If you watched the Nodusfall trailer during Gamescom's Opening Night Live and, like me, thought the combo of Elden Ring's aesthetic and Monster Hunter's fights sounded awesome, but were worried about selling your soul to the god of gacha, fret not!
Nodusfall isn't just a visual departure for HoYoverse, swapping the vibrant anime aesthetic for something gloomier, it also represents a (partial) change in business model.
According to the devs, "Nodusfall will be a free-to-play, long-term game. What we can share at this time is that characters are not obtained through random draws. We hope to allow players to unlock this core gameplay experience through continued play. Cosmetic monetization is an important avenue we will be considering."
In my hands-on, the four available characters could be customised with different outfits, hairstyles and accessories, and I can imagine folk dropping some cash on some new fits for their boss-slaying crew, but it's a relief to know that I won't need to go through RNG hell or wipe out my bank account just to play as a surly warrior who can transform into a dual-wielding giant.
Gamescom is absolutely full of the typical anime cast gacha games this year, so it's a pleasant surprise to see the studio best known for them trying something a wee bit different. It feels different, too. Not like Genshin or Zenless Zone Zero, but not exactly like Elden Ring or Monster Hunter, despite them both being obvious inspirations. The fights are a bit more forgiving, for one, and also snappier and more fast-paced.
I've only just finished sending a trio of bosses back to whatever afterlife they go to, so I've still gotta digest what I played, but Nodusfall definitely makes a great first impression. Check back in the next couple of days for my full hands-on preview.
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