Editor’s Note: The video in this article mistakenly launched early, before the embargo had lifted. IGN offers its sincere apologies to Hotta Studio and the team that worked so hard to bring Neverness to Everness to life. The original article follows in its entirety.
Neverness to Everness is a free-to-play open-world RPG with a bit of a twist. Where most open-world games send you out into fields and plains, Neverness to Everness is all about urban exploration in one city — the massive metropolis Hethereau.
This isn’t your garden variety city. It’s full of anomalies and supernatural phenomena. Every day sees a strange new discovery, from sentient graffiti-covered skateboards to otters with televisions for heads. The citizens have grown used to the city’s unique brand of weirdness, but they still need someone to take care of the anomalies that pop up so they can go about their lives. That’s where you come in.
When you get a report of an anomaly that needs to be nullified, you’ll form a team of characters to set out and handle it. When you get close to an anomaly, you’ll know. The area around you will change — buildings will be covered with static, otherworldly colors and effects will surround you, objects will hang in the air as if gravity has stopped. It’s unsettling and lets you know you’re about to encounter something strange, but there’s no way of knowing what it’ll be until you come face to face with it.
Once you do, it’s time to defeat it. Different characters have different skills called Esper Abilities, which can synergize with each other. You’ll have a team of four characters you can switch between at a moment’s notice, allowing you to chain together their different abilities to create devastating combos. It will be up to you to figure out which characters and abilities synergize best with each other and match your playstyle, but you’ll have lots of different options.
The central story will take you across Hethereau, and you’ll be able to explore the city at your leisure. Neverness to Everness was developed using Unreal Engine 5, breathing life into the city and making all its environments pop. Your Esper Abilities can also help you with traversal, providing high-freedom exploration of the city. For example, one ability allows you to defy gravity and run up the sides of buildings.
You’ll need to figure out how each character’s abilities can help you discover new areas of the city and the secrets that await there. Plus, the city is teeming with NPCs who go about their lives like real people and react realistically to the things going on around them. It makes Hethereau really feel lived in.
Your experience in Hethereau isn’t only about defeating enemies and nullifying anomalies. Everyone needs a life outside of work, right? You can build whatever urban life you envision for yourself. You can buy a home that fits your aesthetic, giving you a personal space to take it easy after a long day of dealing with supernatural entities. Want a high-rise apartment filled with cute mascot characters, with a magical butler, a pool, and an incredible view of the city? Well, you’re in luck.
That personalization also extends to Hethereau’s bustling sports car scene. You can buy your own car, then modify it however you like. You can customize everything, from the color to the wheels to the bumpers, and mix and match until you find exactly the right fit. Once you have your car how you want it, you can hop in and race through the city’s rainy nights. There’s always excitement to be found in a city that always has things going on.
Neverness to Everness is developed by Hotta Studio, best known for its work on another open-world RPG, Tower of Fantasy. Fans can expect Hotta to build on the success of Tower of Fantasy and create an even more immersive experience with innovative gameplay in Neverness to Everness, which will be available on PC, mobile, and console.
It requires an internet connection, but it’s free across all platforms. It allows cross-progression, meaning you can use the same account on any of the platforms and keep your character and story progress. Pre-registration is open now, so sign up and be one of the first to jump into a new life in Hethereau.
