I didn’t expect Genshin Impact’s Natlan to fuel my Tony Hawk obsession

The world of Genshin Impact is positively overwhelming, a notion that repeatedly lingers in my mind as I hover over the map screen in my preview of the Genshin Impact 5.0 update at Gamescom. Hoyoverse continues to usher players into sprawling regions with an abundance of delights to uncover, but Natlan feels different. From its gorgeous James Cameron adjacent aesthetic to its distinct biomes, one aspect I didn’t expect to stand out was the game’s traversal improvements.

Across my two hours of hands-on time with the new Genshin Impact update, I’m not sprinting and teleporting around to explore, I’m riding the landscape full-on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater style. And it’s really, really awesome. This sweet traversal method comes with Mualani, an upcoming Hydro-based character that sits in the mobile RPG game‘s demo roster alongside upcoming Genshin Impact banners such as Kinich.

While the latter two also provide plenty of fun on my travels, Mualani’s moveset has the sauce. Hopping aboard her shark surfboard isn’t limited to certain areas or missions either. I’m able to shred up Natlan’s grassy pavilions and sandy cliffsides at any moment, until the ability is depleted and ready to be used again within mere seconds. If her presence as a Hydro character didn’t make it obvious, her surfboard can also stride across water with ease.

This handy feature shines the best in Natlan’s beach-side biomes, which feels like a citadel ripped straight out of last year’s Avatar: The Way of Water – and that’s a good thing. Natlan’s beauty is immediately clear as soon as you step foot into the region, but Hoyoverse’s art direction is really cooking here.

Natlan’s design is easily some of the best aesthetic creativity seen in Genshin Impact yet. Mualani and Kinich can use their traversal methods outside Natlan too, although either method won’t be as effective. That’s down to the update’s focus on mechanics bound to Phlogiston in the region. Kinich’s grapple movement is snappy, but ultimately fine in comparison to the highlight a damn shark surfboard.

Kachina also sits comfortably in the mix, with a rather comical drill used as her method of combat and transport. However, it’ll definitely be Mualani that rises up our Genshin Impact tier list when she becomes available for movement fans, but on the combat front, Kinich is a badass.

Before my time with Natlan ends, I’m deep into a flurry of battles using Kinich’s sensational array of fighting moves, all of them deeply influenced by 8-bit arcade nostalgia. As a result, it paints the screen with a tapestry of vibrant sprites, comic-style slash effects, and more. It doesn’t just look good, but it feels good too.

Natlan is bound to be a smash with players, and I guarantee its success will largely be down to Hoyoverse’s superb refinements to the simple art of exploration. So until you can surf across the new region, don’t forget to check out all the upcoming Genshin Impact events and use our handy Genshin Impact codes list.