A supernatural city you can wander
NTE drops you into Hethereau, a big neon-lit metropolis where ordinary life and the supernatural sit side by side. You start out as the city's first unlicensed Anomaly Hunter and take up work at Eibon, a rundown antique shop that pays the bills by taking Anomaly commissions from anyone willing to pay. The streets are full of odd little scenes: Oddities queueing for resident permits at the Bureau of Anomaly Control, an Esper cleaning his suit with a snap of his fingers at the train station, a chase after Danzaburou spilling across a block while a silver-gloved Butler chats with a second-hand electronics shop owner. Combat is hack-and-slash action in third person, and the world is open, so you can roam it at your own pace.
Playing it with friends
The game supports online co-op, so you and people from your group can jump in together rather than hunting alone. Your crew is built around companions with their own abilities, and the Eibon shop gives you a steady stream of people to travel with. Side stories run through the city's factions and street shops, from Hankaku Street outward, which gives a group plenty of shared errands and encounters to work through while exploring.
What to know before you start
Expect a story-rich game with a lighthearted streak: the writing leans on rumors, broadcasts and odd jobs as much as it does on the bigger threads about Oaths, Prophecies and the growing Circle organization. There is room to shape your own routine — customize your ride, take the Ghost Train through Anomaly space, browse seasonal stock in the old shops on Hankaku Street, or buy a home and furnish it. It's free to play, tagged as singleplayer as well as multiplayer, so you can move through Hethereau solo whenever your group isn't around.