Summary
- Genshin Impact's lack of alternative outfits for its playable characters has left many fans feeling that the game's monetization platform falls short compared to its competitors.
- The developers have chosen to restrict the main characters, Aether and Lumine, to their default looks, despite the potential for alternate outfits.
- The showcased outfits for Lumine draw influences from the different regions in Genshin Impact, such as Liyue and Inazuma, but there is no outfit for the latest region of Fontaine.
A talented player showcased their creativity by designing four new outfits for Lumine in Genshin Impact, each drawing an influence from the region of Teyvat that the Traveler has journeyed to. Though Genshin Impact has premium outfits in its in-game store, with many being initially offered for free to participants of specific Flagship Events, many fans would argue that HoYoverse hasn't invested into the cosmetics side of their monetization platform as much as its competitors.
While characters such as Jean and Mona have free alternate outfits, characters such as Diluc and Klee have premium options for players to purchase. Despite this foundation of a varied system of cosmetics, Genshin Impact only has 14 alternative skins for its 71 playable characters, leaving the vast majority of them with just the default outfit. Given the insane popularity of Genshin Impact, coupled with its revenue from banner pulls, some fans can't help but feel that HoYoverse is leaving a great deal of money on the table.
Though players can assemble all sorts of powerful teams in Genshin Impact, Lumine and Aether represent the protagonists of the story, and as a result, are the player's avatar in story cutscenes. While it may seem like a no-brainer for HoYoverse to offer alternate outfits for Aether and Lumine, the developers have adamantly chosen to restrict the twins to their default look. Nevertheless, pinnko decided to conceptualize four different outfits for Lumine, based on regional styles such as Inazuma, Liyue, or Sumeru, before sharing the results on Genshin Impact's subreddit.
Whereas the first style clearly has a Liyue aesthetic, the second style seems to opt for an Adventurer's Guild look in favor of Mondstadt's traditional wear. Given Mondstadt's place as the Prologue of Genshin Impact, where players get introduced to the setting's mainstays such as the Adventurer's Guild, it's a perfectly valid design choice to take. Unfortunately, there is no outfit for Genshin Impact's latest region of Fontaine, but it would have likely included an extravagant hat.
A possible reason why HoYoverse is reluctant to change the Traveler's look is due to their extensive presence in pre-rendered cutscenes, where their sword infamously turns into the Dull Blade, and their elemental powers always correspond to the region where the story currently takes place. Though it may take years for Aether and Lumine to receive a makeover, Kaeya's new outfit in Genshin Impact could potentially imply that Amber is next in line to get a premium skin of her own, thus completing the set of Genshin Impact's starter characters having themed outfits.
Genshin Impact is available now for PC, Mobile, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is in development.
Source: Reddit