Genshin Impact Regions and Their Potential Origins
Worldbuilding is an important aspect when it comes to video games. Famous MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, MapleStory, and New World are fine examples of that with their extremely immersive virtual world that can suck players in for hours.
This could also be said for Genshin Impact, where many would consider its characters being the focal point of the game’s success, but without a universe that draws players in, we are confident that Genshin Impact might not be as alluring as it is now.
Today, we will be digging a little deeper into the regions of Genshin Impact and what we can infer from these places, comparing them with their real-life counterparts.
*Do note that these resemblances aren’t official and much of them are opinion-based. Take it with a grain of salt.
Liyue: China/Hong Kong
Liyue is one of the first few places Genshin players get to explore and it certainly bears a huge resemblance to Ancient China.
One of the obvious signs were the oriental delicacies and the landmarks of Liyue which can be found in the older days of China.
Plus, the Liyue Harbor is the largest market harbour and is also similar to Hong Kong’s which is also known for being a huge harbour town for business around the world.
Do note that Liyue does not look like modern China and has the wuxia approach instead.
Therefore, if movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon caught your eyes with their aesthetics, then Liyue will definitely be a place you’ll want to chill at.
Inazuma: Japan
Inazuma’s origin is actually relatively obvious with its designation of rank. Raiden in Japanese translates to lightning and the region’s main element is Electro.
It is almost inevitable that a game like Genshin Impact would take inspiration from the beauty of the land of the rising sun as it complements the theme of the game really well.
Not only are the terms and wordings from Japan, but there are also a lot of cultural references, most notably being the existence of a Shogun.
As such, Inazuma gives out huge Japanese vibes and is almost very reminiscent of those old-school anime like Curious Play and Rurouni Kenshin. And if you enjoyed these anime when you were younger, Inazuma might be a place where you would hang around longer in this game!
Mondstadt: Germany
Mondstadt is the Anemo nation of Genshin Impact and looking at its design, we can tell from its architecture that the region is crafted from a European perspective.
While some might speculate that Mondstadt might be inspired by the Netherlands due to the existence of multiple windmills, we would actually say it is more of a German project than it is Dutch.
For one, the name itself is German that translates to City of the Moon and many of the characters based in Mondstadt are of German origins like Albedo and Klee.
As for its landmarks and landscapes, Mondstadt shares a lot of similarities with the Rhineland-Palatinate state from Germany from its cliffs and darkish cathedrals.
So if you’re into medieval European themes, Mondstadt might be the nation for you!
Unreleased Regions
As for Fontaine, Sumeru, Natlan and Snezhnaya regions that are yet to be released, we can only speculate based on their name and main element.
Here are our takes for each one:
Sumeru
From the Parched Stone description, it is said that the Sumeru region is dry and desert-like. And with its name, Sumeru sounds a lot like Sumatra, therefore it is a safe bet to make that Sumeru will be an Asia-inspired place.
We expect its design to be somewhat similar to Naruto’s Sunagakure; The Village Hidden in the Sand with its landscape built around rocks or sand.
Fontaine
Fontaine is rumoured to be a land that breathes elegance and beauty. And with teased characters like Lyney and how he is speculated to be designed, we can safely assume that Fontaine is a European-based region.
Natlan
Natlan is the land that expertises on the Pyro element, which is arguably the hardest to predict. All we know about this place is that it is home to the God of War, Murata.
The only concrete examples of the people that hail from Natlan are the teased Iansan and Vennessa. That said, this is still very little to go on with. If we were to judge them through appearances, we would assume that Natlan would be based on either India or Africa.
Snezhnaya
Snezhnaya is a place that is in a constant blizzard and takes its military very seriously. If we are being frank, this sounds a lot like most East European countries and even the name sounds like Chechnya, Russia.
From all that we know about Snezhnaya through the Fatui and Tartaglia Childe, it seems to be a cold and uptight place where Mora takes precedence. It is ruled by the Tsaritsa, which is the Cryo Archon in a strict military rule, with the Fatui (powerful diplomats) that would sacrifice their lives for her.
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