A Patchwork Scenario with White Threads
The plot is, perhaps, the most original feature of NtE, although it's not without borrowings. It strongly echoes Zenless Zone Zero: the world is overrun by interdimensional anomalies with monsters, but instead of a dreary "last bastion of humanity," the city has simply adapted to the threat and continues to bustle with life at its usual pace. In NtE, the situation is similar: while anomaly invasions leave their mark, they don't disrupt daily life. Moreover, the scriptwriters went further: peaceful "oddities" – inhabitants of anomalies – are integrated into society almost on par with humans. They calmly go to work, earn salaries, and arrange their lives as they please.
Hostile anomalies, however, are dealt with by a state special service. Our protagonist – naturally, with an innate sensitivity to distortions and a mysterious past – was... not accepted there. Instead, they were "blessed" with a referral to a small private firm that barely makes ends meet. This is where the hero or heroine (the choice is yours) will gain experience, while also integrating into the city's social scene. The main plot revolves around the daily life of this firm and orders to deal with anomalies. And, frankly, this is the weakest part of the game.
The developers clearly targeted a teenage audience. To attract and retain them, they added a bunch of very young characters to the project – essentially, children. The problem is that these "teenagers" behave not like teenagers, but like capricious five- or six-year-olds from the fantasies of scriptwriters in their twenties or thirties, who, it seems, had little interaction with real teenagers. At times, it looks exactly like the legendary meme "How do you do, fellow kids?" with Steve Buscemi. The emotions and reactions on screen, with rare exceptions, are so unnatural and forced that one wants to shout "I don't believe it!" in Stanislavsky's style after almost every storyline. Any level of narrative sophistication comparable to GTA is simply out of the question here. And even by Chinese market standards, Hotta Studio clearly fell short of its colleagues: in HoYoverse projects, for example, child characters are much more convincing.
Take Hook from Honkai: Star Rail. Yes, she's largely a comedic character and acts like a child, but you believe in this child. And you believe even when she goes into battle with a serious boss. Or Diona from Genshin Impact: interesting story arcs, behavior appropriate to the game world. You truly believe in such characters.
And the "Aibon" antique shop – the very firm where we "work" – feels more like a private kindergarten. A handful of animator employees provide entertainment for children and put on performances for a young (and very unsophisticated) audience. By the way, in one of the missions, the characters actually put on a play, helping their mascot – an otter. And in this mission, such role-playing works perfectly (and the story itself is funny, although the message is strange). But this mission and a couple of other quests are just isolated exceptions from the general gray mass.
Overall, following the plot is frankly boring. Empty dialogues, stock phrases, forced humor. This is definitely not GTA, and not even an attempt to emulate it. There's a lot of text, but it feels hastily put together. Often, you encounter such sophisticated "tortures" as time-fragmented scenes: characters chatted... to be continued a day later in another location. We fast-forward time, teleport or move, listen again. And then – "to be continued tomorrow." This is simply mocking the player. And if you think that while one mission is paused, you can calmly take on another – I hasten to disappoint you.
You risk ending up with two or even three missions paused. So you'll just get confused in the timeline of all missions. And it will be difficult to tie the plot together after that.
The developers clearly did not coordinate the order of quest delivery. During my playthrough, I encountered NPCs who addressed me as an old acquaintance (and my hero "responded" in kind), although I had never seen them before. The real acquaintance only happened in the "prequel," which I played later. Yes, perhaps these are just teething problems of a fresh release that will be fixed with upcoming patches. But a bitter taste remained.
The missed opportunities are frankly regrettable. An urban fantasy setting is a ready-made testing ground for vivid or frightening images, deep characters with unique abilities, and stories that should evoke emotions.
But instead, we get a conveyor-belt narrative, hastily stitched together from templates. Of course, it's easy to blame "AI slop" or haste. But it shouldn't be like that: the plot needs to be built manually. And it should create a wow effect not only with well-made cutscenes (which are present here) but also with the story itself.
If only there was the will. Or talent. Because no neural network can replace or spoil them – they just need to be invested. It is the story and lore that act as the glue that binds disparate mechanics together. In games like GTA, without this, even the most elaborate combat system and well-designed open world fall apart into separate fragments. And NtE lacks that very elaboration.
Gameplay Mechanics
The world is built according to GTA patterns, but with an Asian flavor. The architecture and zoning refer to Pacific Rim megacities, where for some reason they decided to rebuild the "Golden Gate." A trifle, but amusing. Well, let's not quibble.
Much more interesting are the "otherworldly" zones. Here, the developers show their class: they work with space no worse than HoYoverse game designers in Honkai: Star Rail, and some levels pleasantly surprise with unusual geometry. Exploring them is a pleasure. But the main life still boils in the "ordinary" city with open spaces.
Since the world was conceived in the spirit of GTA, the key mechanics are also from there. The main one is driving. Yes, cars have already appeared in mobile gachas: in Tower of Fantasy from the same Hotta, you could race on bikes, and ZZZ has a mission with bike control. But as one of the main mechanics in a top project – this is, perhaps, for the first time.
This is implemented surprisingly competently. NtE is not a simulator, and the models and body kits don't reach the level of CarX Street, but driving is pleasant, and cruising on a bike is pure bliss. Driving through the streets to a playlist or chasing a target as part of a quest is enjoyable. Special respect for the extra activities: courier orders, taxis, races. You can speed to your heart's content.
Vehicle control is well-tuned, even polished for this genre. It would seem you can just drive and chill, but the soundtrack lets it down. It's not annoying, but it's far from the genre diversity of GTA radio stations. However, this is a matter of audio, not gameplay.
There are also rudiments of parkour, but only rudiments. The hero can climb walls and run horizontally on them – that's where the features end. All characters have a glider, which is convenient for jumping off skyscrapers and gliding over the city.
The combat system is also without revelations. The developers have assembled a mix of popular gacha formulas: real-time battles, elemental reactions, parries, dodges, combos. But they tried to make it as accessible as possible. You don't have to memorize combos or perfectly time parries. Even elemental chains are not strictly mandatory.
A well-leveled S-rank party will take down most bosses with basic attacks and periodic skill and ultimate spam. The game itself will tell you when to switch to another hero. A basic understanding of team building is, of course, necessary: a party should ideally have a main DD (Damage Dealer), a support DD, and supports. Assembling a stable team with only A-ranks will be problematic. But this is a common ailment of all F2P projects. You'll either have to "hoover up" dailies and rewards, save currency, or open your wallet.
And the icing on the cake is business management (a coffee shop) and housing collection, where you can settle heroes and interact with them. A mechanic familiar from Tower of Fantasy. The interaction is strange fan service. There's no explicit "strawberry" here, but the combination of some costumes and available poses leaves... a mixed impression.
Technical State
Detailing, draw distance, and overall visuals are on par with modern mobile games. But beauty comes at a price: the smartphone heats up (though not as much as Wuthering Waves at launch), and the battery drains quickly. Full mobility is out of the question – it's better to play while charging or with a power bank handy to avoid losing connection.
The city itself is pretty, but quite generic. Of course, there are a few interesting locations and atmospheric alleys, but for the most part, it looks formulaic. The sound and music are appropriate for the process: they don't captivate, but they don't annoy either. They maintain the atmosphere just enough not to interfere with the gameplay.
No critical bugs were encountered on an Android smartphone during testing.
Monetization
In top gacha games, the HoYoverse system has long become the de facto standard, and NtE is no exception. A new banner, a standard banner, a guaranteed S-character for 90 pulls. Plus the traditional set: costumes, upgrade boosters, battle pass. No innovations.
But it's important to remember: gacha is an extremely manipulative mechanic. If you have problems with self-control in gambling, it's best not to start this or similar projects. Play with a cool head, otherwise, you risk spending much more than you planned, or even beyond your means.
Diagnosis
Neverness to Everness is a pretty project, but frankly soulless. It lacks that unique "hook" that would make players return day after day. For comparison: in the recent Arknights Endfield, factories in the style of Factorio became such a hook. I won't even mention HoYoverse games. NtE, however, follows a well-trodden path, remaining deeply derivative.
In some ways, Hotta Studio showed its class: city traversal is well-done, combat is enjoyable, and the "otherworldly" locations delight with unusual geometry. But the forced acting, fragmented quest rhythm, and constant logical holes in the chronology ultimately destroy any attempts to piece the plot together.
Technically, the project is solidly built, but stability comes at a price: the smartphone heats up noticeably, and the battery drains quickly. Monetization, however, is traditionally manipulative, though formally transparent. And if you enjoy the basic gameplay, be prepared: it will be extremely difficult to resist regular and generous injections of real money.
Let's be honest: this is definitely not GTA. Yes, there's an open world, interesting locations, and a set of activities for free time (including the now-obligatory fishing). But scattered mini-games don't turn a set of features into a cohesive product. You can pleasantly spend a couple of evenings in this metropolis, but you don't want to "live" here.
In its current form, Neverness to Everness is a solid free-to-play action game with excellent driving, but with a "kindergarten" in its cutscenes and a derivative soul. Neverness to Everness knows how to entertain, but it doesn't yet know how to make you fall in love.