One of the most anticipated parts of every Genshin Impact update for fans of the massively successful RPG is the introduction of the newest characters to join the game's growing roster. The breakout hit from Chinese developer MiHoYo recently welcomed the oni gangster Arataki Itto to its lineup and popular characters like Raiden Shogun and Venti have earned the company millions of dollars through their gacha banners. Now, with the game's next major update scheduled to release next week, MiHoYo is once again rolling out the red carpet to show off the newest member of its diverse cast.
The recent Special Program for Genshin Impact's 2.4 update revealed a plethora of content coming to the game in the coming weeks, announcing this year's edition of the Lantern Rite festival and the events to go along with it. Genshin Impact also confirmed the newest locale to be added to Inazuma in Enkanomiya, which plays heavily into the lore of Watatsumi Island during the Japan-inspired region's story. However, one of the biggest points of excitement for fans of the game was the announcement of the newest five-star character coming to Genshin Impact, Liyue's Shenhe.
Mihoyo released the first teaser trailer for Shenhe on Tuesday entitled "Shenhe: Lonesome Dream" through the official Genshin Impact YouTube channel. The gorgeous animated trailer introduces Shenhe's character and her role within Liyue as a disciple of the Liyue adeptus Cloud Retainer, who plays a major role in the Liyue region's story. Shenhe is shown as being a reclusive person forbidden from having contact with others, exemplified when she passes by the Traveler and Paimon in the trailer's conclusion with dialogue referencing a part of the Liyue story.
Stylized animated trailers like Shenhe's are a tradition Genshin Impact has established throughout most of the game's lifespan since its release in September 2020. Each new character receives a similarly stunning animated trailer showing off the character's personality with later trailers detailing their gameplay and skills. These trailers tend to be a popular part of the lead-in to Genshin Impact's newest characters, with Shenhe's already passing 1.5 million views in less than a day and the most popular breaking 10 and even 20 million view counts on YouTube.
2021 has been an eventful year for Genshin Impact as the game's first full year on the market comes to a close. Between Genshin Impact finally adding the long-awaited Inazuma region in July and controversies surrounding the developer's stingy anniversary rewards, the game has seen plenty of highs and lows throughout 2021. However, miHoYo was able to cap off the year by taking home the Best Mobile Game award for Genshin Impact at the 2021 Game Awards and will look to continue the game's success into 2022.
Genshin Impact is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, and mobile devices. A Switch version is currently in development.