Genshin Impact Sumeru trailer explores floating desert ruins

pcgamesn.com:

A second Genshin Impact Sumeru video preview shows off the region’s desert and some of the sacred ruins that can be found there, as well as teasing a group of forest spirits and several mysterious floating ruins that players will encounter while exploring the Genshin Impact 3.0 update’s new location.

The teaser, titled ‘Of Rain and Sand,’ features some members of the anime game’s art team talking about the diverse environment across Sumeru, which ranges from dense jungle to vast, rocky deserts. “Sumeru is rather different from the major areas we’ve seen in the past,” says environment artist Jax Huang.

“The landscape of the rainforest gives the impression of endless mountains,” Huang continues, while “The desert has desert storms, oases, and vegetation that needs water… Rocks eroded by the wind and sand, and sacred ruins with historical elements.” We get to see some lovely wide shots of these incredible structures towering up between the arid rocks, before getting a glimpse of some stone architecture and statues built into a cave network.

Huang says the team has “been experimenting with design boundaries – we didn’t want to come up with a very realistic design, but we didn’t want to deviate too wildly either, to achieve a good balance between exoticism, fantasy, and realism.” It certainly gives Sumeru some rather striking visual diversity between the barren dryness of the desert and the dense, vibrant forest areas.

“When players first arrive in this fantasy forest, they will find a city built on a giant tree,” explains environment artist Maizi. Located in the area is a group of tiny forest spirits who can only be seen by children, Maizi says, and players who encounter them can attempt to gain their trust by helping them