HoYoverse, known for its popular free-to-play games like Genshin Impact, Honkai Impact, and Zenless Zone Zero, has unexpectedly expanded its lineup with a new project. The studio was officially unveiled during Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 nodule fall – A cooperative action RPG that deviates significantly from the developer’s usual visual style.
If the previous game hojofors Relying mostly on a bright anime aesthetic, colorful characters, and gacha mechanics, Nodus Fall offers a completely different atmosphere. The first trailer showed off a dark fantasy world, giant monsters, and battles reminiscent of big action RPGs like Elden Ring and Monster Hunter.
Currently, the developers have confirmed that the project was created in Unreal Engine 5 and is designed for cooperative play. However, there is no specific release date yet.
HoYoverse goes dark fantasy
In recent years, HoYoverse has grown into one of the largest players in the free-to-play RPG market. After achieving amazing success Genshin Impact In 2020, the company continued to expand its fields and launch new projects, including Honkai Impact: Star Trail и Muzen Zero Zone.
However, Nodus Fall seems to be the most radical departure from the formula that the studio has become famous for.
Instead of a colorful anime-style open world, players are given a run-down fantasy kingdom full of desolate landscapes, monsters, and giant enemies. Visually, the project really evokes a connection to the game from softwarefirst with Eldon Ringdespite being based on a trailer, it’s too early to talk about a direct copy of the mechanics.
The plot is also designed in appropriate style. Players will become Weavers – heroes in a world where the divine order that once existed has collapsed and the usual power systems and world order have been destroyed. The vacated space is ruled by powerful mythical creatures, and you will have to fight them.
The description of the world can’t help but resemble the beginning of “Elden Ring”, with the destruction of the previous order becoming the starting point of the entire story. However, HoYoverse has yet to reveal how far the developers will go with themes familiar to fans of the genre.
The point is to fight giant monsters
Judging from the first trailer, the main feature of Nodus Fall will be the combat system.
In the scene shown, multiple players team up to fight a dragon. Characters wield completely different weapons: the team can see bows, heavy two-handed swords, and other types of weapons at their disposal.
The size of the opponent is particularly striking. The heroes look tiny compared to some of the monsters, and the combat itself is built around the need to attack giant foes and dodge their powerful blows.
However, the exact mechanism remains a mystery. In terms of combat arrangements, Nodus Fall resembles several different projects at the same time. The sheer scale and hunt for giant monsters evokes monster hunterPartnership structure – with Eldon Ring Night Walkand the idea of large-scale confrontations with bizarre creatures may also remind us Dragon’s Dogma 2.
It’s not yet certain which games will be the main reference point for HoYoverse. Judging from the material presented, the developers are trying to combine elements of several popular trends into a role-playing game.
New project could become an unusual experiment for HoYoverse
What’s particularly interesting about Nodus Fall is that HoYoverse actually has nothing to do with this type of game.
Genshin Impact, Honkai Impact, and Zenless Zone Zero have completely different worlds and mechanics, but they are united through colorful costumes, character collectibility, and the iconic HoYoverse approach to hero design. Instead, the new project relies on dark fantasy, giant monsters, and team-based combat.
Meanwhile, it’s unclear whether Nodus Fall will be a shareware game and feature HoYoverse’s familiar monetization system. The company has yet to reveal the project’s release model, schedule details or the cast of available characters.
The release date is also still unknown. The only thing the developers have confirmed so far is that the game is being made on Unreal Engine 5 and will be released on modern gaming platforms.
HoYoverse fans now have to wait
A full demo of Nodus Fall will likely be available at a later date. The first trailer gave an idea of the setting and combat system, but left almost every important question unanswered: the release date, platform, world structure, number of players in co-op mode, and character development features are all unknown.
Meanwhile, other HoYoverse projects continue to receive new content. Zenless Zone Zero is preparing a special broadcast dedicated to version 3.2, while Honkai Impact: Star Trail has entered version 4.5 with new story material, characters, and additional content.
But now it looks like Nodus Fall is the company’s most unexpected project. If HoYoverse can really combine its approach to RPGs with large-scale monster-based combat and a full-fledged co-op mode, the studio could attract a whole new audience – including fans of Soulsborne and Monster Hunter.
