My relationship with Genshin Impact has been a push and pull situation since its launch late last year. Mihoyo’s monstrous success certainly doesn’t need to cater to some of my oddly specific requests, but I find myself longing for a lot of those classic gacha/mobile game systems Genshin Impact has left out. And now, the return of one of those little components has me excited again - and that’s the latest leak that costumes may be coming to Genshin Impact.
The leak comes from Project Celestia on Twitter, an account with a history of being spot-on with early Genshin Impact news in the past. Its report shows off sisters Jean and Barbara, both sporting summer-themed getups. Considering Mihoyo’s other game, Honkai Impact, offers plenty of flashy fashion options, it’s an easy leak to believe.
And I realize it’s a small thing, perhaps insignificant to many, but playing a bit of dress-up is honestly one of my favorite parts in any game. I’m the person buying all of the costume packs in Tales of releases or spending hours on glamour sets in Final Fantasy 14. I’ll be stingy in most gacha games, saving up for months and holding out on most banners, but when it comes to costumes, I’m treating myself. I’ll take the cute summer outfits and the weird crossover event looks, thanks!
In mobile games like Epic Seven and Kings Raid, I was a sucker for any new ensemble that came to my favorite characters. So when I find a new favorite in Genshin Impact like Zhongli or Ningguang, it’s been a bit of a bummer I can’t customize my party to my tastes. With Genshin, it hits a bit harder than most, and I attribute that mostly to the stellar regions Mihoyo has built within Teyvat.
I look at characters like Ningguang, the Tiangquan of the Liyue Qixing, and can’t imagine this woman doesn’t have an incredible closet of outfits to trample baddies in. Then there’s Childe, who’s from Snezhnaya, and assume he surely has a few badass jackets hanging out somewhere, considering that area is freezing. Both Liyue and Snezhnaya are based on real countries, China and Russia, respectively, and as Mihoyo continues with that trend, I’m hopeful we’ll see more influences on Genshin Impact’s in-game fashion.
Then I think about the crossover potential - Honkai Impact famously held an Evangelion event where you could snag outfits for Honkai characters. Punishing Gray Raven did the same with Nier and Drakengard skins, bringing new costumes to heroes that wouldn’t typically wear such a thing. Give me that, but Genshin Impact. I want outlandish collaborations where I can dress Jean up as 2B, please.
And now that Genshin characters may be hitting Teyvat’s runway, I’m drawn back in. I’m already planning to sort my party list again, deciding who gets built and who gets left behind - not based on any powerful meta, but based on who I think will have the cutest outfits. I’ll play just about anything if it means I get to swap out my wardrobe, and I’m about to have Diluc and Beidou looking like a whole snack while I beat up on Cryo Regisvine.