Game Over OnlineSuperdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls
The long-running Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise has been one of the Vita’s shining stars. It has been not only a turn-based RPG, but also an action RPG and even a strategy RPG, and oh yeah, it’s an anime franchise too. It’s amazing to see just how diverse this franchise has become over the years. The most impressive part is that each sub-genre of RPG has been done well – which is really shocking. It’s hard enough to get one right, but they’ve made three work just fine. Now, the Neptunia franchise has crossed over with the Sega Hard Girls for an even more meta-than-usual adventure.
Given that the Neptunia games are all about references and fourth wall-breaking humor, this seems completely impossible in theory. However, now the series has gone from having knock-offs of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo in it to still having those – but also having Sega and a runthrough of its entire hardware library represented in human form. It’s a tad bit strange, but also pretty cool to see – even if the non-Sega expies are gone from this installment. One strength of the series is its ability to change the story up in weird ways, and yet have it all still gel together. That remains the case here as you get just enough of what worked before, but enough new stuff to help prevent it from feeling samey.
Neptune vs. SHG is more of an action-heavy entry that has a bit of turn-based gameplay in there, but really plays more like a Kingdom Hearts game with every button press doing something to further your goal. You’re out to help conquer the overrun historical periods of Sega’s hardware timeline and bring peace back while also helping Segami regain her memory. The storyline isn’t all that compelling, but it serves as a means to an end and is fairly entertaining.
As is the norm with the series, the writing is spot-on and makes longtime gamers chuckle, while also providing some amusing banter. Chemistry has always been a strong point for the Neptunia games because the characters and the cast chosen to play them mesh together perfectly. This allows even material that may not work in theory to wind up being excellent in execution, and it makes the end product stronger than the sum of its parts.
The RPG mechanics are solid, and combat is as fun as ever. The formula for the franchise is well-worn, but hasn’t gotten old yet. You’ll go through dungeons defeating enemies, find the exit, and rinse and repeat. In-between dungeons, you can strengthen your characters or just spend some time going through past dungeons to grind for a bit. I’m normally not a fan of doing this, but with this game, it really did allow me to get an idea of how much more powerful I was later than earlier since I could just topple enemies with ease that once gave me trouble.
This always feels rewarding, and it’s always fun to do another run through a dungeon with a goal being to grab as many head-bopping block power-ups as you can or one where you try to mix up your battle tactics a bit and see which style winds up working best from an efficiency standpoint versus which kind of battle you prefer to engage in. Going spell-heavy is tougher because it expends your limited-used spells, but it’s more spectacular while going strike-heavy is smarter and a bit less exciting since you have less variety in those attacks.
As an action/turn-based RPG, Neptune vs. Sega Hard Girls works very well. The battle system does have a fair amount of depth to it, and having power-ups be unlocked on the battlefield with Super Mario-esque blocks being destroy with a head bop is amusing. It’s a tad strange to have a Nintendo homage in a Sega-licensed game – but cool. The game does suffer a bit from feeling all-too-similar to the past entries in terms of its battle system – but new wrinkles do help keep things slightly fresher.
Visually, Neptune vs. Sega Hard Girls looks about the same as every other entry in the series. The characters retain their anime-style proportions and feature simple, but solid animation for attacks and movement. It may seem strange to prefer more limited animation given the series’ anime stylings, but the easy-to-time attacks are a godsend in quick battles. Environments look okay, but definitely have issues with the sub-HD textures being visible up-close. Things look a bit muddier than one might like, which definitely can take you out of things from time to time. Fortunately, it never gets in the way during battle – but when you move around the battlefield afterwards, you can really see the flaws and it’s a bit distracting.
Neptune vs. Hard Girls keeps the franchise’s tradition of having high-energy J-pop alive. The opening cinema gets your blood pumping, while the lower-key music during battles and menus allows you to compose yourself for combat. The voice work is solid, but there’s far less of it than usual. This leads to some strange situations where you’ll get things that would’ve been voiced in other games that are just silent now and it’s a bit off-putting. It makes the game feel like there wasn’t as much effort put into it, which is a shame given how good this series usually is.
Overall, Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls is another excellent entry in the series. It does have some rough edges and being hamstrung to the Vita hardware is making the graphics show their age more. Environmental textures look a tad funky up close, but luckily, the game’s clean art style does make it pleasing to the eye far more often than not. It has some of the most fun, turn-based action RPG gameplay in the series and definitely has its most diverse range of dungeons. Having all the Sega-based comedy makes things a bit more fun too. This entry doesn’t make major waves, but is always enjoyable and a good pickup for longtime fans.
Reviewed By: Jeremy Peeples
Publisher: Idea Factory International
Rating: 85%
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This review is based on a digital copy of Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls for the PlayStation Vita provided by Idea Factory International.
