Nodusfall: A Handshake Between Elden Ring and Monster Hunter, or Just a Clone?

When the first trailer for Nodusfall was released, the gaming community immediately split into two factions. One side pointed out the almost unbelievable similarities to Elden Ring, from the white-winged character design reminiscent of Malenia to the white-haired woman directly compared to Melina. The other side, including myself, saw something more distinct: a four-player co-op boss-hunting mechanic that Elden Ring never had. The question is not whether Nodusfall copies, but whether we are reading those static images through a lens distorted by Elden Ring's own success. HoYoverse, a name that has become synonymous with anime gacha games like Genshin Impact and the Honkai series, now declares it is abandoning its familiar style to enter the world of dark fantasy with realistic graphics. This is not just an aesthetic change, but a strategic move to conquer the premium console/PC market in the West – where Elden Ring demonstrated massive demand. However, this very pivot places HoYoverse in direct confrontation with FromSoftware, the Japanese studio that has defined the soulslike genre for over a decade. The comparison is inevitable, and the community was quick to use the term 'rip-off' when placing the two images side by side. But look closer at what Nodusfall actually offers. The game's biggest highlight is not copying Elden Ring's punishing combat formula, but its co-op boss-hunting mechanic for up to four players. This brings Nodusfall closer to Monster Hunter – a series that emphasizes coordination and careful preparation before each battle – rather than the solitary, challenging experience of Elden Ring. This mechanical difference is significant, and it shows that directly comparing the two titles based solely on a trailer is a methodological error. I have witnessed too many cases where a game was convicted based on static images alone, while the actual gameplay was completely different. The mistake that year taught me that data never lies, only the way it is read is wrong. In this case, the 'data' is what we see in the trailer, and the community's reading is being influenced by preconceptions about the developer's background. HoYoverse, with its history of making gacha games, is always suspected of being unable to create a high-quality action RPG. But the reality is that the company's massive financial resources can compensate for the gap in design experience. They can hire the best designers, invest in the most advanced graphics technology, and iterate until the product meets the standard. The question is not whether they have enough money, but whether they have enough patience to listen to feedback and adjust. Another counter-intuitive perspective: is this controversy actually harmful to HoYoverse? In the gaming industry, all attention has value. Nodusfall, a completely unknown new game, has now become a hot topic across forums. If HoYoverse can prove its own identity through subsequent gameplay footage, then the current controversies will become the motivation to attract even more attention. History has proven this many times: games heavily criticized before release can still achieve great success if the actual quality is convincing. Conversely, if the gameplay still feels derivative upon release, the backlash will be far more severe, because the community will feel their initial accusations were validated. The betting market is not wrong; it only reflects a truth you haven't seen yet. In this context, the 'market' is the community sentiment, and it is reflecting the fact that Elden Ring created too large a cultural shock. Every dark fantasy game released after 2026 will be compared to FromSoftware's masterpiece. This is a challenge Nodusfall must face, but also an opportunity to assert its difference. If HoYoverse is smart, they will not avoid this comparison, but use it as a springboard to introduce what they do better: cooperation, group strategy, and a larger open world. Esports doesn't need luck; it needs people who read the meta faster than the server. For Nodusfall, the 'meta' here is the soulslike design trend dominating the market. But instead of following the beaten path, HoYoverse is trying to create a new variant: cooperative soulslike. This is a big gamble, but if successful, it could open an entirely new branch for the genre. I will be closely following the next gameplay reveals, because that is when the truth will be exposed. For now, all we have are static images and an unresolved debate. Let's wait and see whether Nodusfall is truly a handshake between two worlds, or just a repainted copy.