Reviewing Monsters: Genshin Impact, Part 12: Natlan

So, in our ongoing coverage of Genshin Impact monsters, we've entered Natlan, which is the Pyro region based on various South American cultures. I actually think Natlan's release as a region is probably the best out of all the regions I've been around 'live' for, at least as a region -- both Sumeru and Fontaine had pretty great story hooks. But I do really think that making other games like Honkai Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero had really caused the Genshin team to buckle up and focus a bit more on the environment, the traveling, the cutscenes... and maybe the monster designs?

It took me a while to get to this review mostly because I was really sick from August to September, so I really didn't manage to experience a lot of the region during the first couple of patches. But I really do like the region, which was absolutely fun to explore. Being a bit of a 'soft-reboot' of the many elements and having extremely distinctive elemental-tied tribes really does make exploring Natlan feel like exploring a brand-new land entirely instead of just a 'themed' location. 

Again, I'll try to have minimal discussion about the story, and focus more on the monster designs, since that's what this whole series is all about!

(Honkai Star Rail monster reviews may be coming at the end of the year.)

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SAURIANS:

Tepetlisaur Whelp

And these are the best part of Natlan... the Saurians! The Saurians are Genshin's equivalent to dinosaurs, and in a great attempt to make the six tribes (who we'll talk about in the human enemies section below) feel unique, each tribe gets their own themed Saurian, which is, in my opinion, perhaps the biggest way to give each tribe its own unique flavour. The Tepetlisaur Whelps are the baby forms of the Tepetlisauruses associated with the Geo-aligned Children of the Echoes, and... tragically, just like the cute sea creatures in Fontaine, the fact that I'm listing them here means that, yes, they can be killed and farmed for materials. 

The Tepetlisaur Whelp is quite cute, though, having a chubby body and a head of spiky rocky crystals. There's a definite Pokemon influence in there somewhere, and it does communicate the idea of a rock dinosaur that burrows everywhere pretty well. 

Tepetlisaurus

The Tepetlisaurus is the adult and mature form of these guys, and it's a lot more armoured, with spiky crag-like rocks and crystals running down its dorsal part. It can freely zip in and out of rock (and you can 'indwell' the adult dinosaurs as part of the region mechanic) though its head has gained a bunch of extra tusks and yellow amber-like growths that make it a lot less cute. I think I'd like the Tepetlisaurus a lot more if either the white tusks or the big yellow amber-nose are gone. 

The usage of the words 'Saurian' and 'Vishap' in the English localization does make it easy to miss, but these Saurians are essentially offshoots of dragons, because the original Chinese script does make it a bit clearer, what with the word for 'dinosaur' containing the character of 'dragon'. In which case, the Tepetlisaurus could be considered a related breed to the common Geovishaps we've seen before. I do think the Tepetlisauruses look a lot nicer and more polished, but I also do think that until we reach Primo and Azdaha the Geovishaps look rather lame. 

Koholasaur Whelp

Probably my favourite Saurian are the aquatic Koholosaurs, mostly becuase their babies are adorable! They don't even look like dinosaurs or dragons, they look like weird baby seals or something. Look at that head! They look like they escaped from Fontaine! I like the manta ray fins and hydrodynamic tails that they have. Again, absolutely adorable!

All of these Saurians are noted to be all but sentient, with most of them being able to communicate with humans and are given a close space in Natlanian society. Each of the six tribes correspond to one of these dinosaurs, and, again, I will keep reiterating that all of these really does help in making the sub-cultures of Natlan come off as being so distinct from each other. 

Koholasaurus

The adult Koholosaurus is probably the most traditionally 'cool' and 'badass' of the original three Saurians we get to see here, with a low-set body that combines shark and dinosaur. This particular screenshot isn't very clear, but it's got massive blade-like fins jutting out of its forelimbs. Love the colours, too, and I do think that the 'indwelling' mechanic that allows you to take control of these Saurians to travel the land looks coolest with the Koholosaurus. 

These Koholosaurus can swim through water as well as liquid phlogiston (i.e. magic lava) and, again, the commonality between Saurians and Vishaps are a bit clear when you compare a Koholosaur with the Bathysmal Vishaps side-by-side. The animations aren't exactly identical, but it definitely looks familiar!

Yumkasaur Whelp

Mmm, I'm not really feeling these guys, but maybe it's because of the face looking not quite as similar to their grown form? They look a bit like a child-level Digimon, though maybe that's those Terriermon-looking ears. The Yumkasaurus are theropodal buggers that live with the Scions of the Canopy. Not much to say here, they sure are baby dinosaurs. 

Yumkasaurus

I really didn't like the adult Yumkasaurus the first time I saw it, but I've grown a bit more used to it. Being a theropod with a mixture of avian and mammalian features, the Yumkasaurus's gimmick is a bit more interesting than 'swim through materials' that the Koholosaurus and Tepetlisaurus can do. They can extend their long, chameleon-like tongues... and then Tarzan around with them. It's so ridiculous and giving any amount of thought of supporting your weight with your tongue makes me wince, but it's cool. 

They also have an additional gimmick, where they can use those Spider-Man tongues to pick up explosive fruits called 'Flamegranates' and store them in their cheek pouches or their huge tails, and then vomit it out as an explosive grenade. That's a cool way to interpret and integrate a typical 'Pokemon breath attack' for sure. Oh, and those puffy tails double up as portable chairs, as idle Yumkasaurs will inflate their own tails for fun and sit on them. Cute! 

SAURIANS (BOSSES):

"Gluttunous Yumkasaur Mountain King" Kongamato
Of course, the bosses are also Saurians. One of the bosses is an overgrown version of the Yumkasaur, named Kongamoto, who has grown quite big. It's an ancient being that has survived time and battles, and just lounges around in its battlefield until you show up and beat his fat ass up for materials. The gimmick that he does is similar with the regular Yumkasaurus, only extended to be a bit more video-game-boss-y. He knocks down Flamegrenates that you have to blow up before he swallows them and uses them point-blank against you, and hilariously, despite his size he's still a Yumkasaurus so he can still Tarzan around the battlefield.

And then you dig around a bit and read some monster and item descriptions, and the story of the happy-looking Kongamoto is a rather depressing one. He was once the partner of one of the ancient heroes of Natlan, but contact with the Abyss corrupted him, causing him to deal a mortal wound against his master. His memory would eventually be ravaged by time that he didn't even remember his master or what he did or even his own name... but he remembered that he needed to protect something. And he's doing it. Sure, he's eating a lot and has grown into an enormous size, but he's still faithful, not realizing that the very thing he's supposed to protect is long gone. 

"Goldflame Qucusaur Tyrant" Holawaqa Ngoubou

OOOOOOH FUCK. Yeah, in this blog I tend to go 'that's a typical cool monster, neat', but the Qucusaur Tyrant, Holawaqa Ngoubou, just looks cool. Holawaqa Ngoubou is a member of the Qucusaurs, who are associated with the Flower-Feather Clan. He's a similarly mutated version like Kongamoto, and between the nice shade of red they use for him, and the wyvern-like way he stalks around, and the massive nose-horn, Holawaqa Ngoubou just looks pretty dang cool! He flies around breathing fire, and has a second phase where he reduces himself into what's basically an energy form. It's just pretty nice, and with the rather interesting decision to not have a lot of Natlan enemies be actually Pyro-wielders, the Qucusaur Tyrant is a nice little showcase that allows the nation of fire to have a fire boss. 

Similarly to Kongamoto, descriptions note that Holawaqa Ngoubou was once the companion of an ancient hero, but was likewise corrupted and pushed to the brink of insanity by Abyssal corruption in his blood. And as the description mentions, the moniker of 'Tyrant' is an unambiguous statement that the story did not have a happy ending. 

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HUMANS:

Forged Sand Interrogator/Shieldbreaker/Javelineer

So I think by simple virtue of giving each tribe an element, a dedicated main character,  dedicated village and a dinosaur, they really did a great job at making the tribes far more interesting and distinct compared to the Sumeru Akademiya Darshans, where realistically I can only think of Tighnari and Faruzan's Darshans being about biology and archaeology respectively, and I can't remember the rest. In-game, the Geo element Children of the Echoes is represented by playable character Kachina, and they have a great village that is built into the sides of a large mining canyon.

Ahem! Enemies! The Forged Sand warriors hail from the Nanatzcayan Tribe, or better known in the game dialogue as the Children of the Echoes. These guys are presumably just independent warriors that hang out in the wilderness, and unlike most other human enemies (Fatui, Eremites, ronin, treasure hoarders) they aren't technically hostile... they're just REALLY pumped for the battle games. They have a really wide aggression range and will spot you from afar, but they will pose a bit longer to taunt your character before starting aggressions.

The weapon designs are cute for these three footsoldiers, with the lady wielding a sword-chainsaw, the dude wielding a cudgel and the ranged guy chucking javelins. The former two are noted to be mining for precious rock when not fighting, and even the javelins are noted to be repurposed as mining markers. That is a nice in-universe lore touch. It really does bring into question why the game's so reluctant in introducing new weapon types.

Tepetlisaurus Warrior: Shard Striker/Rockbreaker Blade

Each tribe gets two elites that wear helmet-masks based on their tribe's dinosaur, and the Children of the Echoes are the only ones that have two dudes as their elites. The Tepetlisaur has one of the coolest heads, so these guys look far more intimidating than their Hydro and Dendro counterparts.

In addition to being regular-purpose enemies, they also double up as NPCs in the actual main story, with them representing the elites that reach all the way to the finals of the Hunger Games style competition. Shard Striker has a rather boring big hammer, but Rockbreaker is way more fun, wielding a Dark Souls "pizza cutter" style of ridiculous weapon, being a huge spear with a spinning buzzsaw at the end. 

Flowing Blade Skirmisher/Grease-Saw/Harpoon-Thrower

The Metzli tribe, or the People of the Springs, live on a village near the sea and it's represented by playable character Mualani. They hang out with the Koholosaurs, and are super-chill. I think they spend 90% of their time either surfing or in hot springs.

The lesser goons are a bit more "modern", I think? Though it might just be the Skirmisher's fancy naval hat. Grease-Saw's hat looks a bit more tribal. Among these guys, the Grease-Saw wields a giant jagged machete-like weapon and the Harpoon Thrower is a reskinned Javelineer from before, but the Skirmisher just throws hands. This strength which originate from their traditional ability of having to hunt and subdue prey underwater.

Koholasaurus Warrior: Reefsplitter/Waveshuttler

The two elite ladies of the People of the Springs are probably my favourite of the human enemies. Their saurian masks look a lot more like fancy naval hats than the dinosaurs, but the way they attack is so funky! The Reefsplitter hangs around a gigantic cannon with a turbine, and uses it to fire hydro-pumps and chase you around the battlefield with it. It's such a wacky weapon and the animations of this lady is pretty fun!

But the Waveshuttler takes it up to eleven, because she has a surfboard slingshot. Two things that wouldn't normally work well together, but she rides around this bizarre device like a surfboard across the land (playable character Mualani also has a unique insane shark-surfboard) but she can also plant the slingshot on the ground and fire off giant water balls at her enemies. Great, colourful designs from both, but I really do appreciate how crazy they are -- being over the top with the accessories really does make them feel a lot more unique.

Swiftstep Seeker/Storm Scout/Armed Courier

I actually find the Scions of the Canopy, or the Huitztlan tribe, to have the most boring minions. The concept of Kinich's tribe is pretty great! The city is built next to a cliffside and their Yumkasaur buddies allow them to navigate the treetops and cliffsides like Tarzan, but the soldiers... kinda look a bit more generic? They wouldn't feel too out of place as Akademiya soldiers in Sumeru's jungles. 

It also doesn't help them that all three use basically the same jagged sword whereas the Metzli and Nanatzcayan goons all at least have different weapons. Oh well, can't all be winners.

Yumkasaurus Warrior: Whirling Leaves/Flowing Skyfire

The Scions' elites share models with the other two tribes, with the Whirling Leaves being a reskin of the Echoes' sawspear minions and Flowing Skyfire being a reskin of the Springs' cannon lady. They at least look cool, though I really do think the flavour of both designs work better with the Geo and Hydro themes respectively.

These guys have a grappling hook attack that represent how the tribe move around in the canopy. It's neat, and at least the descriptions note how the sawblades are used to clear foliage and the cannon is an extension of the grappling hooks they use. There is some attempt to explain these guys' roles, at least.

OTHER MONSTERS:

Eroding Avatar of Lava / Fluid Avatar of Lava

It is a nation of flames, of course, so having some fire -- or rather, lava -- elemental style enemies makes sense! A lot of the initial tribes we see aren't actually connected to Pyro, but there are lava lakes and the like to make this a nation of Pyro. And these guys show up there! Pretty simple designs, just blobs with wiggly arms and 'eyes', but a nice and effective one.

The Eroding one is Geo-themed and the Fluid one is Pyro-themed in terms of attack and defenses, which I appreciate. These guys are apparently former golems or artificial lifeforms that were created by an ancient civilization to manipulate phlogiston, which is the local magic lava.

Secret Source Automaton: Hunter Seeker

We get another brand new category of robot separate from all the different styles of automatons we've seen before! And it's... a bit underwhelming? The porcelain-like rings are neat and the artwork and animations are cool, but this is like our twentieth robot or something and it doesn't really have a gimmick like Inazuma's origami cubes or Sumeru's pyramid robots or Fontaine's clockpunk swag.

There is some talk about how these Hunter Seekers were made by ancient civilizations predating humans, and that these used to be sample collectors... but mysterious ancient laser shooting robots are the initial wave of Genshin robot enemies in Mondstadt and Liyue. So other than being a new geometric shape I really am at a loss to find what to say here.

Flow-Inverted/Foliar-Swift/Rock-Cavernous Wayob Manifestation

And finally, we close off the first patch of Natlan with the Wayobs. The actual 'true' Wayobs are the spirits residing in the Night Kingdom, a parallel dimension that's all but stated to be the land of the dead. The descriptions note that the Wayob are 'consciousness of collective thoughts, and home of the ancestor's souls.' This is mild spoilers for the actual main story of the region, but the wars waged by the Natlanians are against our old foes, the Abyss. The Wayobs are spirits that reside in the Night Kingdom and act as deity-like spirit guides. Any more, I think, would spoil certain aspects of the main story, but suffice to say that these Wayobs are quite respected and are a major part of the Natlanians' culture, and they sometimes manifest in the real world in these totem-like forms called the Wayob Manifestations.  

And their designs are pretty cool! They are a bit more abstract, having a body like a totem and a vaguely human-like 'neck', 'head' and 'collar' plus a set of six wings that almost make it resemble angels... but then you throw a dash of the so-called biblically accurate angels into the mix, with visible eyeballs set onto the topmost pair of wings for all the Wayobs. Their 'heads' are just weird spikes, and I am fully convinced that their eyes, or what passes for their eyes, are those wing-shaped appendages. 

Again, just like everything else in this initial chapter of Natlan, three Wayobs exist, one for each tribe. The main difference beyond colour would be the crowns on their heads. The Hydro Wayob has like a stylized shark, the Dendro Wayob has a bunch of vines arranged in a spiral, and the Geo Wayob has... a crown? It looks badass, whatever it is. In addition to shooting their respective elements, Wayobs are also able to summon shields, and create 'arenas' with specific effects around them. This is flavoured as the Wayobs sometimes appearing to tribe members in the 'material world' to act as messengers of trials. 

Overall, these are very cool and add a dash of fun originality to Natlan's bestiary!