Welcome to the Era of 'Co-Ex' Tests (Because 'Beta' is Too Honest)
Buckle up, gamers, because we’ve got another one. You know the drill: a flashy trailer drops, the internet loses its collective mind over high-fidelity anime aesthetics, and suddenly everyone forgets that 'Free-to-Play' usually translates to 'Second Mortgage Required.' Today’s target? Neverness to Everness (NTE). Hotta Studio—the folks who brought us the beautifully buggy mess that was Tower of Fantasy—has announced the 'Co-Ex Test.' It’s scheduled to run from February 6 to February 20. And no, 'Co-Ex' doesn't stand for 'Constantly Expensive,' though I wouldn't bet against it. It supposedly stands for 'Co-Existence,' which is developer-speak for 'Please help us find the bugs we’re too cheap to hire professional testers for.'
The Details: What Are We Actually Testing?
NTE is pitching itself as a supernatural urban open-world RPG. Think Genshin Impact meets Grand Theft Auto, but with more hair gel and fewer felony charges. The 'Co-Ex Test' is a closed, limited-access affair, meaning most of you won't even get in, and those who do will spend half their time clipping through the sidewalk. The test will feature the city of Hesperia, where you’ll play as an 'Anomaly Hunter.' Because, of course, we couldn't just be a delivery driver or a barista; we have to save the world from supernatural glitches while looking like we just stepped off a Parisian runway.
- Platform: PC (primarily), with mobile and console versions lurking in the shadows.
- Dates: February 6 – February 20.
- Setting: Hesperia, a city that looks suspiciously like every other neon-lit cyberpunk fever dream we’ve seen in the last five years.
- Core Loop: Combat, car customization (yes, really), and probably a lot of clicking through dialogue you’ll want to skip.
Rogue’s Take: Hotta Studio and the Ghost of Gachas Past
Let’s get real for a second. Hotta Studio has a reputation. If Tower of Fantasy taught us anything, it’s that they can build a beautiful world and then fill it with more power creep than a superhero sequel. They’re great at the 'What,' but the 'How' is usually where the wheels fall off. Now they’re pivoting to the 'Urban' trend. Why? Because Zenless Zone Zero exists, and Project Mugen is looming, and every developer in the East has decided that we’re all tired of grass and want to look at concrete instead.
The biggest red flag? The car customization. NTE is leaning heavily into the 'lifestyle' aspect. You can buy houses, customize cars, and live a virtual life. It sounds great on paper, but in F2P land, 'customization' is usually synonymous with 'Gacha banner for a spoiler.' I can already see the $50 limited-time paint jobs. And let’s talk about the 'Urban Open World.' Driving physics in these games are historically atrocious. If I wanted to drive a car that handles like a shopping cart on ice, I’d go to a grocery store during a blizzard. I highly doubt Hotta has cracked the code on satisfying arcade driving while balancing an elemental combat system.
The 'Don't Pre-Order' (Or Pre-Register) Mentality
Look, the visuals are crisp. The supernatural 'anomalies' look cool. But we’ve been burned before. The 'Co-Ex Test' is a glorified stress test. They want to see if their servers will melt when ten thousand people try to summon a waifu at the same time. My advice? Don't get your hopes up. Don't go buying a new GPU for a game that will probably be optimized like a potato in its first six months. This test is for the brave souls who enjoy being unpaid QA interns. For the rest of us, let’s wait and see if the 'Everness' in the title refers to the length of the loading screens.
Conclusion: Is It Worth the Hype?
Neverness to Everness is trying to be everything at once: a racer, a sim, a brawler, and a fashion show. Usually, when a game tries to wear that many hats, it ends up dropping all of them. The February test will be the moment of truth. Either we get a legitimate competitor to the HoYoverse monopoly, or we get another flashy tech demo that disappears into the 'Maintenance' void after three weeks. I’m betting on the latter, but I’ve been wrong before—once, back in 2014. Stay cynical, friends.
🏆 Gamer Verdict
"A visually stunning urban distraction that will likely crumble under the weight of its own microtransactions and Hotta's history of poor optimization."
✅ The Good
- High-end visuals and aesthetic
- Ambitious car customization in a gacha
❌ The Bad
- Hotta Studio's track record with bugs
- Identity crisis between racing and RPG
🌍 Global Quick Take
Tags: #NevernessToEverness #HottaStudio #GachaGames #GamingNews #OpenWorld
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