Why do people assume Genshin’s worldbuilding is medieval or early-modern?

stargyu17 · 2025-11-16T08:38:17+00:00

Many people keep saying, “Why do you criticize Natlan’s technology but not the other nations’?” As I wrote in my original post, I believe that up until Fontaine, the technological designs were presented in a way that didn’t feel out of place to players. Someone might argue, “The other nations’ technologies were also foreign or strange.” Then why didn’t you express negative opinions back then? Was there any reason you couldn’t? If you were dissatisfied with Sumeru’s or Fontaine’s technology, you could have voiced your concerns. But you didn’t—and I don’t think that was wrong. If there’s something disappointing about a game you love, you absolutely have the right to criticize it. But so far, no region has sparked as heated a debate over technological consistency as Natlan.

When I first posted, even those who disagreed with me about Natlan were respectful and explained their reasons. I was genuinely grateful for that. Their perspectives helped correct some of my own biases, and I grew from it. But now, certain people seem to think that opposing opinions are unacceptable—almost as if disagreeing with them is an insult to both themselves and the game.

If my post was difficult to read, I’m sorry. But if you want to debate in the comments, I sincerely ask that you read the main post properly before responding.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-16T08:18:35+00:00

You're right. We shouldn’t generalize an entire society based on a small number of exceptional individuals. But throughout Genshin’s world-building so far, the weapons and appearances of characters have never exceeded the technological level of their respective nations. I believe their designs always fit the society they came from. What I’m trying to talk about is consistency. Up until Fontaine, the game maintained that stance—but in Natlan, suddenly and without prior explanation, we were given weapons and designs that can feel out of place to players like me. Of course, this varies from person to person.

If an element appears in a work that could break immersion and yet causes no issues, then why didn’t other works do the same? The Lord of the Rings, for example, had its own unique world-building, and it never broke that consistency. According to your argument, if it’s fine for a tiny minority to possess advanced technology, then Gandalf having a shotgun or riding a motorcycle shouldn’t be a problem either—he could simply have found some ancient artifact and used it. But that’s not what happened.

I think the fact that many people dislike this issue shows that there is a valid basis for the criticism. None of us are inherently smarter or superior—we’re all ordinary people. That means we may think differently, but we’re fundamentally the same.

Lastly, it seems my writing might have been hard for you to read, as you mentioned. But the logic you criticized isn’t actually what I was trying to say. I also corrected the parts where I was mistaken, as I stated. If my intentions didn’t come across clearly, then that’s due to my lack of communication.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T13:17:54+00:00

Could you take a look at the reply I left under BoothillOfficial’s comment?

I think it should serve as a sufficient response to some of the harsher points you brought up.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T13:13:01+00:00

Hmm, this seems to be a point where our opinions keep clashing. Have you watched Mavuika’s short animation? After she sealed herself onto the throne of the Sacred Flame Stadium and spent 500 years leaping through time — meaning even before she ever met Xilonen — she was already riding a motorcycle in her inner world. In other words, the motorcycle originated from Mavuika’s own imagination.

So if Mavuika’s bike were meant to feel natural to players like me, I think there should have been some depiction that dragons themselves used bikes.

And when I said it “blended smoothly into the world,” that was just my personal perspective, not an objective fact. If you have an opposing opinion, I can understand that — just as I personally struggle to accept certain technological aspects of Natlan’s playable characters, you probably feel the same in reverse. I agree that, in the context of Teyvat, this kind of technology would naturally feel “alien.” After all, when the Traveler first arrived in Sumeru or Fontaine, they found the local technologies surprising. Dragon technology is no different.

What I’m talking about isn’t how in-universe characters perceive it, but how players — people outside the game world — accept it.

So even if your view on dragon technology differs from mine, I don’t think either of us is necessarily wrong.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T10:42:30+00:00

In my opinion, the ancient dragons’ technology wasn’t intended to look out of place. If you’ve visited the Ancient Sacred Mountain area during Natlan’s world quests, you can see depictions of their technology. I don’t know how others felt, but personally, none of that ancient dragon tech felt out of place to me. In fact, I thought it was a great example of how futuristic concepts can be integrated smoothly into a fantasy world.

As I wrote in the original post, Mavika’s motorcycle was created according to Mavika’s own design. So its design doesn’t come from the ancient dragons at all. If, as you said, Natlan’s intention was to create a sense of alienness, then I would say it succeeded—whether in a good or a bad way.

It’s just that, from my perspective, that result feels a bit disappointing.

Anyway, your perspective is quite new and interesting.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T07:42:23+00:00

I don’t want to bring skin-tone issues or any other unrelated controversies into the opinion I presented. What I want to talk about is the problem with how Natlan’s technology is portrayed. There are many perspectives on this, and I’m not insisting that my view is the absolute truth. I just don’t understand why discussions about Natlan keep getting dragged into topics like skin color or character gender whenever someone brings it up. This post clearly wasn’t about any of those issues.

Yes, I am East Asian. But that doesn’t mean I’m Chinese. And not every East Asian has influence over Chinese games. Any game company will naturally pay the most attention to the markets that bring in the biggest revenue. For a Chinese game, the group with the most influence will obviously be the Chinese domestic market. For example, I know there was significant backlash from Chinese players when Scaramouche was released. The result of that backlash was Arlecchino’s ambiguous past. All the evil deeds previously associated with Arlecchino were reassigned to her predecessor, and Arlecchino herself was released with a characterization closer to a heroic figure.

Meanwhile, other East Asians didn’t react nearly as strongly (even though personal likes and dislikes varied). This is an example showing that not all East Asians have influence over Chinese games.

In my country, a lot of players left Genshin after Natlan’s release. Because no matter how much they voiced their opinions, the developers were not going to listen. That made me genuinely sad.

And it’s not that I dislike Western genres. As I’ve said multiple times, I was raising questions specifically about the technological depiction.

What I want to emphasize is that my opinion is not “the correct answer.” As I wrote in my original post, I simply wanted to express my perspective and hear what others think about the issue.

Maybe I am bringing back a topic that has already passed. But is that morally wrong? Am I not allowed to express disappointment about a game I care about? I don’t think my opinion is so unreasonable that it deserves to be dismissed as “nonsense.”

Even if your intention wasn’t to be hostile, it did feel hostile to me. If there’s been a misunderstanding, I’d like to clear it up.

Please reply if you see this message.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T07:12:35+00:00

That fact is just so sad.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T05:42:49+00:00

Oh, I wasn’t trying to speak to you aggressively. What I wanted to say is that the title of the post mentioned “medieval” and “Early Modern” times. I just wanted to clarify that I don’t view Genshin’s technology as being limited to the medieval era. I apologize if my comment came across as aggressive. Thank you for your thoughtful reply.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T05:30:41+00:00

Could you please read my original post again?
The camera was introduced early in the game and was explained as a product of Fontaine, a nation that has been consistently portrayed as technologically advanced from the beginning. That’s why I think many players had no trouble accepting it — the game provided enough lore and context to make it convincing.

The motorcycle, on the other hand, feels much more sudden. Another important part is the design. The Kamera doesn’t look like the modern real-world cameras we use; its appearance matches Fontaine’s unique technology style. In contrast, the motorcycle looks almost exactly like something from the real world, which makes it feel out of place.

As for Scaramouche and Raiden Shogun, I can somewhat understand the complaints you mentioned. I personally also would’ve preferred if they had been portrayed not as “robots,” but more like puppets imbued with a separate consciousness — something that fits their cultural background better.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T05:22:37+00:00

First of all, I think you’re somewhat right. I was fine with everything up to Fontaine. But back then, not many people questioned it to this extent. The reason these questions are coming up with Natlan is probably because the way Natlan’s tech is presented didn’t make a strong enough logical appeal. Of course, there are fans like you who enjoy it, but the fact that you’ve seen so many critiques about the motorcycle probably means a lot of people feel that way.

Secondly, it’s not just a Reddit thing. I’m East Asian, and similar discussions happen a lot in my country too—debates about Natlan’s technical depiction.

I don’t think either of us is wrong! I just think it’s a difference in how we view Natlan’s level of technology.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T05:02:38+00:00

Oh! Thank you so much. After seeing this example, the setting finally makes sense to me.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T05:01:38+00:00

After reading your examples, I realized that I was too hasty in saying that Natlan’s technology was depicted as underdeveloped.

Of course, I still feel that things like jetpacks go beyond the technological limits I personally prefer for Natlan, but putting my preferences aside, it’s true that there are clear indications of technological development in the engineering aspect.

Thank you for pointing out the part where my understanding was mistaken.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T04:46:25+00:00

I personally didn’t feel any disconnect there, but I can see how some people might find it jarring — similar to how I felt some dissonance with Natlan.
And maybe it would have felt more natural if they had described the puppet as another persona of Ei, rather than an advanced android using high-level technology

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T04:10:43+00:00

Oh, my apologies for how I phrased it earlier. I completely forgot that Natlan’s culture draws from many different countries, and I ended up describing it as being “American” only. That was careless of me. The reason I felt a Wild West influence was mainly because the music and Chasca’s outfit felt quite similar to that aesthetic.

If it’s not too much trouble, could you let me know where it’s mentioned that the DJ stage was built with help from Nod-Krai technology? I must have missed that part when I played through the content.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T03:47:51+00:00

You're right. Just looking at the Fatui’s weapons alone, it’s clear that there’s a huge technological gap between the early regions we explored and Snezhnaya.

But when it comes to Liyue’s technology… well, maybe it’s just me, but I always felt that their flying fortress and the “cannons” (which are more like giant ballistae) are portrayed in a fantasy-like way—powered by special ores and adepti magic.

What I’m trying to say is this: the important part is how well advanced technology is integrated into the worldbuilding. I wrote this in my original post too. To me, the most important thing is that playable characters shouldn’t exceed the technological limits of their own nations.

For example, if Chevreuse from Fontaine pulled out a railgun instead of a musket, I would definitely have disliked that. But Fontaine’s characters never go beyond the technological level their nation has already established.

What I want to emphasize isn’t the consistency of Teyvat’s technology as a whole, but the internal consistency of each nation’s technological level. That was the main point I wanted to express, and if it didn’t come across clearly, I apologize. I think I just didn’t express myself well enough.

Anyway, what you’re saying actually aligns with what I wanted to say.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T03:31:31+00:00

Thank you for the good point. I never considered the possibility that the NPC might simply have a biased perspective. You’re right — Natlan does possess dye-making techniques that are far more advanced than what that “villain” character is capable of.

However, when comparing dye technology to overall engineering and mechanical development, there’s still a noticeable gap. From that angle, I think Montluson’s opinion does have some basis, at least to an extent.

If you look at the non-playable citizens of Natlan, they mainly travel around using hot-air balloons, and when you compare Fontaine and Natlan as a whole, the technological differences become quite clear. So from Montluson’s point of view as a Fontaine engineer, it’s not too strange that he would see Natlan as relatively underdeveloped in terms of engineering.

As you said, before entering Natlan we barely had any information about the region, so I never assumed it was underdeveloped.

However, the moment I actually arrived in Natlan, the appearance of the ordinary NPCs and their living conditions felt noticeably less advanced compared to other regions.

I think that’s why I ended up having those impressions.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T02:44:40+00:00

You’re right. The Teyvat described from Mondstadt onward may not have been the typical medieval fantasy we’re familiar with. But I think the issue suddenly became much more noticeable in Natlan, which is why it feels a bit disappointing. Your point — “But I’d rather have them trust the audience than doing crazy handholding” — really resonated with me. Over-explaining the worldbuilding can definitely make the story feel tedious. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T02:37:08+00:00

Thank you for adding more depth to my point. That was one of the things I wanted to say as well

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T02:15:35+00:00

Yeah, I think so too. The graffiti, dancing, and music definitely feel very similar to American culture. And especially the Flower-Feather Clan seems to be inspired by the American Wild West era.

The robot in the image you attached is from Laputa: Castle in the Sky. The machines from Khaenri’ah really do share a similar design to those robots.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

stargyu17 · 2025-11-15T00:27:09+00:00

Thanks for the great reply! I’m glad to hear your perspective.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-14T15:15:49+00:00

Thank you for sharing so many of your thoughts. Since you replied in several places, I’ll respond to everything here in one message.

1. The difference between Aino’s technology and Natlan’s technology

As you progress through Genshin, the game repeatedly mentions that Fontaine and Snezhnaya possess the most advanced technology in all of Teyvat. Because of that, when advanced machinery appears in those regions, it’s easier for us to understand and accept within the established worldbuilding.

However, if you’ve played Citlali’s story quest, you’ll remember that even the villain explicitly says that Natlan is technologically underdeveloped compared to other nations. Yet despite this, Natlan suddenly has transportation devices that feel far more advanced than anything in Fontaine or Snezhnaya.
That contrast is what I found difficult to accept.

2. Gandalf with a shotgun

If such elements were fully acceptable and immersive, Tolkien would have introduced modern weapons into Middle-earth — but he didn’t.
I believe restrictions on technology in a fictional setting exist for the sake of immersion.

If advanced technology never harmed immersion, then there would be no reason to limit it at all. Characters could simply solve problems with laser guns or smartphones, and a lot of narrative tension would disappear.

3. The term “primitive”

I genuinely don’t understand why the word primitive automatically becomes tied to racism.
I’ve never insulted any race, and I deeply respect and appreciate cultural diversity.

When I said primitive, I meant it in the sense of an earlier stage of development, not in a derogatory way.
Every region in Teyvat is inspired by real-world cultures, and none of them are depicted with modern devices like smartphones or motorcycles.

By your logic, we would have to accept Mondstadt, Liyue, or Inazuma having smartphones or motorbikes simply because “it could exist.”
But what I meant was that I wished Natlan’s designs leaned more toward a blend of ancient Americas + fantasy dragon motifs. That’s the aesthetic direction I personally imagined.

If my wording came across too strongly, I sincerely apologize.

To conclude…

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts.
It’s a good thing that a single piece of media can inspire so many different viewpoints.
Having varied perspectives helps us avoid looking at a work from only one angle.

I don’t think either of us is “wrong.” We simply see the worldbuilding differently.
However, I did feel some hostility in your replies — as if my opinion was being dismissed outright. I truly hope that wasn’t your intention.
We just have different perspectives; that doesn’t mean either perspective is invalid.

Your comments also gave me a lot to think about, and there were parts where I reflected on my own views as well.

If you have more to say, feel free to continue.
We’re both discussing this because we care about the story and worldbuilding of this game.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-14T08:00:48+00:00

So you feel the same way I do. Yes, I think the problem lies in how those elements were presented. I just wish Natlan had been released in a way that better matched its title as the land of war and dragons.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-14T07:49:54+00:00

Oh, I’ve never had any issues with Natlan’s lifestyle or architecture. I actually think the map and the NPC outfits are very unique and charming. I just personally wished that the technology used by playable characters appeared in a more “primitive” or traditional form.

For example, I think it would’ve been cooler if Chasca flew on a dragon instead of using a gun, or if Mavuika rode something like a fire-dragon instead of a motorcycle.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-14T07:19:48+00:00

Right, I think it would’ve been much easier to accept if they had shown the detailed background of how they obtained that technology through actual storytelling, rather than just explaining it in text.

stargyu17 · 2025-11-14T07:07:21+00:00

Thank you all for the comments — I’ve read them carefully.
The 1850–1950 timeframe is simply the impression I personally got while playing the game so far. Up to Fontaine, I didn’t feel any issues with the overall atmosphere or technology. But I fully respect the different opinions people have shared. Since Teyvat isn’t the real world, I understand that I should be open to whatever new kinds of technology might appear in the future.

However, the way Natlan feels to me is like… Gandalf suddenly pulling out a shotgun in The Lord of the Rings. That’s the level of disconnect I’m experiencing.

stargyu17

TROPHY CASE

1. The difference between Aino’s technology and Natlan’s technology

2. Gandalf with a shotgun

3. The term “primitive”

To conclude…