Chinese developer miHoYo unleashed a wave of strong opinions, spicy memes, and a wild TikTok community after releasing Genshin Impact. While some praise the game for following in the footsteps of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, others call it an outright clone. Immortals Fenyx Rising suffers from the same mixture of criticism, but it's fortunate enough not to suffer from a "Zelda with Waifus" stigma. Either way, everyone should expect to see plenty of games like Genshin Impact in 2021.
Don't suffer through the indignity of searching for your Genshin Impact versus Breath of the Wild memes any longer. The internet has already been thoroughly explored to find the memes that are too funny not to share. For better or worse, it's time to dive into Zelda and Genshin Impact memes you don't want to miss.
9 Clone!
It's good to get the most common criticism out of the way first, and this meme arguably does it the best. Yes, Genshin Impact has significant similarities to Breath of the Wild (including being perfect to play while listening to podcasts), but it has its charm as well.
Anyone who wants to yell "clone" and close their ears to arguments to the contrary is probably missing out despite themselves. And when it's the first thing anyone says, it's hard not to look like the bird in the last panel.
8 A Unique Artstyle
It cannot be overstated how much Breath of the Wild was a (there's no other way to say it) breath of fresh air. Everything from the gameplay mechanics to the gorgeous art style, which has inspired awesome fan art also, likely contributed to the success of the Nintendo Switch.
It's easy to forget that everyone wished for more Breath of the Wild-like experiences after it launched. True to form, Nintendo was ahead of its time, and even that is easy to take for granted despite their occasional stumbles.
7 Picking Up Ideas from a Senior Hero
Genshin Impact has its pros and cons, like Miles Morales or another version of Spider-Man, but it's undeniable that it's trying hard to follow in big footsteps. Without a doubt, miHoYo studied Nintendo's success like a fledgling superhero looking for guidance.
While the merits of Genshin Impact may exist in the eye of the beholder, this meme touches a lighter tone than others. After all, Miles doesn't copy Peter Parker from another dimension; he betters both of their lives by the end.
6 Waifuless Zelda
It's not unusual for breakthrough games to see "clones" that place the gameplay and art style in a new environment. The aesthetics and story may not appeal to anyone outside the niche, but that doesn't mean it hasn't found a home.
Nobody can claim that Breath of the Wild is a bad game, even after taking stock of its best and worst qualities. Genshin Impact fans likely enjoyed the instant classic just as much, if not more, but sometimes people are looking for a particular type of world to explore.
5 Can We Have BOTW At Home?
The pain of a mother who doesn't understand the differences between games crosses generations. As much as parents may try, they might not recognize the difference between Zelda and a new IP from a Chinese developer.
The copycat implications are also here, of course. The meme also implies that Genshin Impact is to Breath of the Wild what GoBots was to Transformers. Depending on how you feel about either game, this meme may hit you differently.
4 Explaining Why Genshin Impact Is Not A Zelda Copy
It's hard to stand up to enemies, but it's even worse to argue with friends. If your circle has strong opinions, it's hard to convince them otherwise, especially if they don't know the story elements from the manga in the game.
The polished arguments from Youtubers always come off as well-structured thoughts, but it's hard not to panic on the fly. When you're passionate about a game like Genshin Impact, and you're not getting anywhere, it's easy to feel more like the bottom picture than the top.
3 I Made This
While Genshin Impact tries hard to be an independent intellectual property, but some people can't leave it alone. At the same time, it's undeniable that this meme feels like it has some level of truth to it.
Depending on how you feel about Genshin Impact's level of originality, this meme will either make you laugh or sigh. Either way, this meme fits the controversy nicely, including unpopular opinions expressed on Reddit recently.
2 Check Out The New Girl
If an anime version of Breath of the Wild was someone's dream, then Genshin Impact made it come true for them. Since the breakthrough of Zelda's release, not many have dared to create a game with a similar feel.
Nintendo, after all, is not known for shying away from lawsuits over its intellectual property. While it's easy to love Breath of the Wild, there's no reason you can't fall for Genshin Impact also.
1 Free Breath of the Wild!
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When life gives you a free version of Breath of the Wild from a competent developer, smash that register button! If your attitude is more like Jim Carrey's at Dr. Robotnick, anyway.
This meme seems to embody most of the feelings surrounding Genshin Impact. Middle grounds don't seem to exist here because most are either excited or judging others for liking it.