Tower of Fantasy is sci-fi Genshin except you can pet the cats

Tower of Fantasy is actually Genshin Impact. Only in a sci-fi world. That’s all. I don’t really have to say more, but since this isn’t an article yet, I’ll try it anyway and ask myself the question: is a good stolen better than a bad invention?

Tower of Fantasy – Genshin stole a lot?

In fact, Tower of Fantasy by Hotta Studio has all the combat and exploration mechanics that Genshin has at first glance: rapid real-time battles, a strong special ability with cooldown, boosts that make you faster for a moment, climbing passages that eat up stamina, that The only thing that was “missing” at the beginning is the famous glider-flight effect.

However, there is a kind of jetpack for this. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if we get any digital mecha wings later. But the similarities to Genshin don’t end there: At the beginning you have the choice between two main characters, either a feminine or a masculine version, which should now explore the open virtual world of Aida.

Then it also goes into a shared open world, where you can also go on raids with others. So the two games have a lot in common. This means that you can also get used to collecting mania and fomo in Tower of Fantasy, because this is also a gatcha game that is about grind, luck and, for some, money.

But it also means that being a free-to-play title, the new RPG has many of the same advantages that Genshin has too: an expansive open world for free, with bright, colorful anime visuals and nice voiceovers.

Will there also be the ultimate subtitle fails from the Hoyoverse game in the course of the game? I am excited.

But then what makes Tower of Fantasy unique?

So on the one hand it is certainly something for Genshin heads who have already chewed through all the content and are now looking for an alternative that is as similar as possible, but there are some differences. Above all, in Tower of Fantasy you can customize your main character yourself and for me that was one of the nicest features that makes the new RPG different in comparison.

You can customize hairstyle and bangs individually, even choose exactly the hair color you want, even customize with highlights, eyes and face shape and choose from different outfits. As much as I love character editors, Tower of Fantasy quickly got me hooked – sometimes it’s easy to get me excited.

Otherwise, Tower of Fantasy combines magical fantasy elements with a more modern, futuristic setting full of tech and sci-fi gadgets. It’s more reminiscent of Honkai Impact or Hoyoverse’s new project Zenless Zone Zero in that regard, so Genshin doesn’t exactly resemble the new RPG in that regard.

Oh yes: By the way, in the world of Tower of Fantasy you can pet cats and probably other animals too. This might just be a minor detail, but for me it’s a nice advantage compared to Genshin, because it might have cute little animals in it, but there’s no petting.

Holiday report from Aida – a real dream ship?

I admit it, I’ve compared Tower of Fantasy and Genshin Impact a lot here. But it’s also difficult not to do that and look at Tower of Fantasy independently when you’re dealing with two Chinese studios whose games sometimes feel so similar that a quick look could confuse them. Even the quest markers look almost identical.

All in all, Tower of Fantasy still feels wonderfully smooth and fast-paced in terms of gameplay and controls, even with a slightly faster pace of play than comparable games. The landscape of Aida invites you to explore, the colorful anime character design offers many cute or stylish customization options.

So all in all, the RPG could be a wonderfully uncomplicated experience with a mountain of free content. Actually, as a Genshin fan, all of this would suit my taste exactly, but I missed the own, really innovative touch a little.

Whether Tower of Fantasy is worth playing beyond the allusion depends on how good the individual character stories are and how exciting the open world continues to be. Tower of Fantasy could be an exciting option for everyone who can’t get enough of Hoyoverse’s game concept or who didn’t want to get back into Genshin after two years.

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Hotta Studio’s Tower of Fantasy and Level Infinite are out today, August 11, for PC and mobile devices.