Megadimension Neptunia VII Review (PS4)
Story
This game takes place after Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory/Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;birth 3: V Generation. Neptune and Nepgear found an old console from a game store, and both of them ended up into a different dimension called Zero Dimension. There, they meet Uzume, the sole CPU in that dimension who has been fighting monsters for a very long time. Neptune and Nepgear ended up helping her, as well as find a way to find their way home to their own dimension.
The game's story is split into three arcs, with different focus on story and playable characters. It is a clever way to give different focus and stories for different characters in the game, for both heroines and villains. There are also lots of references on other game series, consoles and companies like previous Neptunia games.
The overall story is interesting. Not too bad, not too fancy, but interesting and funny. I generally regard this game's story to be much better than Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory/Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;birth 3: V Generation's stories, at least. Good balance of serious, humour, and sad moments. Characters are pretty good, despite having stereotypical anime character traits. Uzume is a fantastic new character in this game, and I am hoping to see her in future main Neptunia games. Other new characters are also good, like the Gold Third members and the new villains.
Gameplay
1) Introduction
This game plays like previous main Neptunia games, which is a turn-based RPG mixed visual novel cutscenes. Progression is linear like previous games, where occasionally you must complete side quests or clear a dungeon to progress the story.
2) Exploration and Progression Section
This game has the same exploration feature, where you can travel from one point to another. Each dimension has it's unique world map, with different dungeons available.
Dungeons exploration is the same as previous games. You can run, jump over obstacles, and find treasures hidden in the game. You can also smash objects in the game to obtain treasures if you want to. You may also gain preemptive strike on enemies if you strike them from behind in dungeons before battling them.
Route Building is a new feature in this game where you must spend money to unlock new routes. Many of the routes are required to progress in the game, as they unlock routes to the story dungeons where you must clear to progress the story. Some routes might even lead to hidden dungeons, but the hidden dungeons can only be unlocked by sending Scouts.
Scouting system returns in this game, where you can send them to dungeons to get bonuses such as hidden dungeons, new Scouts, and items. Not only that, each Scout has their own passive effect that will provide bonus to you when you are exploring the same dungeon. For example, the scout you sent into a dungeon grants you bonus experience points. They also have their own stats, which determine whether they will succeed or fail their scout missions in the game. Scouts will explore dungeons for certain period of time, so check out whether you have obtained any rewards from the scouts or not often.
Guild Ranks also return in this game, where you can complete side quests to obtain higher guild rank and rewards. Different quests have different ranks, difficulties, and rewards. Even though they are not required to complete the game, they are beneficial as you can obtain rewards such as items easily early in the game. Your guild rank will increase as you complete special quests that will grant you rank promotion.
3) Leveling and Customisation Section
The leveling system is simple, as you gain experience points by defeating enemies, By gaining levels, you will earn stats increase, learn new Skills, and also learn new Combo Moves. Gaining sufficient levels are recommended to tackle the game's harder dungeons or story bosses.
This game also features an extensive customisation feature, where you can customise the equipment of each party member in the game, such as weapon, armour, and accessories, You may also customise their appearances, such as adding accessories like glasses, hats, and etc. Previous game features such as Shares and Development return in this game.
Development feature also returns in this game, where you can create items from materials using development plans. Plans can be found by investing enough in a city's Development stat, viewing side scenes, or completing certain quests. Materials can be found by defeating enemies or when exploring dungeons.
Investment feature is a new feature in the game that allows you to invest in different areas in a major city. For example, investing in Public Relations will unlock new side cutscenes and possible new weapon for your characters. It is recommended to delve into the Investment feature as it allow you to unlock new scenes, new items, and possibly endings.
4) Combat Section
5) Gameplay Conclusion
This game is vastly improved over previous Neptunia games, with many new likable features that surpass previous Neptunia games such as more interesting Combo system, more balanced usage of EXE Drive Gauge, Parts Break system, improved World Map exploration and epic Giant Battles. The different arcs for different characters is a great design as well, focusing on using different characters in different arcs in the game.
There are some issues remain in this game. Even though there are several new dungeon designs in this game, there are still reused dungeon designs from previous games. A number of enemy designs are also reused from previous Neptunia games, both regular enemies and some bosses. The sudden high difficulty in early boss fights can be an issue if you do not grind for levels, so take note of that as well. Regardless, this game has the best gameplay out of all Neptunia games that I have ever played so far.
Graphics
This game has pretty much similar graphics like previous Neptunia games on PS3 and PS Vita. However, the major difference is the smoother animations when exploring or fighting. Character animations are incredibly smooth, with no noticeable framerate issues compared to previous games. To me, this is a great technical achievement. Although this game has moderate amount of new dungeon designs, there are still reuse of dungeon designs from previous games in this game.
Sound
Unlike previous main Neptunia games, this game has more new themes, and most of them are excellently done such as the battle themes, event themes, and so on. There are still recycle of older games' music tracks, but the new tracks are really catchy and well-done.
The English voice acting is good, with most of the English voice actors reprise their roles in this game, with new voice actors for the newer characters as well. I am disappointed that Vert's English voice actress did not reprise her role in this game, but her replacement voice actress did a great job as well. You may also switch to Japanese voice option if you have downloaded it as DLC from the PS Store. The number of English voiced scenes is a lot compared to previous games, but still has less voiced scenes compared to Japanese voiced scenes.
It is also notable that monsters in the games have now voices, albeit they do not have many lines. Still, it is rather cool to see that each monster in the game has voice grunts. This is available in both English and Japanese voice options.
Replay Value
This game has good replay value. You can choose to tackle some of the game's hidden dungeons, complete optional Quests, and get different endings in the game. Endings in this game have different conditions, where unlocking the game's true ending has more strict requirements, such as not missing certain scenes in the game.
Conclusion
This is the best Neptunia game I have ever played so far. Intriguing story since Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2/Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;birth 2: Sisters Generation, improved World Map exploration, great new combat features, interesting Combo system, epic Giant battles, and clever game structure of three story arcs are the major highlight of the games. Smoother animation is another technical achievement in this game, with consistent 60fps. Some of the game's issues include reused game assets such as dungeons and enemies, as well as the uneven ratio of English voiced scenes and Japanese voiced scenes. The game's side Quests are also generic, with no new variations or decent lore behind them, and the game's progression is somewhat too linear and repetitive like previous Neptunia games.
However, bear in mind that this game does not appeal to most players. This is a game that has lots of fanservice scenes and characters, for anime fans. The game's design of visual novel styled cutscenes, anime-styled graphics and turn-based gameplay also may not appeal to many people. Regardless, this is a greta entry game for players who are interested with anime-styled graphics and Neptunia series, and this is a worthy sequel from previous Neptunia games. One of my personal favourite games last year.
Score
Story: 8/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Final Score: 8.0/10 or 32/40
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Intriguing story and new characters.
- Uzume is moe.
- Many funny scenes, especially by Neptune.
- Good game structure with three different story arcs.
- Good playable characters with different movesets.
- Many interesting new game features, such as Parts Break and Giant Battles.
- Improved World Map exploration.
- Improved Scouting system.
- Interesting Combo system.
- Very smooth animations while fighting and exploring.
- Good English voice acting.
- Dual audio.
- Good replay value.
Cons
- Fanservice scenes may not appeal to certain players.
- Reuse of game assets such as dungeons, enemy models, and etc.
- Infrequent difficulty jump in early boss fights.
- Generic and not improved side Quests.
- Too linear and repetitive progression.
- Uneven ratio of English voiced scenes and Japanese voiced scenes.
**Images are from official PlayStation game page and Idea Factory International's game page.
The CPU Goddesses and CPU Candidates are back, with new characters.
This game takes place after Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory/Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;birth 3: V Generation. Neptune and Nepgear found an old console from a game store, and both of them ended up into a different dimension called Zero Dimension. There, they meet Uzume, the sole CPU in that dimension who has been fighting monsters for a very long time. Neptune and Nepgear ended up helping her, as well as find a way to find their way home to their own dimension.
The game's story is split into three arcs, with different focus on story and playable characters. It is a clever way to give different focus and stories for different characters in the game, for both heroines and villains. There are also lots of references on other game series, consoles and companies like previous Neptunia games.
The overall story is interesting. Not too bad, not too fancy, but interesting and funny. I generally regard this game's story to be much better than Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory/Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;birth 3: V Generation's stories, at least. Good balance of serious, humour, and sad moments. Characters are pretty good, despite having stereotypical anime character traits. Uzume is a fantastic new character in this game, and I am hoping to see her in future main Neptunia games. Other new characters are also good, like the Gold Third members and the new villains.
Gameplay
1) Introduction
This game plays like previous main Neptunia games, which is a turn-based RPG mixed visual novel cutscenes. Progression is linear like previous games, where occasionally you must complete side quests or clear a dungeon to progress the story.
2) Exploration and Progression Section
Explore in different dimensions in different story arcs in the game.
This game has the same exploration feature, where you can travel from one point to another. Each dimension has it's unique world map, with different dungeons available.
Dungeons exploration is the same as previous games. You can run, jump over obstacles, and find treasures hidden in the game. You can also smash objects in the game to obtain treasures if you want to. You may also gain preemptive strike on enemies if you strike them from behind in dungeons before battling them.
Route Building is a new feature in this game where you must spend money to unlock new routes. Many of the routes are required to progress in the game, as they unlock routes to the story dungeons where you must clear to progress the story. Some routes might even lead to hidden dungeons, but the hidden dungeons can only be unlocked by sending Scouts.
Scouting system returns in this game, where you can send them to dungeons to get bonuses such as hidden dungeons, new Scouts, and items. Not only that, each Scout has their own passive effect that will provide bonus to you when you are exploring the same dungeon. For example, the scout you sent into a dungeon grants you bonus experience points. They also have their own stats, which determine whether they will succeed or fail their scout missions in the game. Scouts will explore dungeons for certain period of time, so check out whether you have obtained any rewards from the scouts or not often.
Guild Ranks also return in this game, where you can complete side quests to obtain higher guild rank and rewards. Different quests have different ranks, difficulties, and rewards. Even though they are not required to complete the game, they are beneficial as you can obtain rewards such as items easily early in the game. Your guild rank will increase as you complete special quests that will grant you rank promotion.
3) Leveling and Customisation Section
Gain more experience points to learn new combat moves.
The leveling system is simple, as you gain experience points by defeating enemies, By gaining levels, you will earn stats increase, learn new Skills, and also learn new Combo Moves. Gaining sufficient levels are recommended to tackle the game's harder dungeons or story bosses.
This game also features an extensive customisation feature, where you can customise the equipment of each party member in the game, such as weapon, armour, and accessories, You may also customise their appearances, such as adding accessories like glasses, hats, and etc. Previous game features such as Shares and Development return in this game.
Development feature also returns in this game, where you can create items from materials using development plans. Plans can be found by investing enough in a city's Development stat, viewing side scenes, or completing certain quests. Materials can be found by defeating enemies or when exploring dungeons.
Investment feature is a new feature in the game that allows you to invest in different areas in a major city. For example, investing in Public Relations will unlock new side cutscenes and possible new weapon for your characters. It is recommended to delve into the Investment feature as it allow you to unlock new scenes, new items, and possibly endings.
4) Combat Section
Unleash different skills on enemies.
The combat is turn-based, where your characters and enemies take turn to execute actions based on their speed stat, In your turn, you can attack enemies using your combo physical attacks, use skills, switch with your paired partner in reserve, use items, and other actions. You may transform to the character to her HDD form if you have enough EXE Drive Gauge bars, as they also increase your character's stats in battles. You will also encounter different enemies in dungeons, as well as fighting tough boss fights at different points in the game.
Combo system is different in this game, where each weapon has different Combo type slots. For example, one weapon has three Rush Combo slots, whereas another weapons has two Power Combo slots, one Standard combo slot, and no Rush Combo slots. Equipping different weapon not only affects attack power of you attacks, but your combo setups as well.
There are three Combo move types. Rush Combo moves focus on inflicting multiple hits on enemies as well as raising your EXE Drive Gauge faster. Power Combo moves focus on inflicting high damage on enemies while sacrificing number of hits. Standard Combo moves is a mix of both Rush and Power combo moves. Not only that, each Combo move has it's Combo Traits, where activating them in combat will allow you to deal critical hits.
Skills return in this game as well. The first type is their personal Skills, where each character has their own set of Skills that are useful in battle, such as healing or high damaging skills by spending SP. The second type is EXE Skills, where you can use ultimate attacks by consuming your EXE Drive Gauge. The last type is Formation Skill, where you can use combination attack using different party member setups when you position the characters specifically required for the formation skill.
Other two new combat features in this game are Parts Break and Giant Battles. Parts Break is a combat feature where you can destroy enemy parts in battles. By doing so, you may be able to disable certain enemy's attacks and even obtain that part as materials. You can only damage enemy's parts if only they have those equipped parts and when you position your characters to attack the enemy from certain sides, such as it's back. Giant Battles is a new type of battles where you can move around in different floating platforms in battleground to attack the giant boss from different sides. The giant bosses are much more of a threat than regular enemies, since they have higher stats and more damaging moves.
There are three Combo move types. Rush Combo moves focus on inflicting multiple hits on enemies as well as raising your EXE Drive Gauge faster. Power Combo moves focus on inflicting high damage on enemies while sacrificing number of hits. Standard Combo moves is a mix of both Rush and Power combo moves. Not only that, each Combo move has it's Combo Traits, where activating them in combat will allow you to deal critical hits.
Skills return in this game as well. The first type is their personal Skills, where each character has their own set of Skills that are useful in battle, such as healing or high damaging skills by spending SP. The second type is EXE Skills, where you can use ultimate attacks by consuming your EXE Drive Gauge. The last type is Formation Skill, where you can use combination attack using different party member setups when you position the characters specifically required for the formation skill.
Other two new combat features in this game are Parts Break and Giant Battles. Parts Break is a combat feature where you can destroy enemy parts in battles. By doing so, you may be able to disable certain enemy's attacks and even obtain that part as materials. You can only damage enemy's parts if only they have those equipped parts and when you position your characters to attack the enemy from certain sides, such as it's back. Giant Battles is a new type of battles where you can move around in different floating platforms in battleground to attack the giant boss from different sides. The giant bosses are much more of a threat than regular enemies, since they have higher stats and more damaging moves.
5) Gameplay Conclusion
Good gameplay with many new features.
There are some issues remain in this game. Even though there are several new dungeon designs in this game, there are still reused dungeon designs from previous games. A number of enemy designs are also reused from previous Neptunia games, both regular enemies and some bosses. The sudden high difficulty in early boss fights can be an issue if you do not grind for levels, so take note of that as well. Regardless, this game has the best gameplay out of all Neptunia games that I have ever played so far.
Graphics
Decent anime-styled graphics. Smooth animations.
This game has pretty much similar graphics like previous Neptunia games on PS3 and PS Vita. However, the major difference is the smoother animations when exploring or fighting. Character animations are incredibly smooth, with no noticeable framerate issues compared to previous games. To me, this is a great technical achievement. Although this game has moderate amount of new dungeon designs, there are still reuse of dungeon designs from previous games in this game.
Sound
Good English voice acting as well as good soundtrack.
Unlike previous main Neptunia games, this game has more new themes, and most of them are excellently done such as the battle themes, event themes, and so on. There are still recycle of older games' music tracks, but the new tracks are really catchy and well-done.
The English voice acting is good, with most of the English voice actors reprise their roles in this game, with new voice actors for the newer characters as well. I am disappointed that Vert's English voice actress did not reprise her role in this game, but her replacement voice actress did a great job as well. You may also switch to Japanese voice option if you have downloaded it as DLC from the PS Store. The number of English voiced scenes is a lot compared to previous games, but still has less voiced scenes compared to Japanese voiced scenes.
It is also notable that monsters in the games have now voices, albeit they do not have many lines. Still, it is rather cool to see that each monster in the game has voice grunts. This is available in both English and Japanese voice options.
Replay Value
Good replay value.
Conclusion
The best Neptunia game so far.
This is the best Neptunia game I have ever played so far. Intriguing story since Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2/Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;birth 2: Sisters Generation, improved World Map exploration, great new combat features, interesting Combo system, epic Giant battles, and clever game structure of three story arcs are the major highlight of the games. Smoother animation is another technical achievement in this game, with consistent 60fps. Some of the game's issues include reused game assets such as dungeons and enemies, as well as the uneven ratio of English voiced scenes and Japanese voiced scenes. The game's side Quests are also generic, with no new variations or decent lore behind them, and the game's progression is somewhat too linear and repetitive like previous Neptunia games.
However, bear in mind that this game does not appeal to most players. This is a game that has lots of fanservice scenes and characters, for anime fans. The game's design of visual novel styled cutscenes, anime-styled graphics and turn-based gameplay also may not appeal to many people. Regardless, this is a greta entry game for players who are interested with anime-styled graphics and Neptunia series, and this is a worthy sequel from previous Neptunia games. One of my personal favourite games last year.
Score
Story: 8/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Final Score: 8.0/10 or 32/40
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Intriguing story and new characters.
- Uzume is moe.
- Many funny scenes, especially by Neptune.
- Good game structure with three different story arcs.
- Good playable characters with different movesets.
- Many interesting new game features, such as Parts Break and Giant Battles.
- Improved World Map exploration.
- Improved Scouting system.
- Interesting Combo system.
- Very smooth animations while fighting and exploring.
- Good English voice acting.
- Dual audio.
- Good replay value.
Cons
- Fanservice scenes may not appeal to certain players.
- Reuse of game assets such as dungeons, enemy models, and etc.
- Infrequent difficulty jump in early boss fights.
- Generic and not improved side Quests.
- Too linear and repetitive progression.
- Uneven ratio of English voiced scenes and Japanese voiced scenes.
**Images are from official PlayStation game page and Idea Factory International's game page.
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