Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Genshin Impact is getting a new type of story quest that looks a bit like a dating sim

Co-optional.

Genshin Impact is getting a new type of story quest that looks a bit like a dating sim as part of the upcoming 1.4 update.

The update, due out 17th March, is dubbed Invitation of Windblume and launches on PC, Android, iOS, PlayStation 4 and, via backward compatibility, PlayStation 5.

All players who have reached Adventure Rank 20 or above and completed the Song of the Dragon and Freedom questline get an invite to join the in-game spring festival. The trailer is below:

Cover image for YouTube videoVersion 1.4 "Invitation of Windblume" Trailer | Genshin Impact

Expect a series of mini-games and challenges with rewards including two festival-exclusive items: the Windblume Festival Commemorative Balloon and the Windsong Lyre. There's a new four-star weapon, called the Windblume Ode.

This new type of story quest has multiple endings to give players "some quality time hanging out with Barbara, Noelle, Bennett, and Chongyun, creating a rich range of memories together", developer miHoYo said. The official trailer suggests there will be more of these "hangout events" added to the game in the future.

The video below shows brief gameplay of the hangout events, lifted from a Genshin Impact developer stream.

Cover image for YouTube videoNew Dating System in Genshin Impact

Meanwhile, "Thorny Benevolence" Rosaria joins the game as the latest four-star playable character. Here's the official blurb:

"Wielding a polearm and the power of Cryo, Rosaria can quickly maneuver herself behind her enemy to attack from the rear. Her Elemental Burst unleashes a mighty slash, dealing high Cryo DMG, followed by constant bursts of AoE Cryo DMG to nearby enemies over a period of time."

Other new features include the ability to hold up to five Condensed Resin in your inventory at any one time, and the ability to lower your World Level to suit in single-player and co-op.