Developer miHoYo does not shy from sadness in their open-world epic. In fact, Genshin Impact frequently regularly uses tragedy as a powerful seasoning in its storytelling. Stories like the Archon War, the founding of Mondstadt, and even daily commissions or errant NPC quests tug at player’s heartstrings.
RELATED: Genshin Impact: The Ins and Outs of the Archon War
There are several key points that set Venti’s quest apart from the game’s other tragedies. To begin with, Stanley’s sad tale develops three other characters simultaneously while touching on heavy issues such as survivor’s guilt, identity crises, and the blurred line between delusion and imagination. But ultimately, it is the circular nature of the narrative which really twists the knife, transforming a potentially depressing yarn into a bittersweet meditation on the ways people inspire, shape, and pay tribute to each other.
Imaginary Friends
The quest starts out on a lighthearted note, with Venti, Paimon, and the Traveler use a device called a Nirnama Detector to view children’s imaginary friends. As an interesting side note, Nirmana is a Sanskrit word that refers to the flow of time, or maturation to adulthood in this context. After viewing the kids’ various invisible friends, the trio turns the detector on Mondstadt’s adults, who have no such companions. Intrigued to know when imaginary friends fade, the group seek out the wannabe knight, Ellin. The girl is so inspired by Jean that she has an imaginary friend who looks exactly like Mondstadt’s acting grandmaster, serving as a sort of spectral coach and image of Ellin’s own aspirations.
The meat of the quest kicks in when Ellin sends Traveler and co. to Lion of the South temple, where they encounter Jack and Stanley, two adventurers beset by a group of monsters. Stanley is referenced at various points in the game as Mondstadt’s greatest living adventurer. Yet curiously, he is unable to do more than hold the monsters at bay until the cavalry arrives in the form of the player’s party.
It is at this point that Venti urges the Traveler to use the scope on Stanley, revealing he still has an imaginary friend: a rugged-looking, scarred man in adventurers’ attire. As the group finishes the dungeon, Stanley regales the party with his greatest adventure: a journey to the Mare Jivari. This land is legendary for being windless sea of ashes and scorching lava. The lack of wind contributes to the region’s heat, but more importantly, it ties into a local Mondstadt belief that adventurer’s souls are guided to the beyond by the wind. Stanley reveals that his companion died in this windless land, implying his soul will never find peace.
White Lies
After clearing the dungeon, the Traveler and Venti (enticed by the promise of a fine vintage of wine) assist Jack in locating two legendary weapons Stanley allegedly hid in Dadaupa Gorge. Jack hopes that finding these heroic armaments will help convince his parents to accept his chosen path as an adventurer. One ultimately gets the sense that the weapons are plain objects that Venti manages to talk up with some “very elaborate ox dung,” but Jack is inspired nonetheless.
RELATED: Genshin Impact: How to Unlock Azhdaha Weekly Boss
Meanwhile, Stanley, who parted ways with the party after the dungeon, seems to be stalking the party in secret. Venti and Traveler eventually confront the adventurer, causing him to depart after a flimsy pretense, seemingly hiding. Recalling that Jack said Stanley likes to drink at the Angel’s Share, the party heads to the bar.
Reunited with the Wind
Stanley is already drunk when the party arrives, face down on a table, murmuring to himself. Eavesdropping, the party learns that Stanley adopted the name of his adventuring companion when he went to the Mare Jivari. The real Stanley died saving his life, and the guilt has haunted him ever since. To pay tribute to the fallen adventurer, ‘Stanley’ adopts his identity, and frequently boasts of his friend’s exploits as if they were his own. But this fraud only serves to compound his guilt, leading him to drink his life away and tell stories to inspire young adventurers like Jack.
It is at this point that Venti reveals his true nature as Barbatos, and addresses ‘Stanley’ by his true name: Hans. Venti then asks Hans to give him Stanley’s spirit, implying that his ‘imaginary friend’ was in fact, his friend’s soul which has been with him all along, rather than being lost to the wastes of the Mare Jivari. Venti sends the true Stanley’s soul on it’s way, moving Hans to tears.
During a quiet interlude, Venti reveals that he has a great deal in common with Hans/Stanley. Prior to ascending to godhood, Venti was a mere sprite who later adopted the appearance of a fallen comrade: the legendary, unnamed Bard who helped the hero Venessa liberate Mondstadt from Decarabian. Venti reveals that the bard inspired his current form and appearance, just as Hans adopted Stanley’s identity. In the end, the player learns that the seemingly carefree Venti carries the weight as the seemingly delusional adventurer.
Genshin Impact is available now for mobile devices, PC, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
MORE: Genshin Impact: The Many Secrets of Bubu Pharmacy
