Nodusfall and the Shadow of Elden Ring: When HoYoverse Steps Into a Land FromSoftware Has Dominated

I remember the first time I watched the Nodusfall announcement trailer. Not because of the spectacular footage or the resounding music, but because of a quiet moment lasting a few seconds when the camera paused on a character with wings spread wide. In that silence, I heard the global gaming community inhale simultaneously. They didn't need to say it, I knew what they were thinking: Malenia. Immediately, the debate erupted like a teamfight no one was prepared for. "Rip-off," "copy," "beyond the limits of inspiration" — these phrases flew across forums before anyone truly understood what Nodusfall was. The empty stadium still echoes with the applause of a generation never met. In 21 years of observing the gaming industry, I have never seen a controversy that more clearly reflects the gap between visual perception and gameplay reality. HoYoverse — the renowned developer behind Genshin Impact and the Honkai series — just announced a new project with realistic dark fantasy style, completely abandoning its signature anime aesthetic. And the community passed judgment after just 2 minutes and 47 seconds of trailer. The context of this controversy is not simple. Elden Ring, released in 2026, is not just a game — it is a milestone that reshaped the entire industry's expectations for open-world action RPGs. From world design, combat systems, to the signature gloomy atmosphere, Elden Ring has become the standard against which every subsequent dark fantasy project is measured. When Nodusfall appeared with a winged character evoking Malenia, a white-haired woman compared to Melina, and an overall atmosphere reminiscent of the Lands Between, the community had enough "evidence" to reach a verdict. But I have learned that in esports, as in football, what appears on the surface is rarely the whole story. Faker's 12 seconds of silence taught me that defeat is also a language. And here, I want to ask the reverse question: are we misreading this match? What most of the debate overlooks is Nodusfall's core gameplay mechanic: cooperative boss hunting with up to 4 players. This is not a minor detail — it fundamentally changes the nature of the experience. Elden Ring, at its core, is a single-player game with limited co-op elements. Players face challenges alone, and the feeling of solitude is an essential part of the experience. Nodusfall, conversely, is designed around team coordination — a structure closer to Monster Hunter than Elden Ring. This difference is not merely technical — it is a design philosophy. In Elden Ring, the moment you defeat Malenia after 47 failed attempts is a moment of absolute solitude. No one witnesses it, no one shares it. In Nodusfall, that moment is designed to become a collective memory — four players cheering together, breaking down together, remembering together. This is a fundamental experiential difference that no trailer frame can convey. I once corrected a single syllable, and realized I had been pronouncing an entire career wrong. Similarly, the gaming community is judging Nodusfall based on still images — while the full truth about the game remains unrevealed. Not a single second of gameplay has been shown. No information about combat systems, skill trees, level design, or any element that truly constitutes a game's identity. This brings me to a counter-intuitive perspective: this controversy might be the best thing that ever happened to Nodusfall. In a market where capturing attention is increasingly expensive, HoYoverse just received a massive amount of free media coverage that no marketing campaign could buy. Of course, this is not what they wanted — but in the gaming industry, all attention has value, as long as the final product is good enough to turn controversy into momentum. However, I also see potential risks. If Nodusfall launches with gameplay that feels like Elden Ring — not just visually but mechanically — the backlash will be far more intense. The community will feel validated, and the "copycat" label will stick to the HoYoverse brand for years. This is the most dangerous scenario, and it is entirely within the developer's control. From a regional perspective, this controversy carries interesting nuances. HoYoverse — China's financial giant with billions in revenue from Genshin Impact — is stepping into a land that Japan's FromSoftware has dominated for over a decade. This is not just a clash between two companies, but between two development philosophies: capital and craft. HoYoverse has superior financial resources, can hire top talent, and invest in production quality. But FromSoftware possesses something money cannot buy: a design legacy that defined an entire genre. Throughout gaming history, Chinese developers have frequently faced plagiarism accusations from the international community. Some cases are justified, many others are mere prejudice. Nodusfall stands at the intersection of both — and only time will answer this question. What I know for certain is: the final verdict will not come from comparison images on forums, but from the actual player experience when the game launches. The cup is not the destination, it is merely a period for a long story that begins in darkness. Nodusfall is at the beginning of its story — the darkest phase, where anything can happen. Will this game become one of the titles that redefines the co-op soulslike genre, or will it fade into obscurity as a footnote in HoYoverse's portfolio? The answer lies in what we have not yet seen — and that is precisely why I maintain the curiosity of a storyteller. The silence after a conceded goal sometimes says more than any commentary. And in the quiet between the first trailer and the next gameplay reveal, I choose to listen rather than judge. Because I am a storyteller, not a judge. There are already enough referees.