Hoyoverse’s Nodusfall has Elden Ring fans split over “ripped off” boss designs

Hoyoverse’s newly revealed co-op action game Nodusfall has divided Elden Ring fans over whether several of its bosses are inspired by FromSoftware or have been “ripped off” from its games.

Best known for Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero, Hoyoverse unveiled Nodusfall during Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 25.

The game trades the company’s familiar anime aesthetic for a grounded dark-fantasy world where players become “Weavers” and work together to hunt enormous mythological creatures. According to the official Nodusfall website, players will be able to claim divine power from defeated enemies and use their abilities in future battles.

While the co-op hunts have drawn comparisons to Monster Hunter, the trailer’s environments, presentation, and boss designs immediately reminded many viewers of Elden Ring.

Nodusfall bosses draw Malenia, Midra, and Godfrey comparisons

One of the most heavily discussed designs is a winged female enemy whose introduction has been compared to Malenia’s Goddess of Rot form.

The Nodusfall character spreads a large pair of wings while surrounded by white birds, creating a shot that some viewers believe closely resembles Malenia emerging from her Scarlet Aeonia during the second phase of her Elden Ring fight.

“I mean they pretty much directly took several of the bosses from FromSoft games and changed them up a bit,” content creator MarcoMeatball wrote on X. He described the Malenia-like shot as almost identical, except that Scarlet Rot had seemingly been replaced by doves.

Another colossal enemy has been compared to both Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame and the Furnace Golems from Shadow of the Erdtree. Its head resembles a burning circular sun while the rest of its enormous body is formed from fire and smoke.

Fans also pointed to a warrior accompanied by a large lion-like creature, drawing comparisons to Godfrey and the beast regent Serosh. Others thought a mounted encounter resembled the Nameless King from Dark Souls 3.

The comparisons spread across multiple FromSoftware communities following the trailer. In one r/fromsoftware discussion, one user summarized the accusations by writing: “Each in a vacuum? Could be ‘inspired by.’ All three in one game? Blatant ripoff.”

A separate r/Eldenring post shared side-by-side images of the enemies, prompting replies including “legally distinct” and “do my homework but don’t make it obvious.”

Others connected the controversy to the early criticism of Genshin Impact, which was frequently compared to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild before developing a more distinct identity of its own.

However, plenty of players believe the copying accusations go too far.

Some argued the winged enemy is a traditional harpy, complete with bird legs, talons, and wings made from birds, rather than a recreation of Malenia. Others noted that flaming heads and giant lion creatures are common fantasy and mythological designs that FromSoftware does not own.

That disagreement was particularly visible in the Monster Hunter community, where the lion-like creature was simultaneously compared to Teostra, Serosh, a chimera, and a manticore.

“This sub [is] claiming it to be Teostra, Elden Ring sub saying it’s Serosh,” one commenter wrote, arguing that neither Capcom nor FromSoftware invented mythological lions.

Some fans also acknowledged the Elden Ring similarities while arguing that they made Nodusfall more appealing. One r/fromsoftware user said they would happily play a new Elden Ring-inspired game every year as long as it was good.

The defense has carried over to X as well. One player argued that Nodusfall would become far more than an Elden Ring or Monster Hunter copy, pointing to how Genshin eventually separated itself from its initial Breath of the Wild comparisons.

The argument has already been compared to the long-running debate over whether Palworld borrows too heavily from Pokemon, with fans once again disagreeing over where inspiration ends and copying begins.

The reaction also overlaps with complaints about Hoyoverse’s rapidly expanding slate. Both Nodusfall and Petit Planet appeared during Opening Night Live, prompting one r/Games commenter to ask, “How many games does Hoyoverse need? Just competing with themselves at this point.”

Nodusfall’s release date, platforms, and monetization model have not been announced. Despite assumptions in some of the discussions, Hoyoverse has not confirmed that it will use the gacha systems found in its other major games.