Free-to-play open-world RPG NTE lately launched its Containment Test, a closed beta that showcases the upgrades developer Hotta Studio has made because the game’s final technical take a look at. There are enhancements throughout the board, together with higher visuals, new mechanics, racing content material, reworked fight, and more.
NTE takes place in Hethereau, a sprawling metropolis that’s actually more like two cities in a single. On the floor, it’s a pristine city heart crammed with people going about their day by day lives. But the underworld is continually warped by reality-defying anomalies, and you’re an unlicensed Anomaly Hunter tasked with investigating these unusual occurrences and placing a stop to them.
Hethereau itself has all the time been one of the game’s focal factors, a metropolis in-built Unreal Engine 5 to permit seamless journey throughout its huge measurement. But the latest updates have taken issues to a different stage, giving the town a complete visible overhaul. There’s richer element, up to date aesthetics, and enhancements to lighting and environmental results.
Light and shadows now show more distinction, which is very obvious as you progress by means of the pure day/night time cycle. You can also expertise dynamic climate circumstances — from fog to rain to snow — as you journey throughout the town, and snow results specifically have been enhanced. Thanks to bodily primarily based rendering, snowflakes now look translucent and lifelike.
Characters have additionally gotten a graphical makeover. The supplies of their garments and strands of their hair are actually a lot more detailed, making every character pop even more within the anime-inspired artwork type.
You’ll type a get together of 4 characters during your anomaly-hunting missions, and every character has their own abilities referred to as Esper Abilities. You control one character at a time, however can swap between the 4 in your get together on the fly to chain their Esper Abilities collectively and type combos that synergize properly collectively.
That expertise has additionally been refined within the latest replace, with actions, abilities, and the general really feel of fight reworked for smoother gameplay. There are additionally new mechanics, like parry assaults and important dodge counterattacks, which were launched so as to add more selection to fight.
No matter which characters are in your get together, you may make use of their Esper Abilities inside and exterior of fight. Some help with traversal of the town, like permitting you to run up the perimeters of buildings and parkour to get round rapidly. But that’s not the one solution to journey by means of Hethereau. There are additionally ziplines that may help you discover hidden corners of the town, and with the help of the character Mint from the Bureau of Anomaly Control, you may “requisition” vehicles.
Buying and modding vehicles has all the time been half of NTE. There are tons of customization choices — together with colours, tires, bumpers, and engines — and you may combine and match till you may have your experience simply how you need it. There are dozens of totally different customized vehicles, and you may drive in first-person or third-person.
Requisitioning vehicles is new within the latest replace and can convey some penalties with it for those who’re reckless. With Mint's help, you may commandeer automobiles at any time throughout the town, which might help rapidly get you from mission to mission for those who don’t have an owned automotive simply at hand. However, bear in mind that for those who injury the automobile or disturb public security, issues can get out of hand quick. There’s a new multi-level needed system with escalating penalties — police officers and bots will you pursue you and get more and more aggressive the upper your needed stage rises. You can see this system in action within the video under.
However you finish up along with your automotive, you may take it online and group up with pals to tackle avenue racing crews throughout totally different districts in multiplayer races, one other new addition within the latest replace. Racing additionally contains drifting, however watch out when it’s raining or snowing — the roads shall be slippery and dealing with shall be worse.
The Containment Test is operating from now till July 16, after which Hotta Studio will take participant suggestions and deal with it in future updates. The full release of NTE shall be accessible on PC, console, iOS, and Android, and will probably be free-to-play with cross-progression throughout all platforms. Pre-registration is open now, and for the latest information and information, you may comply with them on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Discord.