[Game website] Closed Beta 2 for Genshin Impact started earlier today, and we managed to hop in and experience it for a couple of hours. Crafted by miHoYo, the masters behind Honkai Impact 3, there are big ambitions behind this project with consoles, mobile, and PC versions made at the same time. With the graphics so exquisite, all the trailers so far are made directly from in-game footage. The overall design of Genshin Impact reminded us of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but there are still unique features making the game stand out. Take a look at the starting gameplay below, and take note that it is still in Closed Beta!

Note: The footage below is taken from the PC version of Genshin Impact.

While Genshin Impact has all the makings of a big AAA title, including a huge open world, impressive storyline and voiceovers, and a cast of adorable characters, there were some parts of the game which made us wonder if it really fits mobile devices. For example, the manual combat, the platform-style jumping, and basically a lack of action-packed battles in the first 90 minutes. Ok, maybe the good stuff is further down, but we sure hope to have experienced some at the beginning. Still, Genshin Impact is a testament of what a China developer (which is not part of Tencent or NetEase) could produce. Stay tuned for more!

Some really neat features which caught our eyes:

● Interactions between the elements (skills and environment), for casting lightning skills on monsters standing in a water surface will shock them; using freeze skills to freeze a water surface to build a walk-able ice surface

● While we do prefer more combat, the immense focus on the story is something fresh and new for the Free-to-Play mobile market (though the game is ready for PC and consoles too)

● We tasted a tiny bit of aerial combat at the start of the game against the dragon. Will there be more such battles in the skies moving forward

● Various nooks and crannies around the world, perfect for putting in hidden content (quests, monsters, treasure chests etc)