Platform(s): PC (version reviewed), iOS, Android
Genre: Action, Adventure, Open World, Gacha, Modern Day Setting, City Life

To call developer Perfect World’s new action-adventure title NTE: Neverness To Everness a spot-on Grand Theft Auto clone but anime is pushing it. In fact, it’s more comparable to current free-to-play modern setting China-made action games with role-playing game elements like ZZZ and Arknights Endfield, both of them great timesinks for zero the price tag (if you so choose).

Perfect World’s 2026 offering ain’t half-bad either.

Transmetropolitan

Here’s the gist of NTE: you pick a team of four characters, go around town doing missions as an Appraiser which involves hunting ghosts and strange anomalies around, clean up the streets of crime, and get your Appraiser Hunter rank higher and higher to access more story missions that’s a blend of mundane work life and some anime character introspection. Sounds standard and fun enough, save for one bit: when you reach the part where you have to grind for Hunter levels, your alternative option that isn’t combat-related is doing city life stuff.

This means you can do taxi service-slash-food-and-package-deliveries (ala GRAB/Uber service), partake in street races with your car of choice, play arcade games or even mahjong, go fishing at the docks, or manage a slew of cafes you invest in. Each of them are easy to get into and aren’t that complex to get invested in; in fact, its simplicity may be its biggest draw as you just have to spend in-game city activity energy to gain Hunter levels and other rewards.

The city you’re in is expansive and has loads of nice spots to jump off from and faff about in, and has enough fast-travel telephone booths to get around in. Dig a little deeper, and you can even commit heists or just bust up nearby gangs harassing a local shop.

Again, it’s not as detailed as Rockstar’s finest open-world game; there’s still a lot of clipping going on, the crowds on the streets and cities are not as lively, and the cars you buy don’t play as well. I’d even go as far as to say that they all drive terribly and I rather just get out, walk and run, and just climb up buildings Spider-Man/Prototype hoodie-man style and traipse about for collectibles and Anomaly missions. But for a free-to-play game with all this playground potential and means for updates? That’s a helluva selling point that I can get behind.

Does its open-world detail flaws make it any less fun? Hardly. NTE has its own brand of personality and colour in its open world gameplay, even in its simplified and similar-to-other-F2P-games nature. The combat I mentioned is fun and fast-paced though if you’ve played tag-team party action titles like ZZZ and Arknights Endfield, you’ll master the game’s combat pretty quick.

If you want more of the colourful combat action, there are Anomaly Commissions all over the region to tackle, each with their own bosses and puzzle arenas. These range from finding keys in a creepy classroom while avoiding shadows with the power of the third-person camera, to climbing a seemingly endless pile of blocks leading upward.

I will say that some of the character designs for both male and female are on equal footing, rather than its art design skewed towards the females in ZZZ. Personality-wise, they’re about as typical as you can get in terms of anime archetypes, but hearing Mint’s English voice actress cheering you on is a highlight.

It’s A Wonderful Life

In spite of its simplistic combat and not-quite-unique characters (especially in a world with ZZZ animated caricatures), NTE is still a blast to play due to its standout feature: city life sim bits, driving, and open world shenanigans not unlike your Rockstar Games and Volition fare. But, you know anime and cat girls.

Its eye candy, presentation, and most of its gameplay will keep you hooked, and its fair gacha system even sinking further so you can get to grinding in its colourful contemporary world that has shades of Remedy’s Control but way, WAY brighter. If that’s your bag, by all means jump in.

Pros

• Lovely cityscape & area to explore.
• Loads of side activities and city sim sections to keep you busy.
• Game structure is fair and balanced.
• Bright and attractive aesthetics.

Cons

• Combat can get basic.
• Narrative is all over the place, despite interesting concept.
• Driving controls are below-average.

Final Score: 70/100

*disclaimer: we are aware about the game adding in generative AI artwork in certain areas of the city. However, these minor portions do not affect gameplay and the player experience at all. But we are highlighting it here in case you need to know.