Remember Genshin Impact, that Zelda: Breath of the Wild 'clone' that made an angry fan smash up their PS4 in disgust? Well, we've now been treated to a brand new trailer that shows off some beta gameplay footage.
As you'll be able to immediately tell, the footage is actually of the PS4 version of the game, but it gives us a good look at how it's all looking as we get closer to an eventual release. You'll notice that the widely documented similarities to Link's latest grand adventure are still intact, with things like rock climbing, gliding and combat having an eerily familiar feel.
We still don't have a release date for the promised Switch version, but developer miHoYo did recently confirm that the iOS, Android and PC versions are planned to launch before October 2020. We've been compiling all sorts of information on the game right here, so feel free to give that a read to learn everything we know about Genshin Impact so far.
Are you intrigued by this one? Do you think you might pick it up when it does eventually launch on Switch, or are you put off by those similarities to Breath of the Wild? Share your thoughts with us below.
[source youtube.com, via gonintendo.com]
Comments 105
I don’t care it looks like Zelda. I loved Zelda, I will probably love this too.
Obviously will pale in comparison to breath of the wild but I do prefer the combat in this over zelda
looks a bit choppy but if they sort that out it looks good!
Let them release a rip off all they want, they will not match the feel or polish of a Nintendo made game. No one ever does.
As for that wingnut who smashed up their PS4? Get a life.
I mean...why wouldn't they take some of the best elements of a great game and incorporate them into their own systems?
BotW is one of those games that almost ruined other open world games for me. I player Horizon Zero Dawn after and it took me so long to remember I couldn't just climb up any surface or jump off high areas and glide down. It felt so natural in BotW I want others to copy it!
Looks great, if Nintendo havent released anything decent when this is out I'll get it
It still looks like a neat-looking cel-shaded JRPG with pretty conventional HUD layouts. And if you're complaining about subsequent games "cloning" BotW-mainstreamed perks like climbing and gliding, why not complain about the entire existence of actventure genre while we're at it? Or why not bash a classic like Shining Force for "cloning" Fire Emblem Gaiden?
Some people still don't get that "clones" are typically harbingers of a new subgenre emerging from one franchise, and even the ones with truly "eerie" similarities unlike Genshin Impact's largely alleged ones bring their own spice to the cauldron. Just look up Magical Doropie (The Krion Conquest in the west, but that version axed pretty much the whole plot) - from many angles, a Mega Man down to the movement animations, but more flexible and puzzle-flavoured in its arsenal, and even beating Mega Man itself to some of its mechanics back in the day. And to this day we have spiritual followers like Legend of the Dark Witch and no one (or so I hope) burns their NESes over it. Or is it just that much harder to get a NES now? :V
Thanks for the publicity, at least. I'm feeling more and more in the market for the game because even a remotely BotW-like game with female protagonists [among others] sounds like a deal maker in my eyes. Other fans can keep booing at it all they like... while modding Linkle into their emulated Wii U images.😏
If they copy all the mechanics from Breath of the Wild also they can't go wrong.
Definitely pick this on up on my Xbox One X.
They could have at least give the enemies a slightly different look.
But as someone who liked the BOTW gameplay, but not the overall game in terms of characters and story, I am drawn to this.
@nhSnork Not only that, but the first video game system that Nintendo ever made, the Color TV Game 6, was actually a Pong clone.
So in many ways, Nintendo can owe its fortunes to Atari's Pong.
Eh, still looks rather shameless to me. Say what you will about Horizon, but at least that tried to set itself apart with its characters, lore, and enemy design. This... doesn't, so I struggle to see how Nintendo could approve a Switch variant.
Still, it is a game. And, for what it is, it don't look half-bad...
Nintendo didn't invent burning grass or HP bars but it does look similar. I think it lacks a bit of environmental flourishes and light effects (aka, charm) to compare exactly to BoTW, especially in those long distance vistas.
If it’s great, I’ll get it.
@Ogbert Same! I started skyrim and I was like, why is all of this so linear? What do you mean I have to get into the cave to flee from the dragon and to progress? Why can’t I just go over the mountain? ***** off, storyline!
That, and the AI of all the enemies, they pale in comparison to BotW.
I'm all for good Zelda clones, Okami, Sphinx and the cursed mummy or even further back with the Turbo grafx Neutopia games but this is just flat out copy cat crap! When the character jumps or grunts it even sounds like Link. Hard pass.
I'm not supporting such unoriginality!
The enemies look similar, but how do you make goblin style enemies different?
Also the switching between characters is a bit weird.
Doesn't work for me, but I'm sure others who cannot play Zelda will be happy with it.
It looks like it as online co-op, yet the footage they showed looked like there was a lot of lag (second character doing the "stuck in a wall" motion against the enemy, then teleporting away).
Remember when Sony tried to have their own smash bros? Yeah that went well. I can't even recall what that game was called.
I have no issue with taking elements of a fantastic game and making it your own but there’s a lot in this that just feels lazy, enemies, most of the landscape and even the sounds are all near identical. To me that’s boring, I don’t know what the plot is of the game but I promise that if it’s similar too then this is just going to play like BOTWs poor relation and be a dull experience, which in a way is a shame.
So much potential wasted I fear, if only they had been brave enough to shift away further from the game they have obviously taken inspiration from (or ripped off style wise, take your pick!)
@Zeldafan79 PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Didn't set the world on fire but was neat for what it was. Countless folks have "tried to have their own Smash Bros", from the Switch-released Brawlhalla to single-franchise gems like Tales of VS or Guilty Gear Dust Strikers to comparably multicrossover classics like Jump Ultimate Stars. Like I just said here earlier, all these "clones" mean nothing but Smash Bros having long established a subgenre of its own.
@Alpha-2002 JFC, "Horizon"? Tell me you don't mean Zero Dawn... dragging a game that came out several days before BotW into this conversation sounds reality-detached even by fan standards.😳
Legend of zelda this aint
@CairiB In spite of the shameless botw cloning, I was still pretty intrigued by GI until I read that it is slated to be F2P. Barf.
@playstation_king Lmao
This looks generic and choppy as hell, even for a bootleg.
I'm all in for competition... but when a game looks like the developer has copy/pasted the code of a famous game and changed the design and mechanics just enough so they don't get sued, I can't trust the quality of the game.
Looks like BOTW with generic anime characters. Pass.
Because of the 4-player co-op I’m intrigued but if it doesn’t make it to Switch I’ll pass on it.
@danemord Breath of the Wild copied a ton of stuff from Far Cry 3. Unlocking towers to see more of the map, collecting relics/korok seeds that are just scattered in the overworld, the wingsuit that you can deploy from elevated positions.
The gaming industri is so big and old at this point that almost all good ideas have already been done, and at that point you need to accept some imitation.
I love all people immediately passing this off. I played in the beta, and found it to be more fun than Zelda. If you want a game like Zelda, but with a better and more structured story, better characters, better combat, and online co-op, then this game is for you. Or, you can just complain about it for "ripping off" Zelda.
@Friendly Actually I discovered Skyrim after BoTW (thanks to the Switch port) and I thought quite the opposite. I moderately enjoyed BoTW and I thought Skyrim was giving me more freedom, there were so many side quests that I didn't really know what was the main quest anymore, which I found quite satisfying.It's funny how impressions can change from a player to another! The storyline in BoTW is very simple from the get go while Skyrim had, to my opinion, multiple outcomes depending on how you played. The only freedom you have in BoTW in the end, is the order in which you decide to beat the divine beasts.
@TrumpsHand what's so funny? I'm not saying this is better, I'm just saying I like the fast hack and slash combat which I prefer.
Yes I understand it's beta, just pointing out some work still to be done in my opinion:
By the way, having levels makes me think the game won't be as "open world" as it could, some grinding may be necessary if I really want to venture no matter where.
In the end, if it's a pretty good game, I may get it!
It looks like a pretty shameless ripoff indeed, but here's a few things why I might want to pick it up anyway:
1) I love the music you can hear in this trailer. It's more of a typically JRPG styled OST compared to BOTW's unique simplistic style. I do love BOTW's soundtrack, but the music of Genshin Impact sounds great, too
2) The combat: compared to BOTW it looks a little more fast paced. You can switch through characters who have their own set of skills - Could be a lot of fun to use that and gain advantages in combat
3) Potentially the story? Maybe? I didn't really like the whole story in BOTW. It was a smart concept to experience it through flashbacks and environmental story telling, but it was very simple in its core. If the complexity of the story in Genshin Impact is anywhere above BOTW, I will definitely want to pick it up
@Octane
Basically BOTW. All the characters in that game were generic anime tropes as well.
@Xaessya I don't remember Revali being a 13-year-old anime girl with boob armour and rabbit ears
Looks great, ridiculous to deprive yourself from a potentially great game on principle alone.
I love BotW and I will get this game as well.
On PS4 we've just finished the 3rd closed beta which ran from 2nd to 27th July. 4th closed beta starts on 30th July. Haven't seen any Switch related announcements yet other than it's planned to release on it at some point.
I've never played Breath of the Wild, all I can say is that from just the 2 ingame regions we beta tested (I think there will be 7 total) it was over 200 hours of awesome from start to finish (minus minor bugs/error codes etc., hence 4th closed beta starting).
Looking at a potential Game of the Year imho, and that's saying something considering it's likely to be free to play (in game purchases are there, but optional). I'd also be surprised if it doesn't make it over to XBox at some point, big market for them there too if they can do it.
@Agriculture never said that you can't make a game inspired of or having features similar to other games 😉 that's how the industry works.
What I'm actually saying is that if a game looks, plays, and feels like another game that just has a different skin plastered onto it, then it's not copying something to enhance your game, it's just lack of creativity, and that very rarely makes a good game.
Think about it, how often have you played Far Cry 3 and thought "wow, this is a mature version of Breath of The Wild!" 😉 There's quite a difference that and what we see here
Mind you, I'm not writing this as a Zelda fan (I don't really care about those games), I'm just pointing out how I see it as just an easy money machine... and it probably is
I mean just on the gameplay alone, I would say inspired by BOTW but very much different.
I'm into it. I think the game looks cool.
@Yanina I love your avatar gif! Its rad af.
Absolutely beautiful. Definitely grabbing this one.
After playing BotW on Wii U and Switch and then beating it through CemU with ultrawide 1440p 120hz support...I welcome a clone of BotW on PC with those options without having to use an emulator.
Now if only Nintendo would actually port BotW to PC...
Surprised it has taken 3 years to be honest. I thought loads of Devs and publishers would have had a crack at a similar game. Remember all the Doom clones in 95? Those were the days.
Funny, I brought this up yesterday. I've read its free to play and it really dampens my hype for it.
I was really interesting in this game and ready to buy it until I found out it's a free-to-play.... with gacha mechanics... game... Since it's free, I may try it out. Why couldn't it simply be a stand-alone single player game like Zelda? Apparently monetization with be "fair for the player", but we'll see how that goes.
@NintendoByNature It is free to play, there are several videos on youtube showing off the gacha mechanic.
This next video is a recent example from the last beta test.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3W7btU8GfU
Surprised how so many are somehow defending this. Clones are good, it's a new subgenre? This literally copies the animations, effects, lighting, color palette, art style down the the mountain silhouettes and textile patterns. It's not even a palette swap, it's just a recreation of the same thing in a hollow contexts.
I played dozens of Diablo "clones" back in the day. None actually looked like a cheaper direct copy of the original. There's a difference between a clone and a knock-off. Brawlout is a Smash clone. This is a BotW knock-off.
@TsukiDeity yea its a real shame. I was ready and willing to pay full price for a full experience
Was in the closed Beta. Tried 3 times finally got it this time.
It is actually pretty good. The world is beautiful and fantastic to explore. And even in the beta you have tons to do. Once you get 3 characters to switch in and out of, gameplay opens up a lot.
Still has Some performance issues on PS4. I think PC is really the safe bet for this one in general. I liked it, so definitely jumping in as soon as it comes out.
@FargusPelagius Takes a while to perfect all those pay to win micro transactions
Game does look good in premise but it'll be utterly ruined by being a freemium pay to win game instead of an honest game purchase. If I get this, it'll only be after there is a shopless version or a save editor
Here's where I'm confused - can this game be played offline? Because in interviews it seems like it can't be but they're talking about so many different versions it all kind of blends together. On mobile, constant online connection is expected, but on console it's a dealbreaker for me. I'll be interested to see if the PS4 or Switch versions eschew the constant connection requirement.
Edit: The MTX are probably a dealbreaker for me too. It's too bad because I'd love a co-op game in this style.
The Legend Like But Not Quite That of Zelda.
Looks beautiful; but, I’m not buying from a Chinese company.
If it has a story, it's got an upper hand on BotW.
Looks good. If Nintendo is incapable, by then all means someone else release something. HOWEVER I have been hearing this is some sort of F2P, with lots of characters and stuff locked behind paywalls.
@Alpha-2002 Horizon actually came out before BotW by like a month.
@danemord I often thought that when I was playing Far Cry 3. When I was standing on a big height I was thinking "I can use my glider just like in BotW" and when I was going around finding relics I was thinking "this is just like korok seed collecting - not very fun".
This game also seem to be the opposite of what you are claiming. It's not the same game as BotW with a different skin, it's a completely different game with the skin (artstyle) of BotW.
I've been playing their previous game Honkai 3rd Impact, and I've been enjoying it
I'll play it, it is quite good. I honestly don't see the similarities beyond a few overlapping features and the fact both games use cel shading.
@Dang69
Horizon released 3 days before Breath of the Wild.
Anyone who thinks this game isn't ripping off Breath of the Wild is kidding themselves. The terrain and enemy design look like they were ripped straight out of Breath of the Wild and edited a bit to avoid being seen as a copy-cat.
There is a difference between being inspired by a game and blatantly copying the game's assets and world as a foundation.
As long as it plays well I dont really care if it rips off BotW, BotW was a great game had tons of fun with it and if this one has it as well I am all in for more exploration goodness.
@Alpha-2002
BotW and Horizon came out at the same time. Hardly a rip off.
@westman98 My point was, there was no way the game was trying to copy BotW or be greatly influenced as the other post implied.
@Dang69
Yeah, there is no way Horizon tried to rip off Zelda.
This combat is way different from BOTW imo.
🤦♂️ No more to say.
A Zelda rip-off with micro transactions ? no thank you.
The BotW 'rip off' about it is the main reason I'm interested. It looks really pretty, I'll wait until nearer to see how it shapes up but I'm interested on that basis alone.
Also, please stop promoting that idiot who smashed a PS4.
I have my eye on this, a game inspired by BotW but with JRPG elements is very interesting. I'm concerned about microtransactions though. Not expecting this to be close to the masterpiece that BotW was it course, but hopefully this turns out to be a decent title.
At this point, it's not even inspiration...It's a total rip off, of BOTW, and I LOVE IT! Looks frigging awesome
@Zeldafan79 so now the originality of a game is just the looks? Nintendo didn't invent cell shading, burning grass or goblins.
The fighting mechanics are different, you can choose 4 characters on the fly and use lots of magic. Nintendo also didn't invent the glider, here they use wings. No need for you to support it, but not every car with 4 wheels is a rip off from the first Mercedes
@westman98 so we ignore that you can choose from 4 characters, have actual cities and probably a lot of other stuff you don't know yet?
@westman98 If they copied assets, why has Nintendo not sued them, and are allowing the game to release on their platform?
I was really hyped about this game until i found out is an MMO... that really crushed it for me... 😢
@Chibi_Manny It’s not really an MMO. You can have people join your game for co-op, but it’s mostly single player
I think it looks neat, and it doesn't bother me one bit that a company would want to visually emulate BotW. But free-to-play, whyyyyy
@mazzel @graysoncharles
I never claimed it was a copy of Zelda. I claimed that it rips off the character and world designs from Breath of the Wild. The gameplay itself is obviously quite different from Zelda.
@Anri02
You would need to prove that code or files were copied or stolen in order for a lawsuit to go through, which can be quite difficult to show. While it's clear much of the character and world design was taken from Breath of the Wild, the actual code is probably quite different.
@westman98 So you’re saying they didn’t steal assets?
@mushpototo Yeah I did notice on the Balance Wondered trailer there's 80 different costumes which seems like the equivalent of the capture mechanic in Odyssey.
The combat looks more varied than Breath of the Wild but will have to wait and see on this one.
@westman98 ?!?!?! Horizon ripped of Zelda? Are you implying that or did I misread it? Please tell me you don't believe that if you are implying/saying that.
In the midst of all this, we can still never forget about the one guy who smashed his PS4, only to later see that this game was coming on the Switch.
This game while appearances of character mesh cell shading looks similar to botw, that graphically look stops there in terms of similarly Genshin Impact after beta testing doesn't remind me of botw at All, the gliding and climbing and open world combines both assassin's creed and botw gliding but takes both concepts and deliver a finally true to life anime game that when playing it, you truly feel like you're in an anime,.
The world is amazing, the combat is addictive, the progression is so much fun in terms of levels, loot and gear. The menu is so refreshing to navigate and omg the music is on par with Chrono Trigger and Xenogears, the graphics in hdr make everything just glow even more than it does without hdr.
Every battle is super exciting and I absolutely love the elemental environment system. This game while on the surface looks like botw, everything else is completely different and frankly what the gaming world needs to learn from. I do hope once it's released in September that everyone will see and play this amazing game.
@Anri02
This game clearly rips off designs from Zelda, which is pathetic, but I doubt that assets and code were copied or stolen. Nintendo probably can't pursue any serious legal action, but it's still a bad look for the developers of Genshin. There are ways to be inspired by another game without ripping off that other game's designs and assets - a good example would be PS All Stars Battle Royale, which was clearly inspired by Smash Bros, but doesn't rip off its character or stage designs.
@Rafie
???
Did you read my comment correctly? I said "Yeah, there is no way Horizon tried to rip off Zelda."
Take on the best game of the past 10 years and see if it doesn't cause any backlash and disappointment. Hope it's good cause if it fails it's going down in flames.
True Crime LA versus GTA is what I'm imagining.
I like the art style. But it’s shamelessly similar
@WoomyNNYes
@Friendly >implying botw has good ai
Personaly i think breath of the wild, is one of the most memorable game ever made.
Imo the glider and the fact you can solve any problem with the abilities you have, and things you found, is what made it such a strong game.
Although it could have been better, if they added hard to find huge secret temples and did something extra with the rumble function.
I think the next zelda game could be the best game ever made.
@NEStalgia @westman98 I feel disheartened after reading this comment section.
The rip-off is so blatant that anyone defending it... no, I won't even say. And yes, many organizations begin by emulating the success of others, but does anyone think that Nintendo, or Japan as a whole, still simply copies the innovations of the USA?
I have enjoyed many exchanges on this forum, have learned and been challenged, but maybe this community isn't for me.
Even the icons are the same (the white icons). And yet it looks pretty cool. I wonder if this game will also have shrines with puzzles, or maybe even dungeons. Might be worth trying out someday, even if it is a clone.
Update: Someone on the comment section said its free-to-play. That immediately makes the game less interesting to me. That also means microtransactions, yuck!
@nhSnork You know, I often disagree with what you write, but I like to read your posts anyway because there is often reasoning behind them. In this case, however, I feel your overall point is completely off-base.
The visual, signposting, musical, thematic, tonal and gameplay similarities to BOTW that are on parade here are too striking to ignore. And before anyone accuses me of cherry-picking (I haven't played Genshin Impact, no) or focusing on these similarities, please remember that Sony and the developer chose to prominently display these features themselves:
At a certain point, one appropriates, renders homage, borrows, steals, and baldly imitates too much, and a work becomes derivative. I well understand your point about clones and sub-genres emerging. You're right about that. But the "unique spice" that this game adds only militates more strongly for the developers to stop cramming as much Zelda as possible into every frame and start mining their own freakin' creativity. That's how sub-genres mature into something else.
This, though... this is just cynical. If anyone wants to enjoy your Zelda rip-off, have fun - but don't get your back up if people refer to it for what it is.
@Braok Compared to skyrim, are you saying it doesn’t?
https://youtu.be/JJyGqNyT7os
@Friendly I haven't played Skyrim but that was actually pretty damn clever. I guess my memory of certain aspects of BOTW is waning.
@Braok i started replaying it a few weeks back . There’s some very clever stuff in it for an open world game which focusses mainly on exploration.
https://youtu.be/XxMG_i_zdO4
But yeah, as with each game, there’s also broken stuff such as this:
https://youtu.be/gINCyoRA5U8
@COVIDberry Yeah, I don't get it at all. Not just in a disgusted way but in a genuinely surprised and confused way. I'm not sure how it's even possible to have the reaction it appears the majority of commenters on this thread have.
Maybe it's the younger set that grew up with Youtube and learned that just taking something you didn't make, adding your picture glued in the front and talking over it makes it your own unique content. Like drawing a mustache on a Polaroid of the Mona Lisa makes you an artist.
Super excited for this. That idiot who smashed his PS4 deserves all the ridicule he gets. Would he have smashed his console over Symphony of the Night? Or Hollow Knight? Or Salt and Sanctuary? They all rip off Metroid. If a game brings about innovative ideas, the industry can only benefit by taking those ideas and trying new things, or trying to benefit. The idea of a BotW with actual companionship and, ya know, more than a piecemeal story (the major weakness of BotW) then I. Am. THERE.
Made in China? idk, i can't trust anything that comes out of there right now. For all we know it will hack our switch and spy on us loll
Ughhhhhhhhh just sush up nintendo with calling it a clone. It's normal for some games to look alike.
@Agriculture Oh yeah l remember all that in the game and Far Cry 3 came out waaaaay before BOTW. I loved the old Far Cry 3.
@Mr_Persona I know it's very annoying
I honestly don't mind if it's a clone. I enjoyed BotW a lot and now I can have it but with a dose of anime which is something I love.
@Ricowtje it has grass that looks like in breath of the wild. Welp take my money. Yes I know I have weird standards
As much as it does look like BOTW... I think I might give Genshin a chance. It looks pretty good so far.
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