With Version 1.4, Genshin Impact released Hangout quests with four different characters. This is an opportunity for players to spend time with Noelle, Chongyun, Bennett, and Barbara, who each have their own unique light-hearted storylines.
The Hangout Questlines are much like Japanese visual novels: there are several paths that can be taken to unlock various endings. In Genshin Impact, each Hangout quest has six endings that can be unlocked, with one of those being considered the "best" ending. Interestingly, at least in terms of Barbara and Noelle, these hangout sessions turn romantic with some of the cutscenes and especially the best endings, and the scenes and dialogue don't change based on gender. What's interesting is that these events are noted as being Act 1.
RELATED: Genshin Impact: Hangouts Event Guide
It's unclear how many Acts each character's storyline will have, but "Act 1" implies the continuation of their stories, meaning room to develop possible romantic relationships. This poses an interesting question moving forward: will Genshin Impact continue to support pairing Lumine and Aether with characters of the same sex moving forward?
Noelle's Hangout quest has the heaviest romantic overtones out of all four that have been released so far. The Traveler assists Noelle with her Chivalric Training, but this eventually results in helping her get two Mondstadt residents together. Naturally, Noelle is a bit aloof to the concept of flirting, but with the Traveler's help, Noelle learns a little more about love. In the end, if following the path of the best ending, The Whisper of the Paper Rose, Noelle and the Traveler will take a small vacation to Windrise, and discuss the meaning behind giving a rose to someone after Noelle gifts the player one. Again, this all stays the same if the Traveler is either Lumine or Aether.
Barbara's Hangout quest in Genshin Impact, on the other hand, is slightly less romantic but certainly still features a number of cute screenshots that can pair her up with Lumine. The end of Barbara's storyline features the two of them getting drinks and going for a walk outside Mondstadt together until the two decide to head somewhere quieter and have a more personal discussion. In future Acts, will these storylines continue down the same romantic paths, or will they change whether Aether or Lumine is being played?
RELATED: Genshin Impact: Bennett Hangout Guide
While there might be room for debate, Chongyun and Bennett's storylines are far more platonic. In terms of getting to know the four-star Genshin Impact characters, they're much more like getting to know a friend through quests and battles rather than going on dates.
The fact that the player can go on romantic dates with Noelle and Barbara but can only get to know Chongyun and Bennett through challenges and quests could play into the idea that Aether is meant to be the canon Traveler while Lumine is the lost twin. However, this hasn't been confirmed. Perhaps this initial round of Hangout quests is miHoYo's way of testing the waters regarding fan response to same-sex relationships. Depending on the overall reaction to romantic scenes with Noelle and Barbara while playing as Lumine, it could make or break whether or not these romantic scenes will progress in the future.
It seems like the implied option, at least for the female Genshin Impact characters, is that romantic stories will progress no matter if the player is Lumine or Aether. As for the male characters, there's still a lot of room to progress. It's difficult to say, as the scenes with Chongyun and Bennett lean more into developing a bromance. But this is currently only Act 1. For Barbara and Noelle, it's possible that even so much as a kiss could be somewhere on the horizon in later chapters, even with Lumine. Or, Genshin Impact could keep with this same level of intimacy without taking it much further.
Genshin Impact is available now for mobile devices, PC, and PS4 and is currently in development for PS5 and Switch.