Is it just me or has Hoyoverse SIGNIFICANTLY stepped up their storytelling game?
The new region with the new set of locations, animals and enemies is incredible, but wow - the story quests have been an absolute chef's kiss! MHY absolutely put forth their A-game in their storytelling, which is very visible.
Apologies for the wall of text but I can't help but express how impressed I am with the stories!
- The archon quest not only touched upon deeper topics like the regrets brought about by the inevitable mortality, control of an organization on people's imaginations and creative potential and meeting people's expectations as a leader, but it did so with a psychological sci-fi twist which I honestly did not see coming. Every single character I came across during the archon quest, including both NPCs and possible future playable characters, felt very human and natural with them having their own set of motivations and vulnerabilities. The music complementing those scenes was an absolute treat and tears did well up when I got to see the traveller's frustration over her helplessness in the situation. Don't even get me started with the ending - I literally jumped off my seat with excitement during the epilogue!
- Talking about the story quest of Tighnari, I think it might have surpassed Zhongli's and Raiden Shogun's story quests to take the number one spot for me! Not even at a single point in time did I feel like the NPCs as a part of the story backdrops but rather they had an active stake in how the story rolled out. Deeper topics like embracing the innocence of children, the importance of life irrespective of its nature, the stressful nature of research projects and the need of protecting the environment were covered with the use of appropriate metaphors and boy oh boy - I was floored with how we got to know more about the Tighnari's side which is not essentially strict and academic. Needless to say, the absolute star of the show was Karkata and MHY did a phenomenal job in developing its character.
- Finally, let us talk a bit about the story quest about the Unappreciated Carving story. It started off like a normal fetch quest but I could not be proven any more wrong! Collei's representation during the story felt like an absolute breath of fresh air when I got to know that she is just as human and vulnerable as we are. This made me connect/relate more to the character which I (and many other folks) have been guilty of branding as "Dendro Amber". She is not the very knowledgeable, super strong and highly dependable waifu like the others and that is totally fine. NPCs stole the show again by them exploring complex topics like coming to accept the innate inability, the harsh difficulties in parenthood and the need for a companion to share secrets. I cannot think of a single way this could have been any better.
Such interesting storytelling made me eat my own words and go 180 on my views on characters like Nahida, whom I first perceived to be an absolute blandly designed character. Her depiction in the story is fantastic - she is not as liberating as Venti, not as dependable as Zhongli, and not as strong-willed as Raiden Shogun but she is slowly learning to meet the expectations of the people around her while overcoming the self-doubt brought about by her seen as being a shadow of or inferior to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. Remember, Nahida is one of the youngest archons so it is very likely that there would be places where she would not quite be right but the stories that follow might have valuable character development for her.
I cannot wait for what MHY has for us in store for future stories as it has yet again upped the ante with its creative storytelling, intriguing world-building and relatable character development. If you have reached this part of the post, allow me to wish you luck on your future pulls!