The nebulous versions in-between major patches in Genshin Impact will always be an interesting time, and 3.7 isn't any different. This is a duration of reflection as well as re-runs. It’s additionally a chance to enjoy existing characters before we start a brand new adventure and meet more and more people. Unfortunately, regardless of the all-star cast in Genshin Impact’s Duel: The Summoner’s Summit, it falls flat in the delivery as well as in generating interest for Fontaine.

Let’s begin with a quick recap of the event’s storyline. There’s a TCG tournament that’s happening all around Teyvat. Though the Traveler is too late to sign up, they meet a lot of familiar faces who've made it towards the finals. For some reason, the tournament takes place throughout the continent, so that they travel from nation to nation alongside Charlotte. She is here to create a story for that Steambird, the industry newspaper. During this whole tournament, they discover someone stealing card backs, so they try to solve the mystery together with Kirara, a delivery girl from Inazuma. There is additionally a more minor subplot concerning the inventors of Genius Invokation TCG.

First of all, the storyline is very shallow. There are three different plots and not one of them receives much attention. The most egregious may be the inventor one, high is barely any mention of it before the very end. The tournament happening in different regions doesn’t seem sensible, and it’s detrimental to the overall experience. Your interactions using the characters are short. So for many of them, like Kaeya or Kazuha’s sections, they add no value to the storyline. A more centralized tournament in Sumeru where all of the characters exist at exactly the same time, similar to the Irodori Festival, would have been better. For a tale centered around a TCG tournament, we barely saw any games happening. So I wish we'd got to see the entire tournament and not simply the finals in each region.

The second thing is Charlotte. She’s not so interesting. Kirara is extremely funny and her job as a delivery girl plays a very important part in the event’s story. But Charlotte’s personality is flat, and her contributions to the storyline are fairly minimal. Most of the time she says something, it’s to discuss how many celebrities the Traveler knows. When Kazuha appeared as our first Inazuman, he gave us enough detailed information online about Inazuma and what was happening there. Comparatively, Charlotte doesn’t provide us with much. Now, I’m not to imply I want her to provide us with plot-heavy exposition inside a time-limited event, obviously. But something more substantial about Fontaine or herself would have been nice since she’s the very first (future) playable Fontaine character we’re getting together with.

The minigames for Duel: The Summoner’s Summit in Genshin Impact was a little more interesting. I liked Zero Hour Invitation probably the most. It was a great way to introduce brand-new cards and force players to alter their strategies. Since this is an event concerning the TCG, it’s great the Genius Invokation section was the strongest point. Heart from the Dice was fun, however, it could have used some adjusting. Even without needing the dice mechanic, it had been very easy to obtain a high score. A Tour of Wonders and Evermotion Mechanical Painting were alright, although not exactly my bag. They both felt a bit divorced from the entire TCG theme, however, Heart from the Dice was too.

Despite its promising premise, Duel: The Summoner’s Summit in Genshin Impact Version 3.7 didn't live up to expectations. Compared to last year’s Chasm event and other alike ones like the Irodori Festival, it's insufficient a centralized and cohesive story or setting held it back. The three plots (the tournament, the thieves, and also the story concerning the inventors of Genius Invokation TCG) could all work within the same event. But without ample time and development, they ultimately felt forgettable. Hopefully, Charlotte along with other Fontaine characters can get another opportunity to shine in the future.

Genshin Impact is instantly available on PS4, PS5, Windows PC, and cellular devices. Genshin Impact Version 3.7 will later add Alhaitham and Kazuha to the banners, and Duel! The Summoner’s Summit is going to be available until June 12, 2023.