Revision 7

Overview

Anomalies are the primary hostile forces in Neverness to Everness. Defined as "something that defies common sense," Anomalies can take the form of creatures, sentient objects, warped locations, or even memetic (conceptual) phenomena. They plague the city of Hethereau, where humans and Anomalies coexist in an uneasy balance. The Bureau of Anomaly Control (BAC) oversees their containment, and the player's role as an Appraiser at Eibon revolves around investigating and neutralizing these threats.

Unlike traditional RPG enemy rosters where creatures are generic filler between story beats, NTE's Anomaly enemies are deeply woven into the world's lore. Each Anomaly boss has a backstory connected to Hethereau's history, and encounters range from straightforward combat to environmental puzzles, horror sequences, and reality-bending set pieces.

The Anomaly Phenomenon

The Anomaly phenomenon is central to NTE's narrative. Anomalies manifest as supernatural distortions in reality that can transform ordinary objects, locations, and even people. The game's story begins when the protagonist is found with no memory at ground zero of a massive anomaly event, leading to their recruitment by the Bureau of Anomaly Control.

Anomalies can manifest in several forms:

When approaching an anomaly encounter in the open world, the surrounding environment distorts in real-time. Buildings may shift, static covers surfaces, and objects begin floating. These visual cues use Unreal Engine 5 to create seamless transitions between normal urban life and surreal anomaly spaces.

Enemy Categories

Oddities

Oddities are living beings afflicted or transformed by anomaly energy. They represent the broadest category of anomaly-related entities in Hethereau and exist on a spectrum from completely harmless to extremely dangerous.

Not all Oddities are enemies. Some are officially recognized as citizens by the Bureau of Anomaly Control. Peaceful Oddities queue up for resident permits at BAC offices and try to make a living across the city. Others cause minor mischief without posing real danger. However, hostile Oddities are a different matter entirely. They trigger combat encounters where players must challenge them for materials or neutralize them for rewards.

Taygedo is one of the most recognizable non-hostile Oddities. He has a small human body with a television for a head that displays a dog's face inside. Taygedo often repeats his own name (similar to a Pokemon) and is a three-time winner of "Eibon's Best Restorer." He is described as completely harmless and represents the gentler side of anomaly-touched life in Hethereau.

Anomaly Bosses

Anomaly bosses are the most powerful and visually distinctive enemies in the game. They fall into two main categories:

Beta reviewers described encountering bosses that "looked like they crawled straight out of a theological fever dream, massive and surreal that resembled a biblically accurate angel." The surreal, often unsettling design of anomaly bosses is a hallmark of NTE's visual identity.

Anomaly Classification

There are hints of an anomaly classification system within the lore. Official character materials reference a "V-class" designation (from "V-class Wrath GR Cloud Crisis," a containment operation mentioned in Nanally's backstory). Whether V-class denotes anomaly severity, danger level, or some other metric has not been fully detailed in pre-release materials.

Named Anomaly Enemies

The following specific anomaly enemies have been confirmed through beta tests and official sources:

The full roster of anomaly enemies will become available after the game's April 29, 2026 launch. The enemies listed above represent a small sample from beta testing.

Named Containment Operations

Several large-scale anomaly containment operations have been referenced in character backstories, suggesting major boss encounters or significant combat events:

Anomaly Weapons

Not all anomalies are enemies. Some are harnessed as weapons by Espers. The most prominent example is Kiroumaru, Sakiri's sentient anomaly hammer. Kiroumaru "bites, shocks, and sometimes judges" and reacts to Sakiri's emotions. This blurs the line between weapon and companion, reflecting the game's theme that anomalies are not inherently evil but can be channeled for different purposes.

Combat Mechanics Against Anomalies

Break and Stagger System

Anomaly enemies have a stagger bar that fills as players land hits and successful dodges. When the stagger bar is completely filled, the enemy enters a vulnerable state where they take significantly increased damage. Breaking an enemy's stagger is often the key to defeating tougher anomaly bosses efficiently.

The stagger bar interacts with the elemental reaction system. The Discord trio reaction (activated when Nova and Scorch are both active on a target) directly reduces a percentage of the target's break meter. Lacrimosa's Esper Cycle Passive further enhances Discord by permanently reducing the target's break capacity by 10% per trigger (stacking up to 30%), making Discord teams the premier choice for breaking tough anomaly bosses.

Parry System

The parry system, added during the Containment Test based on player feedback, is a core combat mechanic for engaging anomaly enemies. A successful parry is executed by timing a parry circle's alignment with an outer ring. There are five primary parry types:

A successful parry instantly fills the Esper Cycle meter, interrupts the enemy's attack, and generates energy for Fade In or Entry attacks. Mastering parries is essential for high-level play against anomaly bosses, as it simultaneously defends, charges your reaction meter, and creates openings for counterattacks.

Critical Dodge

Every character has a unique Critical Dodge counterattack that activates when a dodge is timed perfectly against an incoming anomaly attack. Critical Dodges provide both a defensive escape and an offensive follow-up, rewarding skilled timing with immediate damage opportunities.

Environmental Anomaly Encounters

Beyond standard combat, anomaly encounters in the overworld take many creative forms. Reviewers praised the variety of encounter designs, which include:

• Scaling a tower that forms before the player's eyes as anomaly energy constructs it in real-time

• Puzzling out how to shut an unearthly door in a back alley

• A city block transformed into a cube that requires coloring to solve

• A building's blueprint that becomes a perspective puzzle

• Spacetime Projector missions where players rewind recordings to identify the exact moment an anomaly appeared

These encounters avoid the repetitive enemy grind common in many open-world games. Each anomaly challenge is designed as a unique experience, blending combat, puzzles, and environmental manipulation.

Anomaly Design Philosophy

NTE's creative team at Hotta Studio has emphasized that each anomaly boss has a unique backstory connected to Hethereau's history. The visual and gameplay design of every anomaly aims to make encounters feel distinct and memorable.

The visual themes span a wide range:

Comparisons have been drawn to the Shadows from the Persona series, with reviewers noting a similar relationship between anomaly creatures and the game's underlying themes of identity and hidden truths.

Boss Tuning

Between the Containment Test and Co-Ex Test, the developers reduced anomaly boss HP significantly. Fights that previously took around 10 minutes were tuned to clear in approximately 3 minutes, reflecting player feedback that combat encounters needed better pacing. This change kept boss fights mechanically engaging without becoming endurance tests.

Bureau of Anomaly Control

The Bureau of Anomaly Control is the government organization responsible for managing anomalies and Espers in Hethereau. The BAC oversees containment and neutralization operations across the city.

Known BAC Divisions

Citizens are wary of BAC operatives, particularly ETD members. NPCs in Hethereau express fear when encountering ETD agents, with dialogue such as "She's one of those... enigmatics... from the ETD!"

Oddities as Citizens

The Bureau of Anomaly Control has established a system for recognizing peaceful Oddities as citizens of Hethereau. Non-hostile Oddities can apply for resident permits at BAC offices, and those granted citizenship integrate into the city's daily life. This creates a unique societal dynamic where anomaly creatures coexist with humans, some as neighbors and shopkeepers, while others remain active threats.