PlayStation 5 Critic Reviews

NTE is a game that feels like it’s constantly pulling you in different directions, yet somehow still holds together as a cohesive experience. It wants to be a gacha RPG, a city life simulator, a driving game, a management sandbox, and a narrative-driven anomaly hunter all at once. And instead of collapsing under that weight, it actually becomes a strong foundation to support how its systems interact and flow with each other. Of course, that ambition isn’t perfectly refined yet. Some systems still lean a bit too simple and story pacing can break immersion when level locks interrupt momentum. But even with those rough edges, the important part is that NTE never feels aimless. It commits to what it is trying to be—a multi-layered city RPG where everyday life and anomaly-driven chaos coexist.

If you like urban open worlds with life sim elements, then it’s impossible not to recommend NTE right now. This game has one of the most beautiful, vibrant sandbox settings I’ve seen in some time – and despite some irksome characters, I’m generally enjoying its plot so far, which blends slice of life mangas with sci-fi horror. The gacha business model is understandably not going to resonate with everyone, but at launch this is one of the more generous games in the genre thus far. And the sheer number of things to do day one, from managing coffee shops to beating down possessed DJ decks in DDR-style rhythm battles, is simply unprecedented.

Neverness to Everness was a gacha game that took a lot of my time. It has a little of everything in this game. Supernatural fights, car stealing, fishing, bank heists, and everything in between. Since it is a combination of a lot of elements from other games, it doesn’t do as much as those specific games can. It is still a fun time.

Neverness To Everness is a perhaps overly ambitious title that attempts to do a little bit of everything without truly excelling in any single aspect. Indeed, while all of the game's components are enjoyable, none of them truly leave a lasting impression; ultimately, one ends up appreciating the sheer variety of the offering more than its actual quality. All of this translates into an experience that is certainly entertaining during the first few hours of gameplay, but one that risks faltering in its attempt to sustain player engagement over the long haul. It is now up to the developers, therefore, to rise to the challenge through post-launch support that simultaneously adds new content and refines what is already available.

Neverness to Everness is an ambitious open-world gacha game overflowing with content, whose greatest strength lies in the city of Hethereau and the wide variety of activities it offers, ranging from exploration and management to combat. The gacha system is surprisingly generous compared to the standards of the genre and helps make the experience accessible even to free-to-play users, while the sandbox structure can keep players engaged for dozens of hours. On the other hand, some fairly evident limitations emerge: the combat system is functional but lacks depth and fails to compete with the best titles in the genre; the narrative struggles to find an engaging pace in this 1.0 version; and the cast of characters does not leave a particularly strong impression, either in terms of writing or character design.

Neverness to Everness delivers a refreshing urban gacha experience that successfully blends GTA-style sandbox activities with vibrant anime aesthetics. Although its combat lacks depth and menu navigation feels cumbersome, the sheer variety of side content and a generous monetization model make it a compelling free-to-play adventure despite its superficial mechanics.

NTE: Neverness to Everness delivers a stylish and surprisingly varied gacha experience, packed with activities and strong presentation. While none of its systems truly stand out, the mix of vibes and accessible progression make it easy to sink hours into. The real test will be its long-term support, but for now, NTE has all the ingredients to become a lasting hit.

NTE: Neverness to Everness won't set the free-to-play world on fire, but it's still a surprisingly strong debut effort with a solid foundation.

The audio department is less impressive, featuring music that serves a functional role within the gameplay—with a few tracks that actually manage to stand out—while the sound effects and voice acting (which we sampled in both English and Japanese) do little to push beyond the typical limitations of the genre, offering many stereotypical performances.

It’s a game that requires a lot of improvements before it can be truly great. I think that if you have the teeniest bit of curiosity, there’s nothing that should stop you from trying the game out for yourself. As a gacha game, its monetization isn’t aggressive, and playing it myself throughout this month was an experience I found decent, although it barely hits the passable bar. I’ll be closely following the development of this game because I do see the vision that Hotta Studio wishes to craft, and I truly hope the team can bounce back.