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Genshin Impact

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Genshin Impact[a] is an action role-playing game developed by miHoYo, published by miHoYo in mainland China and worldwide by Cognosphere, d/b/a HoYoverse. It was released for Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, and Windows in 2020, and on PlayStation 5 in 2021. The game features an anime-style open-world environment and an action-based battle system using elemental magic and character-switching. A free-to-play game monetized through gacha game mechanics, Genshin Impact is expanded regularly through patches using the games as a service model.

Genshin Impact takes place in the fantasy world of Teyvat, home to seven nations, each of which is tied to a different element and ruled by a different god. The story follows The Traveler, an interstellar adventurer who, at the start of the game, is separated from their twin sibling after the two land in Teyvat. Thereafter, the Traveler journeys across the nations of Teyvat in search of the lost sibling, accompanied by their guide, Paimon. Along the way, the two befriend myriad individuals, become involved in the affairs of its nations, and begin to unravel the mysteries of the land.

Development of Genshin Impact began in 2017, and takes inspiration from a variety of sources, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, anime, Gnosticism, and an array of cultures and world mythologies. Genshin Impact has received generally positive reviews, with critics writing approving of its combat mechanics and its immersive open world. Conversely, some criticism has been directed at its simplistic endgame and its gacha-based monetization model. Across all platforms, the game is estimated to have grossed nearly $3.8 billion by the end of 2022, representing the highest ever first-year launch revenue for any video game.[2][3]

Gameplay

Genshin Impact is an open-world, action role-playing game that allows the player to control one of four interchangeable characters in a party.[4] Switching between characters can be done quickly during combat, allowing the player to use several different combinations of skills and attacks.[5] Characters may have their abilities enhanced in various ways, mainly through directly leveling them up and improving the artifacts and weapons that a character can equip.[6] In addition to exploration, the player can attempt various challenges for rewards. Scattered across Teyvat are bosses and challenges that reward highly valuable resources, but claiming them uses up a currency called Original Resin, which slowly regenerates over time.[7] Completing these challenges grants the player progress towards increasing their Adventure Rank, which in turn unlocks new quests, challenges, and raises the World Level.[8] The World Level is a measure of how strong the enemies within the world are and the rarity of rewards that defeating them gives.[9]

The player can control their character and perform actions such as running, climbing, swimming, and gliding, all limited by stamina.[10][5] Some characters possess abilities that can alter the environment, such as freezing water to create an ice path that can aid the player in traversing terrain.[5] Many teleportation points exist throughout the world that players can warp to as a form of fast travel; among these are landmarks known as Statues of The Seven that can heal and revive characters, and provide benefits such as increasing player stamina.[11] Items such as food and ore may be procured from the open world, while enemies and treasure chests drop other types of resources that may be used in enhancing a character's strength. Players can obtain food from hunting animals, gathering fruit and vegetables, or purchasing them from in-game shops. Furthermore, there are special battle instances called "Domains" that reward materials which increase character and weapon strength.[12] Meals cooked from ingredients gathered in the overworld may also provide desirable effects, such as regenerating characters' health or boosting various stats.[13] Players can also procure ore that can be refined and then used to create weapons or enhance their strength.[14][15]

A multiplayer mode is available in the form of co-op. Up to four players can play together in the overworld and join Domains.[16] Player matching can either be done by requesting to connect with another player, or through an automatic search.[16][17] The game features cross-platform play, so players on any platform can play with each other.[18]

By completing certain quests or by participating in select limited-time events, the player can unlock additional playable characters.[19] Most characters, however, are obtained through the character banners of the game's gacha system, called "Wishes".[20][21][22] Several premium in-game currencies, obtainable through in-app purchases or as gameplay rewards, are required to pull on the game's banners.[23] A pity system guarantees that the player will receive rare items after a set number of pulls.[24]

Setting and Plot

Genshin Impact takes place in the world of Teyvat, composed of seven major nations, each of which is ruled by a different god called an "Archon", tied to a different element and ideal, and governed by a specific faction.[38] The mysterious floating island of Celestia hangs above Teyvat, allegedly home to gods, as well as mortals who have ascended to godhood through great, heroic feats.[39] Underground lie the ruins of Khaenri'ah, a mysterious nation which was destroyed by Celestia 500 years before the main events of the game.[40][41] Unlike the seven nations, Khaenri'ah was not ruled over by a god, and sought to create a civilization led solely by humans.[42]

Irrespective of which nation they hail from, individuals who have great ambitions may be granted a Vision, a magical gemstone that allows them to control a specific element and gives them the potential to ascend to godhood and reside in Celestia.[43][44] Others may achieve elemental manipulation through Delusions, artificial Visions made from the remains of powerful gods which allow their bearers to control elements by feeding off their vitality.[45] Archons, on the other hand, possess a Gnosis, which is a device similar to a Vision that affirms their authority as an Archon and allows them to "resonate" with Celestia.[46]

The protagonists are The Traveler and Paimon, The Traveler's guide and companion. The Traveler and their twin sibling travel across worlds in the universe before being separated in Teyvat, forcing The Traveler to go on a journey to find them.[47] The player may choose to play as either Aether (the brother) or Lumine (the sister), though their account username is used throughout most of the game.

The primary antagonists in the game are the Abyss Order, a legion of monsters made up of corrupted Khaenri'ahns who seek to overthrow the rule of the Archons,[48][49] and the Fatui, a military force and delegation of diplomats from Snezhnaya who pursue an aggressive foreign policy throughout Teyvat.[50][51] The Traveler's lost twin is respected as the leader of the Abyss Order,[52] while the Fatui are led by the Eleven Harbingers, the powerful lieutenants of the Tsaritsa who have been given special authority to carry out her will.[53] The Harbingers are based on characters from the commedia dell'arte.[54]

Aether and Lumine, a pair of twins who travel across different worlds, land in Teyvat. Witnessing the destruction of Khaenri'ah upon their arrival, the two attempt to flee, but they soon find their path blocked by a mysterious god who calls herself the "Sustainer of Heavenly Principles". She separates the twins, sealing the playable character away for five hundred years.[55] When the sealed sibling, now called "The Traveler", wakes up, they meet a small fairy-like being named Paimon, who becomes their companion and travel guide. The two set off on a journey across Teyvat to gather information about their lost twin from each nation's ruling Archon.

The following table only gives a synopsis of each major act in the game's current narrative. Summaries of other story content, such as characters' personal quests or limited-time events, are excluded. The major acts of the story were foreshadowed in a trailer posted to the game's YouTube channel on the day of its release

Development

Genshin Impact began development as early as late January 2017, with an initial team of 120 people, which grew to 400 by the end of that year, and reached 700 by February 2021.[56][57] miHoYo revealed the game in June 2019 at E3 2019.[58][59] The game was developed using the Unity Engine.[60] The game had a development and marketing budget of around $100 million, making it one of the most expensive video games to develop.[61] Between the announcement and release closed beta tests were held, allowing invited players to explore and interact with the open world.[62][63] The game includes voice-overs in four languages, and 15 different languages for text.[64][65][66][e]

miHoYo took inspirations from real life locations, such as Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in the Hunan province of China, whilst developing the world of Teyvat.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is held in high regard by the development team, and is cited as one of the main inspirations for Genshin Impact.[67] Development was aimed at making the game different and fun from other MMORPGs in terms of its quest and combat systems as well as its random events and mode of exploration.[68] The game was designed to be cross-platform as developing the game for PC and console allowed the developers to raise graphical fidelity for the game, such as rendering realistic shadows.[67]

The overall artistic vision of the game was intended to combine an anime style with more key elements from real-world cultures,[69] and each nation is based on a region of the world:

The game's primary mythological basis is Gnosticism, particularly the way it understands relationships between humans and their world, and how gods may influence this relationship.[78] The name given to Teyvat's gods, "Archon", is inspired by the related deities from the Gnostic tradition. Although each Archon has a personal name for their "vessel," or human form, and is referred to with a specific title by the citizens of their nation, most gods in the game's story – even those who are not Archons – take the names of demons from the Ars Goetia, the first volume of The Lesser Key of Solomon.[79]

Music

Main article: Music of Genshin Impact

The music team headed by Yu-Peng Chen from HOYO-MiX composed the game's original score, which was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.[80][81][82] The approach to creating the soundtrack is to immerse players within the game, and provide emotional and beautiful melodies.[83] Based upon a foundation of Western music, the score also has regional and cultural influences added depending upon the region.[84] For example, in Mondstadt, Chen used woodwind instruments to reflect Mondstadt's association with wind and freedom.[83] In contrast, the battle themes use polyphony and other composing techniques, as well as mimicking orchestration elements from composers such as Beethoven.[83] Several soundtrack albums featuring music about characters and regions of the game have been released periodically.[85][86][87][88][89]

For his work on the soundtrack Chen was awarded the "Outstanding Artist—Newcomer/Breakthrough" at the 2020 Annual Game Music Awards.[83] In an interview published in April 2021 Chen expressed interest in releasing the soundtracks on CD, as well as hosting concerts in the future.[83] The first concert was held virtually on October 3, 2021, titled "Melodies of an Endless Journey" and featured multiple bands and an orchestra performing various soundtracks from the game.[90][91][92][93] A second virtual concert was held on February 4, 2022, titled "Reflections of Spring" featuring the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra performing soundtracks from the Liyue region.[94][95]

On September 12, 2023, Yu-Peng Chen announced on Bilibili that he was leaving miHoYo and the HOYO-MiX team, no longer working on the soundtrack.[96][97]