Over 3 years ago, I saw a new game being played on Twitch. It was advertised as "Open-World Gacha," and once I learned it was Free-to-Play, I took the bait. Having been a big fan of gacha games in the past, and immediately thinking, "This looks just like Breath of the Wild!" I figured I'd give it a try and leave if I got bored. 3+ years later, and it's become one of my favorite games.

Let's touch on the negatives right away: it's a gacha game. That means if you want the newest, fanciest characters, you have to roll the dice. Like most gacha, these are acquired through various currencies that can be acquired through in-game events, exploration, achievements, or swiping your credit card. I do not recommend the latter, and frankly, you never need to. There's plenty of ways to get the resources you need for newer characters, and freebies are given out all the time.

Genshin hosts a rotating set of two banners that continuously make "Event" characters available, whether those are re-runs or new, and a single "Standard" banner that houses classic characters that are easier to acquire (not not guaranteed). There is a reasonable Pity system so you're never waiting too long to get the character you want, but if you don't spend money, you're never getting everyone. That's the simple gacha facts.

Now for the positives: Genshin's open world is, in a word, beautiful. From the fields of Mondstadt to the rainforests of Sumeru, all the way to the underwater chasms of Fontaine, every area of Genshin is lovingly crafted and filled to the brim with puzzles, quests, and rewards.

The VA work in Genshin is great. It's a little slow at first, but over the past 3 years the characters, and their performances, have greatly improved, as has the story and gameplay. New players may be overwhelmed at the options in front of them, but Genshin does a good job at not filling your UI with unnecessary junk. You can play at your own pace without feeling like you're missing out if you don't speedrun 36 months of content.

Powercreep is, surprisingly, non-existent, a fresh feeling for a very popular gacha. You can use 3-year-old freebie units and clear the hardest content in the game, or you can use the latest characters and clear it 20 seconds faster. Or, you can swipe your credit card and clear it before the enemies even spawn in. It's up to you.

Genshin does a good job of focusing on non-combat events and gameplay options while still allowing you to showcase your shiny new characters. There is an entire town-building section, a fully fleshed-out TCG (complete with the occasional in-game event) and a host of fun multiplayer events, games, and opportunities akin to games like Fall Guys or Prop Hunt.

Multiplayer is fantastic. It's easy to pop in and out of other players' worlds on the fly, having your friends join you for Weekly Boss Battles, Domain runs for character equipment or materials, or the latest event, if it supports multiplayer action. keep in mind, you'll need to play the game a bit to play with your friends (Adventure Rank 16, easily achievable after a play session or two).

There is no direct PVP beyond the TCG, so no feeling forced to increase your DPS by 0.1% to avoid missing out on rewards. "Abyss," the end-game combat challenge, resets every two weeks and provides rewards based on how far you progress, so even if you can't finish it, you'll still gain currencies to acquire new characters and weapons.

Genshin "versions" update every 6 weeks, and each one brings new characters, story, and events. Despite the quick updates, the game continues to deliver consistently high-quality content and VA work, with vast explorable areas being added to the game all the time. Treasure-hunting is plentiful and fun, with some treasure being hidden behind combat challenges and others behind puzzles or quests of varying length, from minutes to hours.

Overall, Genshin is a quality game that is only hindered by its desire to make disgusting amounts of money off its gacha system. And it does, indeed, make disgusting amounts of money. But it takes itself seriously and re-invests those profits into good graphics, gameplay, and content, with plenty of freebies for newbies and veterans alike.

If you're a fan of gacha games, this is arguably the best. Try it, and you'll be hooked. If you're new to the genre, this is a great place to start. Just keep your credit card in your wallet!

As a fan of hidden object/picture riddle games (both digital and physical) I know how hard they are to discuss. As a game, there's almost nothing to say about Treasure Hunt. It's part of genre made for very young kids with little to no gaming or computer experience.

But whats noticeable about Treasure Hunt, and the I Spy series as a whole is how beautiful each scene is. Created with physical objects and real lighting by Walter Wick, the detail and charm of each scene is unique to his work. As a child I spent a lot of time playing hidden objects games made entirely through stock digital images, and while there is a charm to those games I Spy sits so far above them.

And then, even amongst the rest of the I Spy series, Treasure Hunt manages to stick out. While other games in the series would sort of "elaborate" on scenes from the books, Treasure Hunt takes this idea further and better.

As a "story" about a Treasure Hunt, the scenes and locations of the book was already immensely charming. You start of with "Arrival", a view of the train station you just took here to this small town. You get a view from the Inn your staying in. Each scene has you moving through this small town, seeing it's sights and searching for the treasure. And what I love so so much above the video game Treasure Hunt is how it turns the small town into Smugglers Cove.

Though you did get to see the name Smugglers Cove in the book (if you looked for it), the game makes you much more aware of it. You get the feeling of actually being there, seeing the interior of the train station you only walked out of in the book. You see the interior of Duck Pond Inn, the ice cream shop, a museum of the towns history. The over world allows you to move from place to place, see where one place connects to another. You get to ride a boat to No-Man's-Island, get to look into the well that previously had treasure in the book.

It's such a beautiful way to expand on the book, to make you feel like you are truly present in a fictional town made up for children. It's an attention to detail I love. Smugglers Cove feels like a place that I want to go, a place I have fond memories of. I Spy Treasure Hunt sits as the peak of the series, in both games and books.