Summary
Love it or loathe it,Genshin Impactis, without a doubt, one of the biggest games in the world. Ever since it launched in 2020, Genshin has shown no signs of slowing down and has single-handedly catapulted HoYoverse into the stratosphere as one of the biggest developers in the world.
While I’m well aware of Genshin Impact’s status as a live-service titan, it’s one that I haven’t been heavily invested in. I played when it first launched and had a few hours of fun, but dropped it as soon as the gacha elements became too much and something more single-player focused started making eyes at me across thePS5’s dashboard.
I’ve wanted to return to Genshin many times since it first released, but I’ve never had a good reason to, since it’s always felt like no matter when I jumped in I’d be far too behind, and the gacha elements are such an instrumental part of the experience that they’re impossible to truly ignore. That’s still the case, but going hands-on with the 5.0 Natlan update atGamescommade me wish I’d stuck around.
Saurin' Through Natlan
My preview started right as the Traveler and Paimon first arrived in Natlan, Genshin Impact’s sixth region, which led to them encountering a new type of creature called a Saurian. After gaining the ability to transform into a Saurian myself and using it to rescue a now-orphaned baby, I was then given complete reign over how to spend my time in this new region.
I was also quickly reminded how charming Genshin Impact’s writing can be, with Paimon and the Traveller arguing about what to name the little Saurian.
Knowing that any story content or mega-hard boss battles would be lost on someone who hadn’t picked up the game in four years, I decided to follow the Traces of Artistry side quests, which I was told would give me a good tour of the area and show me what it was all about. These side quests, which I believe are part of a timed event within the new update, contained a few different mission types, ranging from taking photos of creatures to surviving waves of enemies.
The most interesting were movement challenges that made use of the three new characters I got to play as. The first was Mulani, a Hydro character who used a surfboard to get around, which was contrasted by Kachina, a Geo hero who sits atop a big Beyblade-looking drill to move at top speeds and even dig into the ground.
Finally, there’s my favourite of the bunch - Kinich. This Dendro user has an awesome retro pixel design and can use his abilities to swing around the map while also attaching to specific points and creating platforms from them. Kinick’s gamer-y design stood out to me, but his movement abilities were also a breath of fresh air and came in handy during the challenges.
I don’t know much about Genshin’s pull-rates, but Kinich and Mulani are apparently five-star pulls, while Kachina is a four-star. Here’s hoping you all get lucky and get Kinich as soon as possible.
Genshin 5.0 Is All About Movement
It’s been so long since I’ve played Genshin that I honestly can’t tell you if the three new characters and their traversal skills are a new addition, but using their surfing, drilling, and swinging to jet around the map (while getting the best score possible, #humblebrag) felt great and was exactly the kind of thing that would drag me back to Genshin. There was never anything wrong with how Genshin felt to play, but these traversal skills mean that the 5.0 update is undeniably the best it’s been.
When I wasn’t exploring the map and doing every movement challenge that I could, I spent a little time trying out the combat abilities of my new Natlan crew. Mulani is more of a ranged fighter who uses water balloons to attack her enemies from a distance, while also closing in on them by surfing around and dealing water damage.
I didn’t use the Traveller’s Saurian abilities much, but they can seemingly be used in similar ways to the three new characters when travelling around Natlan.
Kachina’s drill attacks were a bit more standard but she could also use her traversal skill during combat to move around the battlefield quickly and whale on enemies. My beloved, Kinich, once again had the best kit of all though, as he not only had a sword that made even a lapsed player like myself feel comfortable, but he could also latch onto enemies and spin around them while shooting pixels. This damn retro boy is going to make me play Genshin again I fear.
By the end of my preview, it felt like I’d barely scratched the surface of what Natlan has to offer for long-time fans, but I did see enough to know that it’s a perfect jumping-back-in point for retired players like me. You don’t even need to clear everything prior to get there.Players can jump straight to Natlan once they hit Adventure Rank 28 and complete the Mondstadt and Liyue Archon quests. I’d long sworn off Genshin Impact due to how time-consuming it can be, but Natlan must be an impressive update if just over an hour is enough to make you want to lose yourself to it all again.
