I’ve always felt that most JRPG’s tend to stay in the same camp of mediocrity, relying on story tropes, particular instances of eye-candy, and simple combat to yet again keep their trademark straightforwardness. Yet their was always one franchise I managed to keep an eye on, simply because of it’s premise. It’s named Hyperdimension Neptunia, and focuses on a console war-like story, based off the game industry. In that respect it’s very unique, and caught my attention rather appropriately. The rest of the game, wasn’t as astonishing.

Hyperdimension Neptunia has always been a series that stays respectively in it’s own niche. While this isn’t always a bad thing, it can contribute to some glaring flaws, particularly because the game doesn’t focus on more-outside of the box necessities. While it’s something present in nearly every stylized and centric JRPG, it’s even more disheartening for the latest addition, Megadimension Neptunia VII, since the series has had such a long span of time to fully reinvent it’s nature.

Gameplay:

Most of Megadimension Neptunia VII’s action is based around common JRPG fights, with a new system implemented that fixes the series flaws. While it’s a bit more presentable than the previous games, I still found it to be confusing. Tutorial fights didn’t go far and beyond to help matters, and it’s essential to be an expert of the genre to really take in the experience fully. While this isn’t an issue for everyone, it definitely may put some other players off, along with other flaws set for unfamiliar individuals.

While the game’s system mechanics is weak, it’s combat and overall loop are much more respectable. Enemies vary in their attack patterns, and items and skills can be used in almost every situation, and to great effect. I had a little bit of trouble with the games environments, and while I wholly understand it’s not meant to be an open-world extravaganza, the overbearing presence of invisible walls did not help.

Audio & Story:

If you’re a particular fan of immersion in this genre, Hyperdimension Neptunia VII is a more than welcome pick up. The story while convoluted, is perfectly crafted for series aficionados, and long strings of dialogue supplement loose plot strands. As with a lot of the rest of the game, this does not stand well for newcomers, but the games skip button pleases this necessary standpoint.

The game also has some overlaying aspects in the audio department. Voice acting is quite well, especially for new characters like Uzume Tennouboshi and the Gold Third members. It’s vibrant and shows a clear effort in making the game seem more alive, but doesn’t fit well in combat or exploration sections. Hearing a screeching “oof” or a “ouch” from the characters quickly becomes grating.

Presentation:

Hyperdimension Neptunia VII also has some present issues in the menu department, but not just for gameplay. Controls are placed in disoriented ways, and the game uses manual saves before fights. While I appreciate what they were going for, it’s quite stale to skip the same cutscene over and over again if you fail a fight.

The graphics are another interesting, albeit not fully accomplished aspect. Locations seem shoddy and not as creative as one would expect for a game in this nature, and characters and enemies blend unsuccessfully with this specific trait. It doesn’t distract from the overall task at hand, but does manage to be a tad annoying.

Conclusion:

Hyperdimension Neptunia VII is an acceptable RPG, but may be a disappointment for series diehards looking for true change, or newcomers to the franchise. Any other way, the game fully realizes it’s ambitions on top of it’s other minute flaws, and cements a rich and non-exasperating formula for players who know what to expect.

Megadimension Neptunia VII gets an 7/10. (Average)

We’d like to thank Idea Factory for sending us a code for this one!

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