Nodusfall Looks Like Hoyoverse’s Monster Hunter-Style Break, but Gacha Questions Remain
CEO Liu Wei called Nodusfall Hoyoverse's first realistic fantasy online game, while developers say its long-term free-to-play model will not use random character draws.
Nodusfall is taking Hoyoverse into a lane the company has not publicly used before: a realistic fantasy online game built around co-op hunts and huge monsters. CEO Liu Wei, known to many fans as Da Wei, described the project as “very un-miHoYo” after its appearance at the August 25, 2026 Gamescom Opening Night Live showcase.
A Chinese statement attributed to Wei says Nodusfall is the company’s first realistic fantasy online game, with large-scale boss battles and cooperative play. The original statement is in Chinese, and the English wording varies across fan translations, so the exact phrasing should be treated cautiously.
Dawei (Liu Wei) lamented that making games is truly not easy.
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The statement presents Nodusfall’s departure from Hoyoverse’s usual output as one reason its development has been difficult. Whatever the final explanation, the game’s design already places it well outside the anime-styled action RPG formula associated with Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero.
What Nodusfall is borrowing from Monster Hunter
At its core, Nodusfall is built around coordinated battles against creatures from myth. The official Nodusfall site describes players forming squads with companions, fighting massive beasts, and earning resources that unlock new skills and weapons. Characters can also be customized through different combat styles and skill combinations.
The mythology appears broader than a direct adaptation of any one text. Wei’s translated statement points to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, while the game’s public description presents an original story inspired by mythological traditions from around the world. The Academy of Chinese Studies describes the ancient Chinese work as a record of myths and geographical lore.
Nodusfall’s realistic visual direction was also part of its reveal, with the announcement video showing the game’s creature battles and fantasy setting. Its darker world includes Weavers, a broken divine order, and 10 suns hanging in the sky, giving the setting a more ominous identity than Hoyoverse’s brighter fantasy worlds.
A hands-on look at Nodusfall’s roster and combat
A hands-on session featured four available characters, each with customization options for outfits, hairstyles, and accessories. One surly warrior can transform into a dual-wielding giant, giving the roster a little more flavor than a standard lineup of interchangeable heroes.
The trailer invited comparisons to Elden Ring and Monster Hunter, but the hands-on experience landed somewhere different. Fights were more forgiving than those comparisons might suggest, with quicker exchanges and a faster overall pace. The session also included battles against three bosses, offering an early look at the game’s hunt-and-combat loop.
The gacha question has a partial answer
HoYoverse’s history with gacha-centered progression makes Nodusfall’s monetization worth watching. In a hands-on session, developers described Nodusfall as “a free-to-play, long-term game” and confirmed that “characters are not obtained through random draws.” The team hopes continued play will provide access to the game’s core character experience.
That makes the character roster a clear departure from the random-pull model associated with Hoyoverse’s best-known games. It does not establish how every part of Nodusfall’s progression will work, however. Cosmetic purchases remain under consideration rather than a finalized plan, and the studio has not detailed the long-term monetization of the game’s skills, weapons, or other build tools.
Gacha can sit awkwardly inside this kind of gameplay loop. If combat styles, weapons, or build tools are tied to random pulls, preparing for a hunt could feel very different from earning gear through the hunt itself. That remains a possible risk for systems that have not been explained, not a confirmed Nodusfall feature.
Calling Nodusfall “very un-miHoYo” signals a creative departure, but it does not promise a completely different monetization model. Monster Hunter Outlanders, Capcom and Timi Studio’s gacha-oriented spinoff, also appeared at Gamescom, making the comparison easy to understand without telling us how Hoyoverse will handle its own game.
For now, Nodusfall has a clear pitch: mythic creatures, co-op squads, large-scale battles, and a character experience intended to be earned through continued play rather than random draws. Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
