The truth is, Gacha games are not for everyone. The idea behind a Gacha game is for the player to spend money in the game. They do this via various means, the most successful being character pulls. Due to this seemingly predatory nature, Gacha games are sometimes seen as inferior to other games and gimmicky to the extreme.
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While this is true in some instances, there are quite a number of Gacha games that have proven to be exceptional games both in terms of gameplay and story elements. Some Gacha games have incredible stories that have kept players and fans hooked for years and should be tried out by more people.
8 Reverse: 1999
A Gorgeous Game With A Refreshing Storyline To Boot
- Developer: Bluepoch Co.,Ltd.
- Engine: Unity
- Genres: Role-playing Video Game, Adventure game, Turn-based strategy
- Platforms: Android, Microsoft Windows, iOS
- Publisher: Bluepoch Co.,Ltd.
- Initial release date: 26 October 2023
Reverse: 1999 is a beautiful game that pulls the player in with its distinct visuals and interesting combat system. It also did something a little different as the story is not the typical apocalyptic tale of doom and woe (there’s still a lot of doom and woe) and instead creates a world falling in reverse and divided between magic users and regular people.
As the story progresses, players are sucked into a world that will remind any Harry Potter fans of the series and the mechanics of the earth there. A lot of Reverse: 1999’s charm comes from its impeccable presentation and it makes it one of the most unique Gacha games out there.
7 Arknights
A Tale Of Freedom Fighters With Enemies On All Sides
Arknights came out worldwide in 2020 and is a Tower Defence game that requires quite a lot of strategy to progress smoothly. It has a lot of characters with their rarity going as high as 6-stars and a lot of content both for the daily grind and the endgame.
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The lore of Arknights is surprisingly deep and revolves around the use of the mineral, Originium. Originium is central to life on the planet Terra (where the game is situated) and also the cause of the deadly Oripathy. The player who controls and amnesiac doctor, is in control of a band of people who are searching for a cure to Oripathy while facing off against the tyrannical government of Terra and infected individuals.
6 Honkai Impact 3rd
It Boasts Of An Expansive Universe That Affects Other Games
While Genshin Impact has been their breakout game, Mihoyo (now Hoyoverse) have been making games for quite a while and made a bit of a splash with Honkai Impact 3rd. HI3 as it is commonly called tells the story of how humanity with the help of Herschers and mechs are fighting against the Honkai.
The depth of story for HI3 is made stronger by the fact that it shares a universe with the other Hoyoverse games all of which starts with the World Tree. For newcomes, the sheer amount of information to absorb might be overwhelming, but for lovers of great storytelling and lore, Honkai Impact is a great pick to play.
5 CounterSide
A Story Where Character Bonds Mean Everything
- Publishers: STUDIOBSIDE, Nexon
- Developer: STUDIOBSIDE
- Initial release date: 4 February 2020
- Genres: Free-to-play, Role-playing Video Game, Strategy Video Game
- Platforms: Android, Microsoft Windows, iOS
- Engine: Unity
CounterSide was also released in 2020 by STUDIOBSIDE and is a game with a unique combat style that feels more like a tug of war than anything else. CounterSide has a similar story to a lot of Gacha games in that there is something threatening humanity and a set of people are on hand to stop it.
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What sets CounterSide apart is how well the story is told and how attached they are able to make people feel about the characters. There is a camaraderie among the counters (the powerful beings who fight against the corrupted objects) that make them very relatable and lovable. The animation also makes the more touching aspects of the story hard-hitting.
4 Path To Nowhere
A Bleak Story That Encourages Players To Empathize With The Characters
- Initial release date: 21 October 2022
- Developers: AISNO Games, Ziyi Group HK Limited
- Mode: Single-player video game
- Genres: Role-playing Video Game, Adventure game, Strategy Video Game
- Platforms: Android, iOS
- Publishers: AISNO Games, Ziyi Group HK Limited
Path To Nowhere boasts of a great story, engaging characters and some sick design. The game is absolutely beautiful to look at and from the art, one can tell that the story could get pretty dark.
Path To Nowhere is set in a rather grim world which isn’t uncommon with a fair few Gacha games, but the player is particularly exposed to the bleak atmosphere through the characters they have to use. Called Sinners, these individuals are people affected by the disease called Mania. As the player gets deeper, Path To Nowhere ceases to be an Arknights ripoff to become something unique.
3 Punishing: Gray Raven
Style, Story, And Substance Collide To Create Magic
Punishing: Gray Raven is a Chinese Gacha game made by Kuro Games who most recently released Wuthering Waves. Punishing: Gray Raven is one of the friendlier Gacha games as it allows players guaranteed banners which means they can adequately plan for some characters.
The story is also a high point as it takes the typical post-apocalyptic storyline involving the conquering of Earth and really builds on it. Also, due to having fewer characters PGR is able to zero in on the cast and tell their stories in-depth. Like most Gacha games it takes a while to get going, but once it does, it is a rewarding experience.
2 Genshin Impact
Come For The Waifus, Stay For The Lore
Genshin Impact
- Released
- September 28, 2020
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Publisher(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
Genshin Impact came out in 2020 and has been a phenomenon. Making loads of money and introducing a whole new generation to Gacha games, Genshin was able to pull all this off thanks to incredible animation, simple gameplay, intuitive and enjoyable combat, and an immersive story.
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The story of Genshin Impact looks pretty simple on the surface: A brother and sister looking to be reunited, but once the player looks aside to the tales of the humongous world of Teyvat, they find something incredible. Unfortunately, a lot of the deep lore of the game is in books found in-game, and text attached to items which might put some people off.
1 Fate/ Grand Order
A Sprawling Story That Cuts Across Worlds And Times
- Initial release date: 30 July 2015
- Publishers: Aniplex, Aniplex of America, Komoe
- Composer: Keita Haga
- Genres: Adventure game, Role-playing Video Game, Strategy Video Game
- Developer: Delightworks
Fate/ Grand Order, popularly called FGO, has been around for a while (since 2015) and follows the story of the efforts of the Chaldea Security Organization to restore humanity embroiled in a Holy Grail War.
The story of FGO is dense and it has been commonly joked that it reads like a light novel. While the combat, Gacha elements, and animations are all top-notch, the real star has always been the story. It should be noted, however, that FGO starts off pretty slowly, but really ramps up as time goes on and sucks the player into a world of intrigue.
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