Genshin Impact Lands a Blow in its Opening Cutscene

Upcoming open-world action-RPG Genshin Impact has uploaded its initial cutscene to Youtube. The clip shows two angelic-looking characters facing off against a powerful deity-like woman. According to material from earlier closed beta tests, the models for the angelic characters were used for the male and female player avatars. The trailer portrays the two as siblings.

Genshin Impact is being developed by miHoYo, a studio best known for the hit mobile action game Honkai Impact 3. Though they have similar titles, Genshin Impact is not related to Honkai Impact and is a separate, original production. The game is set in the world of Teyvat, which miHoYo detailed in a brief story summary.

Teyvat is a world blessed by the 7 Elemental Archons. Though the calamity the world suffered has ceased, and the lands have slowly healed, peace has yet to be restored to Mondstadt, the city of wind. The domineering Fatui have been oppressing the surrounding city-states, under the guise of protection, while an ancient darkness is seeking a chance for revenge…

You have arrived in Teyvat — a fantasy world where the seven elements flow and converge.

In the distant past, the Archons granted mortals unique elemental abilities. With the help of such powers, people formed a bountiful homeland out of the wilderness. However, 500 years ago, the collapse of an ancient civilization turned the universe upside down… Though the calamity the world suffered has ceased, peace has yet to be restored.

You, as the main character, are a traveler drifted from another world who has awoken in this land. You will explore this wondrous world freely, make friends along the way, and look for “The Seven” — Archons of the seven elements. Every piece of your adventure will unearth something miraculous, and the lost will eventually be found.

Genshin Impact also seems to take a number of hints from other games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with its focus on exploration and visual style. Other similarities were close enough to cause some controversy as players at last year’s ChinaJoy game fair to accuse miHoYo of “cloning” the popular Nintendo game. Unlike Breath of the Wild, though, it will involve multiple playable characters, with at least 11 confirmed by the official website.

miHoYo kicked off Genshin Impact‘s latest round of closed beta testing yesterday for a select group of registered users, as pointed out by Pocket Gamer. Those left out were given a preview of the beta content, thanks to a guided tour of the Liyue Harbor region with the character Amber:

Genshin Impact will be coming to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC, and both Android and iOS devices in 2020.