The main Genshin Impact soundtrack theme, Dream Aria, used to sound quite different in the action RPG’s early days. Prominent Genshin leaker Ubatcha reportedly found a version of the song present in several of the game’s pre-release builds that contained lyrics. They posted it on Reddit and YouTube, though as with all leaks from the game, the pre-release theme is technically unofficial. The lyrics can’t be translated, though, since it seems HoYoMix composer Yu Peng Chen opted to use a made-up language for the lyrics, similar to what we hear in NieR Automata and NieR Replicant’s so-called “Chaos Language” – strings of words inspired by different existing languages but with no real meaning.
That’s a departure from the Teyvat alphabet used for in-game notice boards and books, which some clever fans deciphered and realized is basically just a form of inverted Latin and not an actual new or borrowed language.
The existing, official theme is split into two parts. During the day, it’s instrumental and relies on soaring flutes and strings. The night version does feature vocals, but mostly for ambiance.
Ubatcha shared no further context for the theme, so it’s unclear whether this is the first iteration of it or when HoYoverse might have changed it. It was enough to set some fans speculating on whether we may see the language later in the story, though, which most have unofficially agreed is a prototype for the language of Khaenri’ah.
That’s still quite a ways in the future, though. The next stop for Genshin Impact’s Traveler is Sumeru, land of Dendro and intense academic study, and for fans of the game’s soundtrack, it’ll likely mean another set of discs with new compositions from Yu Peng Chen.
Meanwhile, if you’re getting ready for the version 2.8 update of the anime game, check out all the current Genshin Impact codes so you can start hoarding Primogems for Shikanoin Heizou, one of the latest characters making their debut.