Nodusfall: A Clone of Elden Ring or HoYoverse's New Turning Point?

HoYoverse, the renowned developer behind Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, has just shaken the gaming world by announcing a new project called Nodusfall. Departing from its familiar anime style, Nodusfall shifts to dark fantasy with realistic graphics and co-op mechanics for up to four players. However, immediately after the first trailer was released, the gaming community compared it to Elden Ring – the masterpiece from FromSoftware that won Game of the Year 2026. Many argued that Nodusfall blatantly copies both character designs and world settings. But is this truly a 'rip-off' or merely a natural influence from a game that has reshaped the entire industry? This article will deeply analyze the controversy, the core differences, and the potential impacts on HoYoverse and the global action RPG market. The Nodusfall trailer debuted earlier this month, revealing a gloomy world, gigantic creatures, and characters with special power-based combat styles. Immediately, gaming forums like Reddit and Twitter exploded with comparison images: a winged character reminded the community of Malenia, Blade of Miquella in Elden Ring; a mysterious white-haired woman was compared to Melina; and the desolate ruins were deemed too similar to the Lands Between. The term 'rip-off' spread widely. However, it must be emphasized that this is only a visual trailer, with no actual gameplay footage released. Judging a game based solely on a few still images is hasty, if not unfair. The current market context is crucial to understanding this controversy. Since Elden Ring's launch in 2026, it has set a new standard for the soulslike genre – a subgenre of action RPGs characterized by challenging combat, vast open worlds, and hidden lore. Elden Ring's massive success (over 20 million copies sold) means any subsequent dark fantasy game is easily compared. HoYoverse, known for its anime gacha titles, is venturing into FromSoftware's territory – a strategic move to expand its audience to the Western console/PC market. But precisely because of the stylistic difference, the community tends to doubt their creative ability in the new genre. The key point many overlook is the co-op boss-hunting mechanic for up to four players – an element that Elden Ring lacks. Nodusfall is described as a combination of Elden Ring and Monster Hunter: players cooperate to take down giant bosses, rather than fighting alone as in traditional soulslike games. This is a major gameplay difference that could completely change the experience. If HoYoverse focuses on promoting this co-op aspect, they can shift the narrative from 'copying' to 'innovation'. However, until actual gameplay is revealed, all assessments remain speculative. From a contrarian perspective, this controversy could be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it damages HoYoverse's brand in the short term, especially with loyal FromSoftware fans. On the other hand, it generates massive free attention – something any new project craves. If Nodusfall truly delivers quality at launch, the current backlash could transform into a powerful marketing lever. Gaming history shows that many titles once called 'clones' still succeeded through their own quality (e.g., Palworld was compared to Pokémon but still became a hit). The key is for HoYoverse to quickly provide evidence of differentiation. Legal risk here is low. Under copyright law, gameplay mechanics are generally not protected; only specific assets like character designs and names could be subject to claims. The similarities pointed out (winged character, white-haired woman) are common archetypes in dark fantasy, hard to consider direct copying. However, reputational risk is real: if the community continues to label Nodusfall as a 'rip-off', it could affect pre-orders and initial reviews. In conclusion, Nodusfall stands at a crucial crossroads. With HoYoverse's massive financial resources (revenue from Genshin Impact reaching billions of USD), they have ample capacity to polish and create a quality product. But the real challenge lies in convincing the community that Nodusfall is not just 'cheap Elden Ring'. The answer will only come when official gameplay is revealed. Until then, all of us – game lovers – should keep an open mind, wait, and judge based on reality, not prejudice from a trailer.