Everything To Know About NTE

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Since Persona redefined RPGs as immersive Japanese travel experiences, I’ve been drawn to games that allow me to live in foreign lands. Be it wandering the streets of Osaka in Yakuza or trekking through medieval Bohemia’s filthy fields in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, it feels rewarding to grasp a controller and peek into another person’s existence.

Although Persona’s Tokyo feels disappointingly limited to navigate, I yearn for the experience of getting lost in a vast virtual city. Fortunately, it seems my peculiar wishes have been granted. Let me introduce you to NTE, the sleek and thrilling new open-world RPG from Hotta Studio, set in an anime world.

Hot-ta Go

Created by the makers of the 2021 smash hit, Tower of Fantasy, NTE is an open-world anime fighting game built with Unreal Engine 5. It plunges players into the sprawling cityscape of Hethereau, where anime-inspired characters can freely explore the futuristic metropolis at their leisure. With elements reminiscent of Shanghai, Seoul, and Tokyo, Hethereau offers vast expanses to traverse, finally delivering on that craving for immersive, open-ended urban living.

The city of Hetherau is breathtakingly beautiful, and it’s made even more captivating by the use of advanced technology. Lumen lighting tech gives street lamps and puzzles a vibrant shine through realistic reflections. Navigating this urban landscape feels dynamic and enjoyable. You can dash across bustling squares, relax at a serene café, or battle abnormalities in hidden corners, and there’s an expansive map that invites exploration. The gameplay resembles a fusion of Shonen Jump and Grand Theft Auto, offering a unique blend of action and urban exploration.

As a gamer in the world of Hethereau, every time I fire up NTE, I’m thrown into a world where the weather is unpredictable and adds a layer of realism that keeps things fresh. One moment I could be strolling through sunlit city streets, the next I might find myself navigating through town with snowflakes pelting my windscreen wipers. It’s amazing how well they’ve managed to simulate this in-game weather. Even the NPCs react to it – you can see them leaving footprints in the snow as they go about their day, and during heavy falls, traffic slows to a halt just like it would in real life.

Anomaly of a Fall

Despite the sunny exterior, there’s no denying that we’re in a dire situation – an existential threat looms over humanity. Mysterious goo has rained down from the sky, causing sudden mutations worldwide. A violent vortex has twisted ordinary people into frenzied beings, and it’s our responsibility to manage this terrifying aberration before it escalates further. As part of the Anomaly Control Unit’s Containment Team, you will play a crucial role in safeguarding citizens from harm.

In the style of games that served as its inspiration, NTE features a blurred line between ordinary city living and intense, anomaly-filled showdowns. The expansive city of Hethereau possesses a dreamlike quality, effortlessly merging everyday urban life with science fiction’s bizarre reality. The city is split into two primary areas: the Frontworld, which is a carefully structured open-world cyberpunk metropolis where players can delve deeper into the story and explore, and the Backworld, filled with local disruptions caused by those mysterious supernatural anomalies.

The sun-baked avenues of Frontworld present a pleasing contrast to the chilling, eerie experiences associated with the unexplained events. In one instance, I found myself wandering through an unsettling empty school. With its polished hallways devoid of any signs of life and crimson liquid seeping from the windows, these suspenseful segments create a tense atmosphere – a refreshing departure from being thrust immediately into battle.

Regarding battles, NTE provides distinctive gameplay elements tailored to your character, including special maneuvers like Character-tailored Critical Dodge Counters and Parries. These elements introduce new dimensions of strategy and flair to your confrontations with enemies.

Grand Theft Anime

As an enthusiast, I find urban exploration to be particularly captivating when it incorporates parkour-style navigation through the bustling metropolis, using quick dashes, leaps, and climbs to traverse crowded city streets. However, for those days when energy levels are low, there’s always the option of hopping on the subway for a more relaxed journey, interacting with locals for tips on mysterious locations or engaging in amusing side quests. If parkour isn’t quite your thing, you can soar above the neon-lit cityscape by riding ziplines, uncovering hidden gems and corners that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Certainly, it wouldn’t feel like Hethereau without a touch of grand larceny reminiscent of GTA. Similar to Rockstar’s iconic series, vehicles within Hethereau can be seized under the authority of Anomaly Control’s Containment Unit (to learn more about them later) through Requisition gameplay. This enables you to peacefully seize any vehicle if it aids in maintaining the city’s safety. However, if you cross the line and attack innocent citizens, you’ll spark a Wanted level, triggering the Security Office to issue an arrest warrant for you and pursue you relentlessly. Persistent lawlessness will escalate your wanted level with progressively severe consequences depending on the nature of your offense. The more you evade capture or the more chaos you sow, the higher your wanted level will climb. GTA VI, prepare to be outdone!

Moreover, not only does this game break laws by allowing street racing, but it also encourages you to join forces with companions for thrilling races against different neighborhood crews. The multiplayer races are intense and exhilarating! If you’re up for showcasing your driving prowess, the streets of Hetherau are filled with skilled racers who can’t wait to push their vehicles to the limit and let you test drive a variety of high-performance cars. However, be cautious during unfavorable weather conditions: while the snow effects may seem realistic and interactive, wet or snowy roads can become slick, increasing your risk of skidding off course.

In the NTE game, your role is that of an anomaly tracker. The main tasks center around locating these unusual occurrences. Scenes that move the story forward are beautifully animated, reflecting the anime influences, while unexpected plot developments and shifts are presented with engaging cinematic effect.

Beta Than Paradise

Regardless of whether you’re zooming through town on your cool new vehicle or scaling buildings, NTE offers a surprisingly diverse and feature-rich gaming experience. I found the open world quite expansive, with Hotta Studio hinting that players can shape their own destiny by making choices – though it remains to be seen how these decisions will eventually unfold.

If you’re feeling frustrated by the long wait for GTA VI or finding modern gatcha games unfulfilling, consider exploring Hethereau when NTE launches on PC, mobile devices, and PlayStation 5. The PC beta of NTE is currently open until July 16th, and you can secure your spot by registering here.

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2025-07-05 12:39