Written by Natalie Houghton
This is the latest in a barrage of Hyperdimension
Neptunia games that have all been released in a flurry this year. Departing
from the usual JRPG format of the previous games, this is a spin off which
presents itself in the form of a Musou type action game. The general idea
behind the Hyperdimenson games is quite pleasing, however the execution often
lets them down. This spin off though is cut from an entirely different cloth,
given that it's not developed by the usual creator of these games and is
instead developed by Tamsoft who have already established themselves in this
genre.
Following suit, all of the main characters who have
been available in the previous games are available to play here, including the
CPU's (Personified console goddesses) themselves (Neptune & Co) as well as
their younger sisters; the CPU candidates (Nepgear & Co). Follow them
around the parody filled world of Gamindustri as they embark on a raucous romp
where they endeavour to complete all of the quests dealt to them and bash as
many monsters on the head as is goddessly possible. They are joined on their
adventures by two new playable characters - the journalists Dengekiko and
Famitsu who will report on their every move.
Essentially this is a 'Gotta smash 'em all' type game
akin to Dynasty Warriors. To progress in the game our heroines must complete
quests - which in all fairness are quite linear. The methodology is as follows:
1. Pick a quest 2. Note the requirements for completion 3. Begin thrashing
around like a fish on acid 4. Kick ass! 5. Rinse and repeat.
The repertoire of quests does not really change that
much. There are a few 'special' quests that supposedly have different clear
requirements but they aren't really that hard to figure out or that different
from the main quests themselves. More variety in the quests would definitely
not go amiss.
Depending on your perspective you'll either love or
hate the damage feature of the game which involves half the characters clothes
magically flying off and becoming tattered. The result of which is that they
therefore expose themselves to the world - exactly the same as in Senran Kagura
games. This franchise is no stranger to having slightly ecchi (pervy),
tendencies and the dialogue even pokes fun at itself and points out this fact.
Love it or hate it though, this fan service is there to stay until you manage
to unlock an unbreakable costume later in the game.
There are a total of 10 characters to pick, each with
their own unique weapons and fighting styles, each character has a normal
attack and a strong attack which you can mix & match to create various combos
with. There are also a couple of special attacks that require SP to use - these
can be used to temporarily clear a large number of mobs. As you slaughter
enemies, the EXE drive gauge will fill, once it is full enough, the characters
have the option to transform into HDD mode which is essentially a stronger
version of themselves that resembles the dragoon mode from the Legend of
Dragoon (if anyone actually remembers that...). Whilst in this mode, there are
a couple of special skills that can be executed which will pretty much mutilate
everything in sight.
You can fight solo or play with two characters - the
more two characters fight together the higher their lily rank will become, this
will unlock special bonuses such as increased EXP gains and eventually a double
team combo which is guaranteed to wash away anything that stands in their way -
go nakama power!
The combat is fast and fluid with excellent
optimisation for the PS Vita, the frame rate is top notch and the cel shaded style
works really well along with all of the colours being astoundingly eye popping
on the OLED screen. The characters and the art in general are incredibly well
drawn and a pure pleasure to look at. The level design itself is fairly generic
though, there's a forest level, an ice level and the classic lava level as well
as a few levels that pay homage to older games such as Mario Bros and Tetris.
Character stat increases, new weapons and accessories
are handled in a slightly different way to normal, whilst characters do level
up in the usual way, acquiring upgrades is done by accessing the medal
collection. Upon defeating enemies, some of them drop medals. Once a certain amount
of medals have been collected you can then unlock stat increases as well as gaining
new equipment. This means that you have to keep fighting in order to unlock
everything.
The plot is fairly thin and is more of a background
distraction than anything else, it loosely manages to take the characters and
general story forward and whilst at times, the banter between characters is
interesting and slightly amusing there are other times where it totally misses
the mark. The crux of this is that you don’t really care about the plot at all!
Both characters Dengekiko and Famitsu are attempting to get the scoop on each
of the girls' antics and in order to get these stories, quests need to be
completed... and written about, THAT.IS.IT!
The English voice acting is dubious at best and half of
the characters virtually sound the same, the Japanese is a notch above and
comes as the recommended choice. My only real gripe is that some of the
characters dialogue is overly cutesy. The general soundtrack on the other hand
blew me away, I really did want to listen to it as I fought my way through
endless hordes of slimes, animated flowers and cubes. Like the looks of the
game itself, the wide array of tunes on display here is nothing but a joy to
listen to.
The two extra modes which are unlocked after beating
Chapter 3 don't really add any further depth to the game. Both the Gamindustri
Gauntlet where you can create your own 10 fighter tournaments and battle it out
until the end is much more dull than it sounds and the same goes for the
Neptral Tower which involves climbing a long tower filled with randomly
changing enemies.
Overall, this is an attractive and amusing game that is
pleasing on the eye as well as the ear that is great for a fun quick blast in
the middle of the day, during your commute or simply whenever you feel like it.
It would get repetitive quickly if it were on a console but it suits the nature
of time-limited handheld gaming perfectly. If you are a fan of the genre and
like crazy button bashing over the top combo-creating anime style games then it
is definitely worth a go. It isn't the best game ever but by no means is it the
worst either.
Score: 6/10
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