Developer/publisher MiHoYo Format Android, iOS, PC, PS4, PS5 Release 2020

Climbing a peak and taking in the vista before you – surely the defining moment of any open-world game worth its salt. Your eye scans a distant mountain; a structure that was previously out of view; a landmark just itching to be discovered. In between are plenty of enemy encounters, trinkets and tucked-away secrets to divert your attention. And beyond, it’s suggested, uncharted territory yet to be revealed.

In most open-world games, you know those foggy patches will be made visible before too long, whether it’s ten hours later or 60. But that’s simply not the case in Genshin Impact. The world of Teyvat is still being built by developer MiHoYo, and seeing those far-off places? It might be another five years away yet.

Take, for example, Inazuma. Not until nine months after launch were we able to cross the sea to this isolated archipelago nation. The Genshin community, though, had been aware of its existence for much longer – and not just owing to the incessant data mining that has resulted in character additions being spoiled ahead of time. The region was referenced as far back as the game’s first patch last November, where in one seemingly incidental quest you meet an NPC who recounts fleeing the “dangerous” situation back home to make a fresh start.

After many months becoming overly familiar with the opening areas of Mondstadt and Liyue, though, the civil war still raging in Inazuma isn’t nearly enough to discourage us from taking in the sights. We probe the new puzzles and mechanics linked to the nation’s Electro element. We take note of new enemy types and resources whose uses have yet to be fully revealed. Most of all, we luxuriate in the strong Japanese influence. Liyue was based on Chinese culture and Mondstadt on Northern Europe, but Inazuma is all temples and cherry blossoms, duels with samurai enemies and encounters with the mischievous tanuki guides that hide near shrines and torii gates.