Tom is an expert in all things Fortnite or the latest RPG release, but is probably spending too much time on the latest EA FC game.
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We’ve come to expect certain things from HoYoverse over the years. Gacha unlock systems, a cute anime style, and frequent updates. Nodusfall, the publisher’s latest game that kicked off Gamescom Opening Night Live, is a huge departure from all of that, and I went hands-on with it to see exactly how it plays.
Your initial impressions after watching the reveal trailer are probably correct. Nodusfall is a Monster Hunter-like set in a dark fantasy world. The similarities with the likes of Elden Ring don’t stop there, though. It’s only coming to PC at launch (for now at least), and it’s a multiplayer, combat-focused experience without any character gacha mechanics.
During my 30 minutes of time with the game, I feel like I only scratched the surface, to the point that I’m still not entirely sure what the game’s structure is. Four other journalists and I picked a character each and set out on three different jobs. Said jobs took us through snippets of fantasy worlds to meet a boss. We then worked together to take the boss down before heading back to the game’s hub world. We didn’t explore the world, nor the hub area, so I don’t know how open they are, but I can already tell that combat is going to be the star of the show in Nodusfall.
Combat feels a lot like Monster Hunter. Fights take place in arenas or open areas, much like in Capcom’s game, and you’re tasked with chipping away at the boss’s massive health bar over the course of five or ten minutes. The first fight my team faced was against a monster in a river, the second was against a dragon in a spectacular shallow pool with a mysterious low roof, while the third took place in a huge open plain.
You and your crew sprint about, attacking when you get a chance, using your abilities to do more damage whenever they reload. Nodusfall’s tutorial introduces a bunch of abilities to each character, based on button combinations and combos, each of which has a different use-case. For example, the close-range, tank-like character I was playing wielded a massive sword, which charged up as you landed attacks. Depending on which of the sword’s three stages you charged it up to, you could hold the attack button to unleash an increasingly powerful lightning attack. There’s a risk/reward aspect to your character’s abilities and attacks, which ensures you’re not simply mashing light and heavy attacks in the hope the giant monster you’re fighting will eventually fall. There’s a level of thought required in fights that I have often found absent in similar games. I also didn’t feel like I was swinging away and not connecting, or starting an attack only to find the enemy is gone by the time it lands. That removes a level of frustration that other similar games can suffer from.
While HoYoverse insists that you can play Nodusfall solo, it definitely feels like playing with three other friends is the way to go. Ranged characters are helpful, healers are vital, and communicating when to use each skill, depending on the monster’s movement, is the key to success. HoYoverse says it’s followed a “wide funnel philosophy” which creates a “low barrier to entry for new players, and a high skill ceiling to satisfy hardcore players.” It also plans to extend out the already large suite of characters that’ll come to the game, which will be designed to provide an option for everyone. The likes of Monster Hunter can feel overwhelming with all the systems and finicky mechanics, but I think Nodusfall will make the structure feel a little more welcoming.
When fighting the monsters, Nodusfall’s similarities with Elden Ring shine bright. While HoYoverse says the game is “set in a world where different mythologies converge,” it does look like standard dark fantasy fare at first glance. Giant creatures and huge knights with devastating swords are familiar enemies, and the way they move is extremely reminiscent of FromSoftware’s open-world masterpiece. The huge sweeping attacks, the quick leaps around arenas, and multi-stage advances make bouts feel like facing Elden Ring’s famous bosses, albeit on a larger stage without the risk of immediate death. Monster Hunter meets Elden Ring is a sell that has the potential to attract millions of people, but it’ll be interesting to see how Nodusfall develops its own style to ensure it stands out.
As you’d expect from a HoYoverse game, though, Nodusfall is beautiful. The open landscapes are impressively detailed, but the boss stages are vast, unique, and majestic. Lightning storms rained down during one fight, adding to the atmosphere and muddying the visuals further. There’s a scale to everything that’ll be familiar to anyone who has played Genshin, but the darker tone makes sure it stands out.
I felt like I only scratched the surface of what Nodusfall will be at launch. The darker but more welcoming Monster Hunter structure will interest a lot of players, but the combat has a level of depth that keeps encounters exciting. It’s a wild change for HoYoverse, but I’m intrigued to see how they manage a big, adult, multiplayer PC game for the first time.