Neverness to Everness (NTE) Review: Not Perfect, But Promising

• Release Date: April 29, 2026
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, iOS, Android
• Developer: Hotta Studio
• Publisher: Perfect World Games

NTE, or Neverness to Everness, is a new 3-D Action RPG developed by Hotta Studios, the makers behind Tower of Fantasy. While Tower of Fantasy didn’t quite hit the mark back in 2022, NTE is another entry for Hotta into the gacha space, this time with more time and careful development.

Nowadays, it can feel like every new gacha game is Genshin Impact with a twist. While Genshin provides a massive open-world experience with plenty of puzzles and exploration, NTE approaches the genre with more of a sandbox approach, adding cars, racing, fishing, and many other mini-games.

With Endfield’s release in January and NTE’s release in April, 2026 is shaping up to be an exciting time for the gacha game genre. That said, let’s dive into what sets NTE apart from the rest.

Our review for Neverness to Everness was conducted with the PC version.

A F2P Friendly Gacha

One of NTE’s best strengths is that the developers have added/removed a lot of game systems that make the game more approachable for F2P players. 

• The Limited character gacha has no 50/50
• Signature Weapons are much easier to obtain compared to other games
• Character dupes allow you to pick their buff rather than go in one order
• Two Selectors in the early game let you build a strong team quickly

However, it’s worth noting that a brand new gacha game being “F2P Friendly” is not uncommon. After time passes, the game does need to generate revenue. They could continue to be F2P friendly and monetize through other means like character skins, but only time will tell.

Sandbox and Activities That Deliver

In modern gacha games, the daily gameplay loop is something each game carves out specifically for their intended audience. The open-world exploration is an industry standard that other games like Genshin, Wuthering Waves, and Arknights: Endfield all tackle differently.

For NTE, the exploration doesn’t come in the form of puzzles, but rather many combat encounters you traverse the world to find. Rather than quickly teleporting to each location, the map extends to incentivize vehicle travel, a key aspect of NTE’s exploration.

Outside of that, NTE comes with a host of different activities to play in order to progress your account. This style of exploration allows players to feel more immersed, driving around a city rather than just completing quest A then Quest B.

Immersive City Simulation

The City Tycoon is a key aspect of NTE’s account progress and feeling immersed in the city. You manage a cafe to generate revenue, rent different apartment buildings, fish in a multitude of different locations, and much more. All of these aspects make the game feel more like a cozy-style life simulation rather than saving the world.

Furthermore, you often run into different characters when exploring the overworld, a nice touch the devs added to make the game feel more alive. The dating sim aspects of the game are also deeper in scope compared to many other 3-d gacha games.

This style of game may not appeal to everyone, but for the right audience, the game strikes a good balance between respecting players’ time and allowing for longer play sessions when time allows. The minimum daily time requirement for NTE is very low compared to other gachas of similar styles, which is a big positive for many players.

A Struggle of a Story

One striking weakness of NTE is the story. The game starts out with a very dramatic sequence, displaying how supernatural anomalies can wreak havoc on cities and the citizens. However, after this, the game proceeds to a more slice-of-life / character drama story while also barraging the player with a host of new characters.

While the laid-back story approach can be appreciated by some players, the lack of consistent tone, cohesion, and plot progression can leave players lacking attention and just skipping/idling through.

The story picks up again toward the end of the current playable chapters, but that early progress can certainly lose players due to the lack of compelling character narratives or overall plot.

Lacks Polish

To piggyback off the story, there is a definite step down in polish in many aspects compared to other competing games. Cutscenes and voice acting sequences (English) sometimes feel a bit off in terms of editing/flow. Cutscenes can look beautiful, but regular dialogue can feel a bit disjointed when combined with static scenes or voice acting.

Many menus and screens feel very barebones, and while it can certainly be easier to parse, it also can feel a bit lazy/uninspired. While some areas of the game have nice touches, other aspects feel rushed and overlooked.

Generative AI Aspects

We won’t dive too deep into the drama, but to summarize, some aspects of the game used generative AI which is a major turn off for many players. While Hotta Studios addressed the issue and removed these sections, it’s certainly indicative of the overall lack of polish for the game.

This issue makes the game feel rushed to deliver by the deadline, and this issue can reflect in other areas of the game as well.

7/10 (Not Perfect, But Promising)

Overall, when compared to recent major gacha releases like ZZZ, Wuthering Waves, and Endfield, NTE ranks a bit lower in terms of a release patch (although Wuwa certainly didn’t have a smooth launch either)

However, while NTE may lack in certain aspects, it also has great qualities that can make it the perfect game for the right person. The game is certainly worth trying, and some weaknesses of the game may not matter to you. If you already skip/rush the story in other games, a lacking story won’t be a big negative for you.

The combat in NTE is nothing groundbreaking, but it’s not bad either. The Esper Cycle System provides a good foundation for team-building and flexibility. While the actual combat may not compete with systems like Wuthering Waves or Zenless Zone Zero, it can pass the bar for many players.

As the game releases more characters with unique skills and abilities, the combat as a whole can certainly improve over time as well.

In terms of gameplay, the game hasn’t run into major bugs, which is definitely a pro, but the game also requires a strong setup or phone in order to render the beautiful visuals. It would certainly be appreciated for optimization to allow slightly weaker setups to enjoy the work put into the art.

NTE delivers on many unique aspects like character customization through skins, a variety of cars and activities to provide a cozy-life simulation game, and has arguably the best F2P gacha system of recent games.

If the game appears interesting to you, definitely give it a try to see if it’s something you like. If NTE continues to expand on systems like racing, fishing, combat endgames, and so on, it can certainly carve out a strong, dedicated niche in an increasingly crowded market.

Main Reviewer: Alan Hoang (originally published May 21, 2026)