Previously published Jan 16, 2022.

Gacha Terms Glossary:

• Gacha game: a type of game where luck is the most essential part in receiving new characters/weapons
• Rolls/pulls/wishes: spending a special in-game currency to receive random characters or weapons from the gacha, depending on the banner they choose to pull on (often there are both standard and time-limited event banners for players to pull on)
• Co-op: a mode where you can collaborate with other players (multiplayer)
• F2P (free to play): a player who plays a game without paying any real money; if a game is F2P friendly, then the game is not exceedingly difficult without paying
• Pity: when you make a certain number of rolls, you are guaranteed to receive a high rarity character; this number where a high rarity character is guaranteed is known as pity
• Dailies: the missions/quests that refresh on a daily basis; completing these tasks often yield good rewards
• Whale: a person who spends money on the game, often to pull to get the character/weapon they want

Genshin Impact

This wouldn’t be a complete list if we didn’t start off with one of the most popular gacha games that was released in late 2020. Genshin Impact has taken the world by storm and introduced many to the wonderfully addictive world of gacha games. In this game, you play as the Traveler (either Aether or Lumine, depending on who you pick at the start of the game) who is exploring the magical world of Teyvat in order to find their lost sibling.

F2P Friendly: Yes…

Genshin Impact is a F2P friendly game if you can resist the amazing new characters that come out with almost every version update. There is a pity system in Genshin where players are guaranteed to get a five-star character every 90 pulls; however, it is almost impossible for a F2P player to be able to reach pity on every new banner. Additionally, there is a 50/50 system where players have a fifty percent chance of getting the character on the banner. You may not have every single character in the game, but this doesn’t hinder the enjoyment of the game itself (for the most part). Players will always have the starting characters Traveler, Kaeya, Lisa, and “outrider Amber reporting for duty!”

Difficulty: Medium

The difficulty of Genshin Impact is mainly based on the amount of time players dedicate to the game. Most people who have played the game for many months would find the game effortless – they could fight some of the hardest bosses in their sleep! On the other hand, many new players would find the mechanics of the game a little complicated. Genshin tackles the difficulty of the game intelligently by introducing simple enemies at the beginning and adding in more complex bosses as the player becomes more experienced.

Content amount:

Permanent content—a lot | Event content—decent amount

When players start to play the game, it seems like the amount of content is as vast as the ocean; however, after players complete all the permanent content, they will start to rely on events and updates to bring new content.
Storage taken: A lot (~19 GB, may increase with more updates)

Other information:

• You can Co-op with a maximum of three other players
• Open-world action role-playing game

Punishing: Gray Raven

Now, let’s talk about one of the less popular but still equally amazing gacha games. Punishing: Gray Raven (PGR) is set in a futuristic world, one where a virus called the Punishing Virus has spread across most of the world, infecting both humans and robots alike. You play as the Commandant of the team Gray Raven – one of the many teams that fight the Corrupted, those infected by the virus – to reclaim the Earth.

F2P Friendly: Yes

PGR is incredibly F2P friendly. Upon starting, you will receive a S-Rank selector, which will allow you to pick a free S-Rank character out of the 5 S-Ranks introduced upon the game’s initial release. Most S-Ranks are usable without having to gain more duplicates. Also, as long as you keep on doing dailies, a F2P player can easily obtain all S-Ranks whose introductions to the game they are around for.

Difficulty: Hard

PGR is a relatively difficult game. Due to the limitations on how much you can dodge, it is necessary to learn how to manage them well. There are also certain infamous levels such as Main Story stage 5-8 and the Aife stage in Memory Rescue, where it is difficult to pass unless your team is strong enough.

Content amount:

Permanent content – decent amount | Event content – very little

There is plenty of permanent content in PGR, such as the Main Story and Memory Rescue. However, upon completing all the permanent content, there is very little left to do, and the event content will essentially remain the same for about a month.

Storage taken: A bit (~2.5 GB)

Other information: