Genshin Impact developer further downplays comparisons with Breath of the Wild

By Aaron Mamiit Published April 25, 2023

The developers of Genshin Impact doubled down on their take that the game is not a copycat of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for the Nintendo Switch, despite player accusations of such ever since the game’s initial trailers.

Recommended Videos

Game developer miHoYo repeated that Breath of the Wild was one of its inspirations in creating Genshin Impact as an open-world RPG, in an interview with FreeMMOStation. “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the most popular and respected titles in the industry, and one which our staff hold in high regard,” the studio said.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Genshin Impact, however, is “very different” than Breath of the Wild once you play the game, miHoYo said, with multiple characters in a party and Musou-style gameplay. In comparison, players only control Link in Breath of the Wild.

In August 2019 at ChinaJoy, the largest gaming and digital entertainment expo in Asia, a Breath of the Wild fan protested Genshin Impact‘s similarities with the Nintendo Switch game by smashing a PlayStation 4 Pro to the ground.

Genshin Impact is set to launch on September 28 for the PlayStation 4, PC, iOS, and Android. It remains to be seen whether comparisons with Breath of the Wild will die down or intensify once players get their hands on the game.

In the interview, miHoYo also revealed that a Nintendo Switch version of Genshin Impact is in development, and that there are no plans of releasing the game for the Xbox One. The studio also said that it was focusing on the single-player and co-op modes of the game, not on a player-vs-player feature.

Topics

Contributor

Aaron received an NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was four years old, and he has been fascinated…

Gaming

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s shrines are even better than Breath of the Wild’s

Link stands in front of a shrine in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

As a puzzle game fan, my favorite part of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is its shrines. These mini-dungeons often act as ingenious little puzzle chambers that test my understanding of the game’s abilities and physics. I was thrilled when I loaded up The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and immediately found that the development team kept that idea intact for the sequel. I’d have over 150 new shrines to hunt down, including a handful that were unlocked via navigation puzzles in the open world.

It’s not just the fact that shrines return, though, that got me excited; it’s the fact that they’re even better this time around. That’s thanks in large part to how they interact with the sequel’s crafting systems, serving a larger purpose beyond giving Link some scattered challenges to solve.
Driving permit exams
Tears of the Kingdom’s shrines aren’t much different from Breath of the Wild’s on paper. Each one functions like a Portal test chamber built around a specific gameplay mechanic or theme. One has players solving puzzles using buoyancy physics, while another has them ascending their way to the top of a rotating cube. Even combat-focused shrines have specific gimmicks this time, testing players’ mastery of specific item fusions or environmental interactions.

Gaming

With Tears of the Kingdom, Zelda gets the spotlight she’s always deserved

Zelda with the Master Sword in Tears of the Kingdom.

For 37 years, the Legend of Zelda series has held its place as gaming’s most important franchises. It carries the same gravitas as classic literature, with several entries in the series feeling like canonical classics that should be in the syllabus of any video game course. It’s a collection of foundational tales that helped build what an adventure game plays like, but also what a fundamental hero’s journey story looks like in the medium. And of course, standing tall at the center of Zelda’s timeless nature is … Link.

Yes, despite Zelda’s name being the core of the franchise’s branding, the Hylian princess long played second fiddle to the series’ voiceless protagonist. In early games, she was a distressed damsel to be saved. She’d get to show off a bit of her power in later ones, but Link -- the hero of time -- tended to get most of the attention.

Gaming

Does Tears of the Kingdom have traditional Zelda dungeons?

Link stands in front of a large stone structure in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Before The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's launch, there was one question that fans kept asking: Would the sequel bring back traditional Zelda dungeons? That was something that was sorely lacking from Breath of the Wild, which replaced them with Divine Beasts. These were technically dungeons, but ones that were much smaller in scope and revolved around specific puzzling.

Nintendo would alleviate some fears days ahead of its launch by confirming that more familiar dungeons return for the sequel, but we weren't given a full idea of what that would entail. All we knew is that they'd be bigger and be themed. So, does Tears of the Kingdom actually usher in the return of classic Zelda dungeons? It's complicated. The answer is firmly between yes and no, depending on your definition of "traditional."
What are traditional Zelda dungeons?
Let's answer a tricky question first: What do we even mean when we say "traditional Zelda dungeon." That question will net you very different answers depending on who you ask. When I conducted an informal poll on the subject on social media, I found that no two answers were exactly alike. For some, it was just about scale and theme. For others, it was more about using specific items to gradually open up a space.

nproxy.org