Perfect World Games’ latest open-world anime-inspired RPG Neverness to Everness (NTE) is brimming with anime nods and hidden gems, spanning from references to recent hits like Bocchi the Rock! to timeless classics such as Doraemon. One particularly noticeable Easter egg is the “Ghost Racer”/Drift Away Legend series of side quests in the Miguel District, which overflow with homages to Shuichi Shigeno’s legendary street racing saga, Initial D.
Once you’ve finished Prologue 2, make your way to the Natsunari Tofu Shop and speak with the owner, Sota. A brief chat with nearby enthusiasts discloses that a decade ago, Sota was known as the God Racer of Hethereau, a promising driver who stepped back from racing just before turning pro. The following sequence of quests has Sota taking you under his guidance, all while reigniting his passion for the track.
Not only does Sota’s Novus ST79 vehicle bear an uncanny resemblance to Takumi Fujiwara’s panda-colored 86 (the Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86), but his role as a tofu shop proprietor is a clear tribute to the Fujiwara Tofu business owned by Takumi’s father, Bunta. The residence itself strongly mirrors the Fujiwara family home. An early side quest even tasks you with delivering tofu for Sota using his car, echoing Takumi’s famous tofu runs on Mount Akina in Initial D. Subsequent races have you mastering drifts across Hethereau’s mountain ranges, and you can acquire the Novus for 600,000 Fons, a currency earned within the game.
Neverness to Everness is accessible on Android, iOS, PlayStation 5, as well as Windows and macOS (available for download from the official site).
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