Nodusfall and the Sprint Within the Soulslike Current: When HoYoverse Runs on Elden Ring's Track

Kazan was not just a defeat. It is a rhythm I have never stopped listening to. But today, I am not listening to the rhythm of a player or a record-breaker. I am listening to the rhythm of an entire industry, as HoYoverse — China's gacha champion — suddenly veers into the dark fantasy track that FromSoftware has dominated for a decade. The first trailer of Nodusfall has just dropped, and the gaming community immediately screamed one word: rip-off. I enter the archive as an archaeologist, and when I leave, I am a storyteller. And my archive — old recordings, gaming forums from 2026, the never-cooling debates about 'soulslike' — tells a different story from what is unfolding on the forums. Nodusfall is not just a game. It is a strategic sprint, a fateful decision by a company trying to prove it can run more than one track. The context of this controversy is clear. Elden Ring, released in 2026, not only won Game of the Year but also set a new standard for open-world action RPGs. Its influence is undeniable — numerous new projects are choosing similar combat styles, world design, and atmosphere. This is why when HoYoverse — a company known for anime style and gacha mechanics — announced Nodusfall with realistic graphics, dark fantasy setting, and co-op boss-hunting mechanics, the community immediately compared it to Elden Ring. A winged character reminds players of Malenia. A white-haired woman is compared to Melina. Images placed side by side, and the word 'rip-off' began to spread. But I have watched too many races to know that what you see at the starting line does not determine the result at the finish line. What the community is missing — and what this analysis aims to clarify — is that Nodusfall has a core differentiator: co-op boss-hunting mechanics for up to four players. This is not a minor detail. This is a difference in essence. If Elden Ring is a solo run — you alone against the world — then Nodusfall, through its co-op mechanic, is aiming for a Monster Hunter-like experience: a group of players working together to take down massive bosses. Visual similarity does not necessarily mean mechanical similarity. This is the tactical blind spot the community is stuck in. They are judging a match based only on close-up footage, while the entire tactic — the game's true rhythm — has not yet been revealed. I learned this from Kazan: a goal is not just a moment, it is a sequence of movements brewed over a long time. Similarly, a game cannot be judged by a single trailer. The 'rip-off' accusation is currently just an opinion from part of the community, not an official conclusion. And under copyright law, game mechanics — soulslike combat, dark fantasy setting — are generally not protectable. Only specific expressive elements like character designs and art assets can be infringing. And the similarities described — a winged character 'reminding' players of Malenia, a white-haired woman 'compared to' Melina — are archetypal rather than direct copies. However, the real risk is not in court, but in the court of public opinion. In the gaming world, the line between 'inspired by' and 'ripped off' is decided by community sentiment, not legal standards. And this is where I see a deeper issue. This controversy is not just about Nodusfall. It reflects a long-standing bias in global gaming discourse: Chinese developers are often accused of copying Japanese or Western titles. HoYoverse, as China's most valuable game company, is entering a field where FromSoftware — a Japanese studio — is considered the absolute master. This is a clash between capital and craft, between financial scale and design heritage. But I have witnessed too many races to know that capital can buy time, and time can create craft. HoYoverse, with financial resources far exceeding FromSoftware's, can afford to iterate, hire talent, and polish Nodusfall to a high standard. The capital advantage may partially offset the design-heritage gap. The question is not whether Nodusfall looks like Elden Ring — the question is whether HoYoverse can prove its own identity before the game launches. Korir did not explode in Tokyo. Tokyo just happened to stand near a brewing fever. Similarly, Nodusfall did not explode because of the trailer. The trailer just happened to stand near a brewing fever — the fever of a genre dominating the market, and the fever of the question whether a gacha giant can run on FromSoftware's track. If HoYoverse can prove mechanical differentiation — if they show Nodusfall is not just 'Elden Ring with friends' but a completely new experience — then the current controversy can become motivation to attract more attention. Conversely, if the game launches with gameplay that feels derivative, the backlash will be far more severe, because the community will feel their initial accusations have been validated. Only when I stop running do I hear the song of the Kazan stands. And only when I stop comparing do I hear Nodusfall's true rhythm. Is this the beginning of a new era — where Chinese developers not only follow but lead in the premium console/PC segment? Or will this be a lesson about trying to run on someone else's track without the right shoes? The answer is not in the trailer. The answer lies in what we have not yet seen — and that is what makes this race worth watching.