If you have never heard of Genshin Impact before, it is an open-world, action role-playing game that was developed by the Chinese gaming company miHoYo in 2020. Even though it only came out in 2020, it has garnered quite a following with over 60 million players.
The game is “free” to a degree. The game gives you characters if you get a certain amount of tokens (primogems) in the game but if you want a specific character available on a banner that is only up for a few weeks, then you can pay to get primogems to try and get the character. Players call it “pulling” for a character and you use wishes to get them. I have to admit this is one of the most frustrating things about the game but it almost makes you want the character more if they aren’t easy to get. The game hasn’t been completed yet, every year they try to release a new land. So far, there are only four lands available but each of them are unique and fun to play through. The open-world concept makes the game fun to explore and there are monsters and people to fight as well. The plot of the game is also an interesting one and is filled with mystery in trying to figure out what is happening. All the other things aside, one of my favorite things about Genshin Impact is the soundtrack. Each land you are exploring has a different soundtrack which gives the countries their own unique feel. Mondstadt is modeled after Germany, Liyue after China, Inazuma after Japan, and Sumeru is modeled after a mix of North African, South Asian, and Middle Eastern cultures. The music sometimes reflects the culture that each land is based on.
There are so many tracks in the game that I love so picking two for you to listen to is hard, but I will be picking the two tracks from Inazuma and Sumeru. From Inazuma, the track is “Duel in the Mist.” This sometimes plays when you battle a certain enemy. What I love about this ost is that it has traditional Japanese folk music because Inazuma is modeled after Japan. The use of instruments from Japan, like the shamisen, koto, taiko, and shakuhachi make the environment tense with danger and battle.
And then from Sumeru, “Port Ormos” which is one of my favorite tracks in the game. When you get to the port in Sumeru this track starts playing. When I heard this track playing in the background I literally stopped and just stood there for a few minutes listening to it. This ost definitely makes you feel as though you are in a busy port town. The tambourine, guitar, mandolin, sitar, conga, and other instruments do a wonderful job in giving the track flair. Overall, the soundtrack does a wonderful job transporting you to a fantasy world that is magical and engaging.