This time I would like to give a review of a video game “Neverness to Everness” which came out at the end of April this year but already was able to create quite a lot of hype around itself. Many people call it gacha GTA, some call it Ananta copycat, even though Ananta has not yet come out. In any case, I’ve been playing it since release and I have formed an opinion on its various aspects.
Before I will start my review, though, I want to say that I may not criticise the game too much since it is just the debut version. First impressions matter, but after watching the version 1.1 life stream, I can say with ascertion that the game will improve a lot as it progresses. It’s got potential. A lot of potential.
Story
Currently, the main story consists of 4 acts, which to me felt like 3. The introduction to the setting and characters took about two first acts, so they felt like one to me. The third act introduced us to the auction incident. It was enjoyable and Hotori’s command to take all food with me was taken to heart. All I could I took and now gift her daily, but I digress. The last act of the story introduces what seems to be the main antagonistic faction of the plot.
All in all, the events of the story do their job well. Tagydo’s romance quest seemed more like a spinoff to the main story but I will argue that it introduces the main cast as they work together.
Characters
Speaking of the main cast, it may seem to have some cliche personalities or archetypes at first, but each of them can still has got enough personality to win you over. I mean, we’ve got a prim and proper butler – Adler, a quiet nerd- Edgar, a clumsy cat girl – Mint, an aloof fighter with dark past – Daffodil; but these roles don’t restrict the characters too much yet. Through their side stories and random encounters in the city we can learn more about them. Even the protagonist doesn’t feel like a complete self-insert type here. He/She don’t act much throughout the first quests but they don’t remain static either. The protagonist observes, apprises, and takes action when needed. Zero feels like a character on his own whose story you are observing, not whatever was happening in Genshin1 for at least five regions.
Graphics
They are superb. Real Engine 5 does a great job at shading and lighting. Too good of a job if you play on mobile like me, but after I’ve put resolution to low and all effects on lowest or disabled them completely, I’d argue that it still looks well and doesn’t drain the battery in a couple of hours.
I also like the anime style of the game. It tries to use realistic lighting but the art style over all is still distinctly anime-like. And if I shall think back at titles like Fullmetal Alchemist, Black Butler or Trinity Blood, then at Frieren or Jujutsu Kaisen, I’d say it takes more from the modern anime titles, then the older ones. In either case, the game achieves a very vibrant and lively look. It appeals to the eye without being oversaturated.
Combat
The system is very smooth and the only thing that restricts it for now is the small pool of characters. This will get better over time, of course. Regardless, the system of tactical parrying and dodging is always better than simply smashing random keys. It concentrates your attention and the elemental reactions also allow for interesting setups.
On the other hand, I don’t want to say much about combat just yet because team compositions are very restricted right now and the game has got only one healer. I don’t like playing without healers since my reaction is not very good, so the combat is even more restrictive for me. OF course, I can just not utilise reactions with my healer, but they are so convenient, that I’d prefer waiting for more healers to appear in game.
Mini-games
Also known as Hethereau Hobbies, these are the mini-games which allow you to gain fons that are needed to buy items in game. Two of them are direct clones – taxi and delivery – but there are also racing, bartending, mahjong, and fishing. The Pink Paws Heist, though, classified as such, to me feels more like Spiral Abyss in Genshin, but better.
Aside from that there is a rhythm game but this was the first time that I was completely lost by when to push the buttons, so I simply spammed all of them all the time. It was consistently giving me about 60% accuracy.
I took too long to write this post, so the was an update which introduced a fighting game mode as well. I tried it and it was a rather entertaining experience. The lag killed some fun for me but I liked this addition a lot.
Miscellany
The first topic is owning of apartments and vehicles. I’d like to talk about it because owning at least two first available apartments is useful for various anomalies that can be kept there.
Secondly, I would like to highlight vehicles, specifically cars. They are useful for getting around town, although I prefer motorcycles and trains. Moreover, it is the only way to encounter one of the bosses in game. You have to drive in the underwater tunnel in your car for the anomaly to trigger. The driving seemed clunky at first, but then I realised in was mostly a problem of the cheap vehicle, more expensive ones drive better2.
All in all, I enjoyed the game and want to learn what comes next in the story. The city feels alive and looks stunning. It sound stunning too. I do like the sound design of the game, even though I haven’t talked much about it.
In all honesty, there are many more things that can be touched upon but those are not parts of the game that I should be talking about because I lack the experience with them, so I shall end my review here.
Have this little ride on a train with me to conclude this review:
P.S. I had my laptop fixed. I’m back to business. This one was a wild ride. Especially with me getting ill in the middle of a heat wave. Fingers crossed I will keep going at a faster pace now.
- I am not trying to compare the games, but this is a very good example of “identity crisis” in the main character. Zero speaks and analyses the world around him on his own. Traveller in Genshin was a silent observer following the first person he/she met in any region for far too long even though the story tried to tell the players that he/she was important to the narrative. Thus, the Traveller a character without a character – no opinion, no observation, nothing. It was only starting to change in Natlan but became noticeable in Nod-Krai. ↩︎
- Except for the Porsche from the collaboration. It speed up in seconds and hard to control if you want to stay at lower speeds. Other than that, it’s the best car. I don’t regret pulling for it. ↩︎
All pictures (except the video in the end) are taken from the official Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4508340/NTE_Neverness_to_Everness/
Geeky Nerd 
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