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Generally speaking, Genshin Impact is a light-hearted and fun experience. Although there are some serious moments, jokes and laughs are much more prevalent. However, when something dark does happen, the comparison to the usual tone makes it all the more shocking. Although Genshin Impact‘s regions generally have a consistent tone, Fontaine seems to be a lot darker than any other region so far. Both in story and atmosphere, Genshin Impact 4.0’s Fontaine has a much more mysterious tone compared to the previous nations. Plus, some secrets hidden throughout the zone are downright creepy. Some character stories and backgrounds have extremely sinister implications, dealing with heavy issues. For these reasons and more, here are some reasons why Genshin Impact’s Fontaine is the darkest region yet.
Genshin Impact’s Fontaine Shows A Dark Side of Justice
Genshin Impact 4.0’s Fontaine region is the land of the Hydro Archon and follows a strict code of justice. Specifically, each Archon is a God that focuses on a certain attribute, with the Hydro Archon acting as the God of Justice in Teyvat. Compared to previous God’s tenets, like contracts, knowledge, freedom, and eternity, justice is arguably the most applicable to real-life situations. The concept of justice and its corruption is an issue that many people have to deal with in their lives, and this Genshin Impact region tackles many of these problems, albeit with a fantasy twist. This includes pressing charges on innocent people and relentlessly pursuing them in court. Although everything is still broken up by the usual Genshin Impact jokes, the Fontaine region is still a grim reminder of some of reality’s issues.
Death Is A Common Occurrence In The New Archon Quest
Some of the death scenes that have occurred in Genshin Impact’s Fontaine region are very dark as well. It seems by taking the patch in a mystery-oriented direction, death is dealt with more frequently than usual. In its entirety, Genshin hasn’t been afraid of shocking deaths, like with Signora. However, one of the newest deaths was dark enough for players to consider it a bit too dark. During one of Lyney’s performances, a large prop crushes a character in front of a live audience. While this event prompts many of the later mysteries of the story, it is a shocking way to start Fontaine. More often than not, the game shows deaths like these off-screen, making this cutscene a huge tonal shift for Genshin.
Lynette’s Past Introduces Some Dark Issues To Genshin Impact
If this wasn’t enough to make Fontaine the darkest Genshin Impact patch, Lynette’s backstory seals the deal. In the story, it is revealed that Lynette and many other young women were bought and sold by corrupt nobles. However, due to technicalities in the justice system, these nobles can commit crimes without being stopped. Unlike many issues in the fantasy game, this is an extremely dark, real-world issue that HoYoverse decided to tackle. Seeing something like this in a normally joy-filled world was a huge shock to many players participating in patch 4.0. In the end, this has to be the darkest backstory in Genshin Impact when comparing Fontaine to other regions.
Finally, some smaller, creepy details help add to the darker tone of Genshin Impact’s Fontaine region. Firstly, the music of the zone, while beautiful, at times can be haunting. It provides a perfect dark background for the mysterious yet whimsical Land of Justice. On top of this, sitting in the Fountain of Lucine provides a creepy Easter Egg, where players can hear weeping from the spirit trapped within. Finally, some other dark events in the Archon Quest include serial killers, drug abuse, and abuse of power. This has led many players to comment that HoYoverse is planning on taking this region in a more mature direction.
In the end, although there is a bit of a tonal shift, Genshin Impact 4.0 is still the same game. Characters like Paimon are always there to make jokes and lighten the tone if things get a bit too heavy. Plus, some of the Fontaine side quests are the funniest we have seen so far. This even includes one with a reference to a classic Monty Python gag. Overall, though Fontaine is a great chance to tackle some more mature issues, the region doesn’t lose the classic Genshin charm. As more chapters release, it would be great to see this new tone stay consistent.
