Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed - Game Review

Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed - Game Review

Genre: Hack and Slash/Action
Developer: Idea Factory, Compile Heart, Tamsoft
Released: March 21, 2016
Price: $30 USD
Supplied: Steam
DLC: Yes, but very minor

Most people that know me, know that I am a pretty big fan of the Hyperdimension Neptunia(HDN) series. When I saw this game, a Vita port no less, pop up on Steam, I was excited instantly. Not owning a Vita, I was not privy to certain titles in one of my favorite series. This trend, fortunately, seems to be coming to an end as more and more of these games are ending up on PC.

The point of this game is to complete a bunch of quests so that the journalist that accompany the party, Dengekiko and Famitsu, can write a positive article about all the CPUs and CPU candidates. It's all pretty straightforward from there. Rest assured, the journalists are playable characters!

First of all, the options menu is pretty good. For a Vita to PC port, this thing has options for almost everything. You can even turn on/off character voices if you find any of them particularly grating. Fortunately for me, I love the cast and cheesy dialogue so I left them all on. And yes, the cast is all of the original VA's so rest assured you won't be hearing anyone alien. Well, Dengekiko and Famitsu are technically new. The game runs at a crisp 60fps and is as smooth as silk.

This game features a pretty functional, if not limited, combat system. You can take one or two characters into any battle. It's very easy to swap between your current character and partner with whatever keys you set(depends on what you are using to play). Killing enemies may reward you with Medals with which you can buy upgrades in the shop. Most of the upgrades are stats that universally apply to all the CPUs/Journalists but some of it is also gear that you can use to equip on your characters in whatever way you want. You can even make the HDD gear different from normal gear.

There are a couple of combinations for each character using the Weak and Strong attacks. There is also a meter that you have to build up to launch special attacks which can utterly devastate your enemies. This meter only fills up as you continue to attack your foes so there's no stopping. You also build up an EX gauge that allows your respective character to eventually enter Hard Drive Divinity(HDD) at minimum 50%. If you are running a partner, that partner's gauge fills up first instead of the primary character. It seems counter-intuitive but it can really help out in a pinch when you have to swap out and want to deliver some devastating revenge.

Now we get to the game's fan service, I mean, costume system. Yes, this is relevant. If your character gets hit a few times their clothes will degrade and actually tear apart. When this happens you lose defense but gain critical hit rate and I think something else to offset the loss. Yes, this is actually a game mechanic. Fortunately for everyone, this eventually becomes optional. If you are not a huge fan of the exploding clothes/fan service, you can equip one of the unbreakable costumes. There are a couple to choose from for each character too so pick your favorite!

Conclusion
While I really enjoyed this game, I can definitely say, without hyperbole, that it is pretty lacking in content. Perhaps that is because of the type of game it is? Hard to say. HDN games are not really content rich in the first place and this one is no different. These games tend to rely on gaming jokes and fourth-wall breaking to keep players interested. The combat is really simple and the enemies are usually totally non-threatening. If you are familiar with any other HDN games then you know exactly what to expect here. I love it but recognize its flaws.

There is one thing that I want to point out, and that is despite the fact that this game is pretty cheesy and simple, it is one of the only ways you can interact with Gamindustri using the CPUs in such a direct-control manner. It is absolute AWESOME to hear Black Heart scream VOLCANO DIVE and completely destroy a huge swathe of enemies! There is definitely a bit of flavor in this game that you simply will not experience in any of the other titles.

Recommendation
I am probably far more lenient on this game than others might be due to how much I love the series as a whole. I'll play almost anything with Neptune in it! However, if you are unable to peel yourself away from high-quality gaming in favor of a bit of cheesy humor, you might not enjoy this very much. As such, I will not recommend it unless you A) like Nep, and B) like Dynasty Warriors type gameplay. Outside of that, you are taking your dollars into your own hands!