was weird and annoying and as a result I went into myself and closed myself of from the world. I became quiet and just stopped being who I am. Sure the parts I was showing others were still in a sense part of who I was but they were subdued. Even to this day when I let myself be who I am in the safety of my own home my mom tells me not to do that because people will think I‘m weird. When I played the Fontaine story quest I felt seen in Furina because she too had to act the way others expected her to act like, closing her real self off from the world.
i really like how thoughtful this video is
Scara and Furina are my favorite characters for a reason. They have such beautiful stories, music, and voices
Sumeru is quite good aswell alongside the stuff you mentioned for fontaine, tho it still has questions it didnt answer like childe's vision acting up.
Furina is the most relatable character ever to me, with how she was made to fake her entire personality and self just to be good enough for the people and accepted.
Love this review! I'd already planned on playing this game long before it was released just cuz the graphics and the character designs looked amazing for a game that can be played on mobile too! Honestly expected this to another cash-grab, considering most mobile RPGs are, and I was perfectly fine with that. But I really didn't expect the storytelling to pull me in so much that I've continued to play this even now, no matter how many hard pities I've had to hit! 😅 They'd have to pry this game from my cold dead hands lol
The thing that I love is that there is sooo much more to what the archon quests tell you, every single character has a unique and very detailed stories and real life inspirations from religions and cultures, from clothing to names to colors to mythologies from all over the world... I just am exited to see how every region from now is going to step up our expectations, considering the planning they have been doing for all these years, considering up until now every quest has been "filler" to get to the real story and goal that is going to start from snezhnaya
this is what ive been saying!! i think you reallg touch on how the genshin story slowly starts getting better and better to the point of such a beautiful story in fontaine
A reason i love you as a content creator is your very nuanced but refreshing take on video games! This video is a masterpiece! You really shine in long form content like this. 💕💕
genshin story made me stay ♥
I may have stopped playing Genshin, but I am glad to see a video essay understanding the way they wish to tell their stories so well.
Sadly so many just write it off so easily because it’s a Gacha, calling it a rip off of other games or just because it’s not their thing (story telling/fighting gameplay wise) and insult them and their players.
They may hit or miss in their game’s patches from time to time but they really do try their best.
Great video! 👏🏽👏🏽
For me, Genshin is a game about loss, grieving and letting go. Every world quest and every quest driving the main story is about losing someone/something, letting go, making your peace with it, going on with your life. It's the thing that always stands out for me.
I'm so glad you said that about Furina's story feeling like a coming-out story. I connected with it in that way too.
Love to see this analysis from you! Keep up the wonderful content
Giiiirl I could watch you talking about anything! MORE PLS TY
phaun has the best yap sessions get this baddie on a podcast‼️
this is one of the first games ever where I see that the money that they have garnered has gone back into improving the art quality, I know you’re just focusing on the story right now but when you get into world quests and stuff the lore will explode even more trust me. Also, genshin has some of the best in game soundtracks i’ve ever heard, if you can get into those it is incredible.
love your video as a straight, have you considered playing HSR, the story is also good and fun.
ohh just heard your last part, never mind then LOL
ever since the girlypop tier list video i've been tuning in to your fontaine archon quest streams!! they have been such a delight. pls keep doing what ur doing 💖💖💖
After finishing the fontaine archon quest, re-watch the demo and the lyrics translation of the French song that played. You will now understand her demo more deeply. To whoever is behind all this, scriptwriter or any, they deserve a raise.