Can you believe that we're finally setting foot in the long-awaited Snezhnaya: the home of cryo, the Tsaritsa, and the Fatui. I got to hop into Genshin Impact's 7.0 update - the big one - early, and had a blast. An icy blast.
The next Genshin Impact update brings us, finally, into the eighth region of Teyvat, where the Tsaritsa reigns, and all the lore we've ever wanted to learn awaits. Now, don't expect story spoilers here - that's all up to you to find out on your own. I don't want to get on the Fatui's bad side, after all. But what I did experience was miles of beautiful, frozen landscapes to explore, with new enemies waiting to feel my fury, and overworld puzzles at every turn.
One of the most obvious changes to Genshin - or should I say Gunshin Impact - is that we have guns now. We, as in the Traveler, as other characters do have them in their kit already. But now they're usable in combat sections for the MC, and you have to use them, so get your marksman skills ready. I'm not going to lie, it doesn't feel massively Genshin-y to me. This game has always felt like more of a fantasy title, but now we're visiting space and shooting guns. It's interesting, but takes some getting used to.
The new region is also a bit of a departure from the norm, as it's entirely covered in ice and snow. This is extra jarring as someone suffering their fourth heatwave in London while playing the preview - but the cold vibes are very welcome. Visually, the city areas look similar to Fontaine, but covered in snow and ice, with Muscovite designs on clock faces, windows, and the tops of buildings.
The city itself is actually a bit like Honkai Star Rail's Belobog, but BIG. And even snowier. Everyone's walking around clad in hats and furry boots, or standing near the outdoor radiators. As Tartaglia himself says, "where I'm from, if we didn't keep moving, we'd freeze to death. Literally". And he's not wrong; you do. If you stand still too long, the frost will get you, and you'll perish. Similar to Dragonspine of old's mechanic.
That's not the only threat here. There's a whole new roster of enemies (and other, non-threatening NPCs) to come across - most of which are animal-themed. There are vaguely wolfy, vaguely walrussy, and vaguely wildcat-like characters, along with flying fairy-like enemies that I recommend you use bow-wielders with. We all know there'll be some heinous bosses dotted around in caves and clearings that we'll need our Stellar reactions for.
Reactions? What? Well, Snezhnaya, taking a leaf from Nod-Krai's book, has a focus on new reactions. This time, it's Stellar Conduct and Stellar Swirl; these combine cryo and anemo, and cryo and electro. Because of this, I had to test the two latest characters: Odette and Alyosha, a five- and four-star, respectively. Odette's kit is perfect for both Stellar reactions, as she can apply both on- and off-field cryo, so it makes popping reactions super easy.
Alyosha, on the other hand, is for Stellar Conduct teams due to his electro element. He can provide a bit of healing, along with the application of electro through his skill. You can use them together, or with the likes of Sandrone, or even buffed units from long ago like Qiqi, Mizuki, Yae Miko, or Diona. I'm a big fan of any reaction as it adds more damage during combat, but especially ones where I don't need an entire new team. I'm looking at you, Flins, Ineffa, Aino, and Columbina…
It's funny that now we're nearing the end of Teyvat's story (or at least part of it), circling back to where it began with the Chapter Trailer showing off members of the Fatui that we'll meet, because we're also going back to its roots of feeling very Breath of the Wild-inspired, but this time, there's a hefty dose of Death Stranding (or Dark Souls) thrown in.
No, I don't mean constant and unforgiving combat; I mean you can now leave notes for other players, who can interact with them. You can't create a totally custom message, but there are plenty of words and phrases to make fun comments with.
You can also come across The Eye of Graeae - it's a small, floating piece of tech that sounds very much like the constructs from Tears of the Kingdom. It, too, operates machinery and assists you in this new world.
Something else I need to mention is that the music in Snezhnaya is as good as we've come to expect from Genshin's composers. I'm mainly talking about Peijia You, Yu-Peng Chen, and Yang Li; the soundtrack they've curated fits the frosty, outdoorsy vibe of Snezhnaya, with plenty of wind and string instruments to blow you along between snowstorms and frozen lakes. There's a choir involved, too, adding some depth between ballads of raucous piano-based battle music. Since day one, one of the game's absolute strengths has been its soundtrack, and it isn't slowing down, it seems.
I'm very eager to jump back in on my own account, and explore every frosty nook and icy cranny that the region has to offer, along with testing out new characters making their way into the Genshin Impact tier list - and meeting the Tsaritsa herself.