The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Meets Genshin Impact In New Open-World RPG

Published Sep 19, 2026, 12:01 PM EDT

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It is somewhat ironic to compare a new open-world RPG game to both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Genshin Impact. After all, the latter was accused rather fervently by fans of the former of ripping off Nintendo's masterpiece. Genshin Impact was branded a Breath of the Wild clone (one of the first to gain mainstream popularity) on release and criticized for it. Of course, the game has since absolved itself of said criticisms and has flourished into its own unique experience while swiftly becoming the leading example of a financially successful gacha title.

Indeed, we are now getting games like Genshin Impact, a rather hilarious turn of events for a game once accused of being a facsimile of BotW. Its striking anime aesthetic, varied open-world activities, and approach to combat have formed their own identity that, when coupled with attractively designed characters one can't help but want to collect, makes for a Genshin-like. Which is how we find ourselves in said ironic situation: a brand-new game that does indeed take inspiration from both Breath of the Wild and Genshin Impact to deliver, one hopes, an all-new breed of experience.

New Open-World Game Is Anime Breath of the Wild

Let's be honest: there's no shortage of sprawling, anime-inspired open-world RPGs anymore. The genre used to be a veritable barren wasteland, with only a handful of titles truly living up to the potential it held, but now one can't go two feet without bumping into yet another Genshin Impact or Breath of the Wild-inspired title. Indeed, the likes of Wuthering Waves, Neverness to Everness, and DragonSword: Awakening all offer more or less the same type of experience, albeit with a few added twists to help spice things up.

To be clear, this is no indictment of the idea of anime-esque open-world RPGs, nor a criticism of Breath of the Wild's immense influence over the genre. In fact, I am rather partial to these kinds of games, and while the never-ending nature of titles like Genshin Impact can be a tad overwhelming, on the whole it's amazing to see such stylized experiences within an open-world context. Which is why I find myself gravitating towards the recently announced Sleepless Wilds.

Liberally inspired by Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, as well as, of course, Genshin Impact, Sleepless Wilds is the latest game from Chinese developer Zealory Games. It was announced in September 2026 with a promotional trailer showcasing its gorgeous vistas and very Breath of the Wild-inspired gameplay. To say that this is a game like Breath of the Wild would be a gross understatement, although one can't really brandish it as an insult anymore, considering just how unique Genshin Impact has come to be recognized as.

Sleepless Wilds Could Be The Next Big Open-World RPG

Sleepless Wilds has all the hallmarks of a good Genshin Impact-like, or at least, it certainly seems that way. Beyond the gameplay showcased in the trailer (which does look startlingly like Breath of the Wild), we don't know a great deal about this latest open-world RPG. Still, what we have seen is more than most games in the genre tend to reveal so early on, and it looks promising. The environments are stunning, featuring a mix of fantastical locales with Horizon Zero Dawn-esque ruined civilizations.

Combat looks fluid and varied, and the story cutscenes, while almost indistinguishable from those of Genshin Impact and its ilk, look great too. I don't see why Sleepless Wilds, like Wuthering Waves and NTE before it, can't be a smashing success. It features up to three-player co-op, although it is playable solo, something that will always give it an edge over live service games that require multiple people to function.

Sleepless Wilds will almost certainly be accused of ripping off the games it so heavily takes inspiration from, but so were Genshin Impact, Wuthering Waves, and NTE before it. Yet, all of these games have gone on to be roaring successes, so I feel as if we should be a little less hasty to judge so early. Sleepless Wilds will undoubtedly find an audience, much like Breath of the Wild and Genshin Impact, and I'm excited to see what it has to offer, whether that's more of the same open-world greatness supplied by the aforementioned titles, or something unique.