Comparison
NTE vs Tower of Fantasy
Same studio, second swing. Tower of Fantasy was Hotta's ambitious-but-janky sci-fi MMO-lite; NTE is the more polished, focused urban-fantasy successor built on everything the team learned the first time.
| Aspect | NTE | Tower of Fantasy | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combat | Refined real-time swap combat with parries and chain reactions. | Weapon-swap action that was serviceable at launch but now feels dated and less responsive. | NTE |
| Open world / exploration | A dense urban sandbox with driving, property and GTA-style systems. | A large open sci-fi world (Aida, later Mirroria) with traversal gadgets but thinner activity design. | NTE |
| Gacha & generosity | No 50/50, guaranteed featured units and minimal weapon gacha. | Weapon-based gacha where the SSR weapons are the pull, widely criticized as grindy and pay-pressured. | NTE |
| PC performance & optimisation | Far prettier UE5 visuals, but heavy and demanding on hardware. | Lighter UE4 that ran more easily, though it looked dated and shipped with plenty of bugs and jank. | Tie |
| Story & characters | A fresher, more confident narrative, albeit with that mid-game dip. | A forgettable, poorly-localized story that few players ever praised. | NTE |
| Art style / setting | A major anime-visual upgrade wrapped in a modern urban-fantasy setting. | Anime sci-fi that looked solid in 2022 but is now visibly older. | NTE |
| Monetisation / live-service | Marketed as player-friendly and less aggressive, though the long-term model is unproven. | Earned a reputation for aggressive monetization and live-service baggage that eroded its playerbase. | NTE |
The verdict
This is the clearest call of the five: NTE outclasses Tower of Fantasy in polish, visuals, gacha fairness and design almost across the board, and plays like its spiritual upgrade. Only stick with Tower of Fantasy if you're already deeply invested, newcomers should start with NTE.