Gamers say Genshin Impact isn’t the Zelda clone it appeared to be

Genshin Impact’s second closed beta is getting favorable responses from players who say gameplay is more like Final Fantasy

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Gamers say Genshin Impact isn’t the Zelda clone it appeared to be

Josh Ye

Published: 5:00am, 25 Mar 2020

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

More people are finally getting a look at the Chinese game Genshin Impact, and the response has been surprisingly favorable. The game once widely criticized for looking too much like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is now being praised for beautiful graphics and an element-based combat system.

Some players are getting an early look at the game from developer miHoYo in its second closed beta before it’s eventually released for PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and mobile. Ever since its reveal last year, the free-to-play, open-world, multiplayer action-adventure game has been subject to intense scrutiny. But despite what appears to be a heavy Zelda influence in aesthetics, gamers are saying Genshin Impact is a quality game that differs significantly in style from Breath of the Wild.

The aesthetics of the game are still a draw, but it’s not the only thing people like. In addition to the graphics and character designs, players are praising the voice acting, the large open world and a combat system that challenges players to be creative.

Genshin Impact’s art has impressed a lot of gamers. (Picture: @So_Ethereal/Twitter)

While the game still looks like Breath of the Wild, players say Genshin Impact’s gameplay has more in common with other action online multiplayer games like Final Fantasy XIV.

To level-up your characters in Genshin Impact, you complete story quests, side quests, challenges and dungeons. Once you reach level 16, you can enable a co-op mode in which you and as many as three other players form a squad to take on more challenging quests. And the quests have plenty of content to draw on.