Ananta isn't just a free anime take on GTA, but folds in Spider-Man style swinging and Uncharted levels of action that I've enjoyed playing

The upcoming Ananta – formerly known as Project Mugen – has caught the attention of many since its early reveal, which showcased stylized open-world action, a plethora of activities to engage in, and combat and exploration mechanics that feel more than a little similar to the likes of Spider-Man and Grand Theft Auto. It taps into the recent popularity of gacha-style action RPGs like Genshin Impact, but uses the conceit of controlling a party of heroes as a springboard to focus more on hanging out with the core cast in between their duties to save the city. Essentially, it's going for the full-on 'anime GTA' experience, with everything that entails.

However, there is the worry that Ananta might be biting off more than it could chew as developer Naked Rain tries to cover all the bases of the open world genre while also offering full, stylish anime action and hijinks. Fortunately, I was able to play the first public playable build of Ananta at Tokyo Game Show 2025 to see how developer Naked Rain is bringing it all together. So far, I've found something quite endearing about Ananta's open world full of energy and personality – even if it feels a bit overwhelming. I also spoke with game producer Ash Qi from developer Naked Rain about building up their take on an open-world RPG, and how the game's cast of characters will make players feel like they're building up their own Avengers-style squad.

Welcome to Nova City

Essentially, Ananta is a free-to-play, open-world action RPG set in Nova City, which is filled with warring gangs, superpowered villains, and the occasional supernatural entity looking to secure territory in the town. Focusing on a paranormal investigator named Chenxiu, they're granted mysterious tendrils and enhanced combat prowess to help with fighting off against the city's worst and recruit new allies to help with restoring balance to Nova City. However, the crew will also have to balance their duties with leading an everyday life, which means taking in the sights and activities of Nova City whenever they can, too.

One thing that I found surprising about Ananta is that it puts a sort of life-sim spin on an open world action-RPG, with players being able to take on character-specific vocations and activities that show the main roster's perspectives on life in the big city. According to Ash Qi, the team has focused on allowing players to truly inhabit these different characters and their personas.

"We are trying to create different personas, not just simple characters to play as," Qi says. "When you switch out to another character, your original character is still having his own life. So, when you switch to different characters, you will see how their lives are progressing so far, and then you can pick things up from there. We are trying to achieve a design that feels unique compared to other RPG games, and to capture some of the imagination from our childhood, with cities being vast spaces where different people and professions coexist. That's why we picked the urban setting – as opposed to the familiar fantasy setting – because a city as a setting is so relatable [to players]."

Playing the demo, I get to see many of the larger ideas at work and how the moment-to-moment action and exploration aim to keep them in motion. The first bit of the demo focuses on Chenxiu fighting off a gang known as the Black Metal Rhythmists, who are spreading violence across town. While other games of this kind tend to have super flashy combat with dramatic action and anime-style special attacks, Ananta surprisingly keeps things lean and to the point.

The combat feels very similar to the pace and style of Batman: Arkham Asylum, with characters executing timed melee strikes and pulling off counters to take out crowds of enemies. It's a very traditional and very grounded approach to brawler combat, which I quite like.

With finisher moves that see enemies being tossed into trash bins or crushed into the ground, there's still a sense of impact to, well, taking out Nova City's trash. Every playable character also has the ability to use telekinesis to pull in objects and toss them at enemies, which adds further versatility to them. I spent a lot of time pulling in stray bats and whacking at foes like I was in a beat-em-up like Streets of Rage.

While the core combat is similar across the board, each character has their unique skills they bring to the table. For instance, Chenxiu's Venom-style tendrilled super attacks and grabs (call him the Lethal Protector, I guess), allow him to hit enemies at a range, and even pick up multiple foes at once for a slam attack. No matter where you are in a brawl, Chenxiu and the other characters are able to pull off some slick moves to finish off enemies – even if that means tossing a trash can at a straggler.

Slice of life

The demo picks up when Chenxiu and their ally Lykaia give chase to the gang, which leads into an extended car chase across town, dodging obstacles, and then into a quick-time sequence that feels right out of Uncharted 4's King's Bay chapter, which has Chenxiu being dragged behind a truck and having to avoid barrels heading their way (Nathan Drake's take involves being dragged behind trucks through mud with a grappling hook). I'm impressed with the flow of combat and the set-piece encounters, based on how well-crafted the visuals and action beats are. The game's fantastic visual style lends a great deal of personality to Ananta, which helps to make exciting moments pop.

Things get a bit more interesting when I'm let off the leash to engage with Nova City's free roam. Along with being able to dine at restaurants and take selfies on your phone, you can also bring players along to other activities, such as going to the gym or playing basketball, which all feature unique mini-games. Each playable character has their own side activities and specific vocations that open up new ways to see the world in action, all geared around, as Ash Qi mentioned to me above, crafting that lived-in vibe for the world, avoiding the sense that characters only exist when called out from your roster.

My favorite activity I get to take part in during the free roam is a delivery service mission. After fighting off some baddies, one of the protagonists, named Taffy – a shorter brawler character who rides around on a miniature motorbike – becomes an impromptu courier, where they have to bring a coffin with a vampire stuffed inside.

Halfway through the mission, the coffin opens up, and the creature of the night begins vomiting a rainbow out from the back of the truck, which keeps going until I reach my destination and safely deliver my charge into the hands of a cult. By mission's end, Taffy is hired on the spot to be a gig driver, which she'll have to juggle with her responsibilities of defending the city.

It's bizarre, but very humorous. Ananta totally sticks to the concept of each character having their own roles to play in the world, and gives you opportunities to engage with it. For instance, one playable character is a police officer (with a tail), and she can explore town and spring investigations on any citizen in the game world – some of whom have open warrants (but most don't). I do appreciate the game's full commitment to this concept, but I do worry that some characters like the one I just mentioned may not seem as endearing as others, and less fun to engage with.

However, the developers have larger plans for the game's roster, which will expand alongside the main story – all of which will be free updates to the game without those familiar gacha elements. According to Ash Qi, the game will feature more cities and districts being added to the main world over time, which will introduce new threats to face and a larger scope for connecting the line-up of characters.

"Many of the characters in the game could be protagonists in their own game, and we're trying to create a big storyline that will evolve, giving the characters focus, which will add new characters and new cities to explore. Take Marvel as an example; there are many different heroes and champions in The Avengers. However, characters like Captain America and Spider-Man have their own storylines, separate from the larger plot, and they are the protagonists of their own stories, each with their unique missions. That's how we see our approach to keeping these characters in focus. We're also developing a feature where multiple characters can team up to fight other antagonists."

So far, I'm really digging the overall style and scope of Ananta, and especially as a new free-to-play gacha-style action RPG, which is unfortunately a very crowded field today. However, the game's focus on emulating other big-budget spectacle games, such as Spider-Man and Uncharted, has given it a reputation for feeling too closely attached to those influences. I have to admit that, unfortunately, playing Ananta I could feel those inspirations very clearly, and it was pretty distracting to see how close it seeks to capture the same type of energy as other games – a shame as its own style is still quite endearing.

My brief time playing Ananta and speaking with the devs behind the game has made me feel more optimistic about what's to come from this bizarre, yet surprisingly inviting action game. I wish I were able to play more, as this brief TGS demo really felt like I was just barely getting a feel of the larger whole. Still, Ananta looks to be an interesting and more ambitious take on a familiar sub-genre, and its intriguing blend of life-sim with action-RPG could be a cool twist that gives the game the edge for the long term.