SUMERIAN MUSIC HITS HARD

With the release of Sumeru, the game’s new region starting from version 3.0, players are continuously enjoying waves of in-game content, visuals, characters, and especially, the glorious Sumerian music.

The traveler walking in a village | From the *“Sumeru Preview Teaser 1: The Fascinating Dendro Element* YouTube video of Genshin Impact, Hoyoverse

With this in mind, let us dive into why Sumerian music hits hard.

SUMERIAN MUSIC, UNIQUE IN PRESENTATION

The team behind Genshin Impact generally takes inspiration from real-life nations such as Japan for the Inazuma region, China for Liyue, and Germany & Switzerland for Mondstadt. For Sumeru, the inspiration was from the teeming rainforests of South Asia to the scorching desert of Middle East.

The traveler overlooking the Mausoleum of King Deshret | From the *“Travelers’ Reverie” — Behind the Scenes of the Music of Sumeru* YouTube video of Genshin Impact, Hoyoverse

Since Sumeru has two different ecosystems, Yu Peng-Chen and the HOYO-MiX team thought of corresponding instruments to match the vibe of the environment the player is in. The overall theme revolves around wisdom, spirituality, and the feeling of ancient knowledge hidden in the depths of the continent.

Instruments such as the Bansuri, Sitar, and Tabla, which are common in the Pakistani to Indian regions, convey the luscious and teeming biodiversity from the rainforests where scholars from the Akademiya, an academic institution inside the game, are meditating while seeking knowledge.

A musician playing the Sitar | From the *“Travelers’ Reverie” — Behind the Scenes of the Music of Sumeru* YouTube video of Genshin Impact, Hoyoverse

Meanwhile, instruments such as the Ney, Saz, and Duduk which are also common from the Armenian to the Middle Eastern regions, convey the overflowing and complex mysteries of the scorching desert where the scholars in the game risk their lives to uncover the secrets that will undoubtedly grant them the recognition they are craving.

A musician playing the Duduk | From the *Sumeru Live Symphony Performance* YouTube video of Genshin Impact, Hoyoverse

RECEPTION AND REPRESENTATION

Players and casual listeners alike are happy to hear about the masterpieces and efforts of Yu Peng-Chen, HOYO-MiX, and the musicians from the London Symphony Orchestra, the oldest symphony orchestra in London who brought the compositions to life. Comments of praise and thanks to the musicians who are part of the project are widely seen in the comments section.

Yu Peng-Chen states that he and HOYO-MiX will continue to innovate and bring excitement to players through studying and exploring local cultures.

Never Not an IT Girl: Jennie Kim’s 5 Most Iconic Looks

To hear more about Sumerian music, the album Forest of Jnana and Vidya is available to stream on YouTube and Spotify.

The album is an example of how diversity can be a key to unlocking unique musical scores as well as a form of representation, bringing the rich musical culture of the Baltic, South Asia, and the Middle East to the world stage.