PC Genshin Impact vs Nintendo (Designs)

So this is something I've been thinking about for a long time, since I started playing Genshin back in November, but just how much inspiration does the game take from Nintendo?

There's the obvious connection between BOTW and it, what with the art style and certain animated scenes. The first 10 minutes is almost a 1-to-1 recreation of BOTW's intro, such as how the blond haired protag slowly come up the hill to a cliff, where the camera shows a grand view of the surrounding lush green landscape. Even the direction you walk down as you are given the ability to start exploring the field you've come across is similar.


(screenshot of BOTW's cliff scene)


(Screenshot of Genshin's cliff scene)

Now, I don't fault the developers going down this path in the early development of the game. I believe BOTW created/popularized a whole sub-genre of open-world gaming. Genshin is exploring the concept with it's own world and lore, which is enough to draw in a crowd that didn't play BOTW yet. Plus, it being free helps it.

We can see the game becoming it's own when we get into specifics, such as the adventure rank system, and world levels. Characters have equipment you can attach and upgrade to boost numerous stats, but unlike BOTW, the specific buffs of each individual item is randomized. Instead of having one character, we have a Gacha system, and each character is stuck to one element and weapon type. The most we get is the Traveler, who can change their element (so far, only to Anemo and geo, though), Childe, who can switch from a bow to blades, and a leak of a character with two Visions, but it's currently unknown how that would work.

That's only mentioning the game design, we haven't even gotten into character design. Now, I said Nintendo instead of only Legend of Zelda, is because of one of the upcoming characters, Dainsleif. Most Nintendo fans nowadays are at least aware of Fire Emblem, with Three Houses being the one of the biggest in the franchise. And from Three Houses, we get, Dimitri.





These two look way too similar for Daisnleif to NOT be inspired somewhat by Dimitri's timeskip design.

I could continue to draw parallels, but this mini essay is getting too long already, but if anyone wants to talk more in depth, I'm totally down.

And if anyone wants to play, just DM me! I don't have any Genshin friends currently, so I'm kinda lonely rn. ^-^