Gamespace got hands-on with Genshin Impact’s latest 5.0 update, explored Natlan, and met three brand-new characters during Gamescom 2024.
HoYoverse is set to bid adieu to Fontaine this week as version 5.0 brings Genshin Impact into Natlan, and we have already had a sneak peek. During Gamescom 2024, we had some time to greet the locals, uncover some secrets, and find out if it’s really worth rushing headlong into the newest banners as soon as they arrive.
The Map
Natlan’s an instantly unique environment. For players who have wandered across the mountaintops of Mondstadt and floated through Fontaine, it takes a range of environmental design concepts and draws them out in a range of directions. Taking inspiration from across the South American continent, dramatic cliff faces leap out into the sky, and unlike sections of Sumeru, these are all covered in a vibrant ecosystem teeming with life. The land of dragons is a bustling mix of manmade encampments, unexpected wildlife, and ancient structures all wrapped around an undulating set of stone columns and open grassland.
Between nature’s own skyscrapers, an open sky awaits and plenty of secrets are squirreled away between the rivers below. Natlan is a map that manages to meld lush green meadows, sheer cliffs, boiling volcanic vents, and tranquil water features all into a region that does verticality on an unseen scale. It’s all screaming out to be explored, and the view is impressive too.
The Locals
Pottering around this massive range of vistas are the locals of Natlan, everything from tribal factions to hordes of the local Saurians. Unlike the traders of Liyue or knights of Mondstadt, Natlan’s tribes draw heavily, but not exclusively, on South American influences. Scattered across the cliffsides and nestled in the caves that open up across stellar views, there’s a definite sense that HoYo are drawing on Peruvian and Mayan vibes when we walk into the first homestead. Vocal elements of the Genshin Impact fanbase have already made themselves heard about the breadth of these influences and the way they’ve come together. If you’re expecting authenticity, then leave that at the door. Instead, there’s a bustling atmosphere and a vibrant people. Raucous crowds welcomed us into opening areas and invited the Traveler to take a look at the avant-garde graffiti that ends setting the tone for so much of the locals and their god of war.
Aside from being a very obvious break from the serious, subdued, and sombre civilizations that we’ve already met, the people of Natlan have plenty of activities that are a dam sight more dynamic than fending off the local Hilichurls. Instead, this update opens up a set of unique challenges that stand apart from the daily grind. Clicking on a local exploration guide, we had an opportunity to pick from a range of different tasks across three distinct screens. Aside from the graffiti art UI, each of the pages provides a similar set of options with a different twist. We could take on speed runs to collect gold coins, battle waves of increasingly powerful enemies, pick particular plants, and more. HoYo has endeavored to make these options feel distinct, focusing on the connection Natlan’s inhabitants have with the environment and playing with movement.
Time-based trials are the most obvious twist on the traditional fare that we’ve seen before. Pick a particular page, each representing a tribe in Natlan, and head out into the wilderness to test the movement mechanics in this update. While players who pull a powerful character or put in the time to align themselves with the tribes might be able to access certain movement options, we only had time to try out a totemic transformation or three. During movement challenges, we were able to morph a plain old Traveler into a version of the Saurians.
We got to burrow through mountain walls, waddle across the land, and spin through the air with delight as a Tepetisaurus. Along the way, we had to collect a mix of glowing orbs and gold coins, but no wall was an obstacle. Slip into the skin of a Yumkasaurus and the glowing Coilgrass Sigils become hooks that can be used to swing through the canopy. The Koholasaurus are a third aspect of Natlan, found in the springs near the basin of the map and probably the most fun transformation. While the rest of this trio unlock unique moments and new skills, the People of the Springs host an animal that can skim the water, traverse dangerous Liquid Phlogiston, bounce between thermal eddies, and ride massive currents, called Spiritways, that twist through the map.
When we tried a challenge that required the use of a Tepetisaurus, it took a test run to work out exactly what to do with this hulking beast, and then another to master the second totemic transformation on offer, but the real action is down by the People of the Springs. Visit this particular tribe, and you’ll find it’s nothing like Fontaine. Unlike the recent dive below big blue, this time you’ll get to skim the water and ride air currents beyond the surface.
When we used another totem-based transformation to become one with nature, it was the most fun I’ve had getting around in Genshin. Surfing the waves and whirring across air currents feels a little like Guild Wars 2’s Skimmer mount and Ley Line systems, but that’s no bad thing. It’s a refreshingly swift start for a map that has tons of verticality and never feels like it intrudes on the high-flying movement skills demonstrated by the People of the Canopy and their Yumkasaurus friends.
These three animal additions represent an argument for how mounts could eventually make it into Teyvat. If, like me, you want more of these exciting new movement skills, then I’d stack up Primogems, because the new banners are all about movement.
Kinich, Kachina, and Mualani
During my hands on, I had an opportunity to try out Kinich, Kachina, and Mualani. While I’d love to dive into detail about the combat numbers for these three, I was honestly too busy having fun. All three of these new characters are aligned to one of the local factions, and as such, display a series of skills and abilities that ape their own movement buffs. Mualani, in particular, can use her elemental skill to scoot across land and sea. The graffiti art that’s so prevalent seems to have inspired some sort of Jet Set Radio style action, meaning Mualani’s Surfshark Wavebreaker can ride this upcoming character over land, and, and even navigate the eddies and liquid phlogiston flows without getting singed. This is used to fantastic effect in Natlan’s content, allowing her to find and unlock a range of puzzles easily, bounce between outcrops, and unlock new areas. Mostly, it really works just about anywhere you can’t be bothered walking. Couple this with Natlan’s own elemental energy, giving Mualani and her compatriots an extra boost of energy, and I spent most of my time trying to grab as much air as possible.
This theme continues with Kachina and Kinich. Both have elemental options that also meld solid combat capabilities and appealing movement buffs. Kachina can hop into her own vehicle, either demolish the opposition with Geo attacks or climb almost any vertical barrier. It won’t circumvent everything, but mimicking the natural ability of the local dragons means you can overcome some of the world’s highest points with ease, and there are tons of these in Natlan.
Kinich, also has an ability that can be found in Natlan nature. Have a look in the sky and glowing green orbs hang in wait. We used this Coilgrass to traverse the canopy earlier, during our transformation. Kinich can fire out a hook shot of his own, dragging him through the air to latch on all the same or go a bit more free form. Take aim and fire where you like and this skill will fling Kinich up and away in any conceivable direction, beyond the reach of danger. When used to latch onto enemies, it allows Kinich to rapidly rotate around a target, greatly enhancing your ability to attack and evade without getting caught. Again, all of these provide some compelling movement features that simply aren’t present in other characters, even if Kachina’s standout feature feels a little like repurposed mechanics at times.
It’s hard to miss that for all three characters, there are obvious parallels between their abilities and the movement skills we tried in animal form. There’s also no denying that anybody with these three will find themselves more attuned to the local environment and have far more movement options than the average player. That said, I feel like Kinich is going to be a more useful pick in any map, but Mualani is just so much more fun to surf the day away with.
Most of this hands-on, I’ve raved about movement skills. I’ve completely ignored the top tier rewards, dragons, and other additions because movement is at the heart of Natlan. Sure, much of this new region arrives in a blaze of color, graffiti art, surf, sand, and silliness. The cultural influences are obvious and the questlines are as well-designed as you’d expect. The animation is great, and it’s another solid addition to Genshin Impact. However, I did not expect to find character mechanics that owe a debt to the likes of Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and urban skate sims when I landed at Gamescom 2024. You’ll see what I mean when Genshin Impact 5.0 arrives any moment now. Check out more on the action here and over at the official website now.
