By: RJ (@rga_02)

• Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed 
  
• Developer - Tamsoft/Compile Heart
  
• Publisher - Idea Factory
  
• PlayStation Vita
  
• Rating - T
  

The Hyperdimension series are slowly invading all of your favorite genres. From a traditional start with turn based RPGs, to idol management, what other genre can the series tackle on? The hack and slash genre of course.  Hyperdimension Neptunia U is Compile Heart’s take on the tried and true formula that was popularized with Koei’s Dynasty Warriors series. Except this time, you don’t have to pursue Lu Bu.

If you are expecting a “deep” story as you would find in a traditional Neptunia game then you are looking in the wrong place. All the main characters from the mainline Neptunia arc are thrown into this game and instead of grouping together to fight evil, Neptune and co. are out to perform tasks for Dengekiko and Famitsu. For those who don’t know Dengekiko and Famitsu are references to two major Japanese gaming magazines, Dengeki (Dengeki PS & Dengeki Nintendo) & Famitsu. Dengekiko and Famitsu then report out to their readers on what Neptunia and Co. did. Overall it’s a fairly simple story (for those who are into what is canon and not, this game isn’t canon).

If you have been playing the Warriors series, or titles such as Sengoku Basara and Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus, then you should feel right at home. Except that it isn’t as complex as the two former titles. Square button is your normal attack, Triangle is your strong attack and the X button lets you jump. In addition to that that set up, the right D-Pad button gives you options to either transform to your HDD form or perform various special attacks. Chain combos on the battlefield and it fills up your SP gauge, allowing you to perform various special moves unique to your chosen character. With every enemy you defeat, your EXE gauge builds up and you can then transform your your HDD form (with the exception when using Famitsu and Dengekiko). The combat is very simple and even those who haven’t played other Musou games can pick it up relatively easy.

However, acquiring the majority of items for your characters is very tedious, even for a Musou-esque game. To get a new sword you have to defeat a number of enemies for medals. For the best weapons, you have to defeat around one thousand enemies to get enough medals. 

Going with the theme of repitition are the quests. It inherited the mindless fetch quests from the mainline Neptunia games. Select your stage, defeat requested amount of enemies or the boss. Rinse and repeat. I wished that Compile Heart would of have borrowed some aspects from the Warriors series such as “capture this area” or “pursue [character]” to diversify the objectives a bit. The former is probably the biggest crime this game has committed. There wasn’t a Lu Bu parody to pursue.

However, the greatest feature that this game has was the ability to silence certain characters. Have you ever despised a character or enemy in this franchise that you just want to mute? Well right from the get go you can mute anyone you desire. I personally muted the enemies because after 3 or so quests, I just didn’t want to hear anymore of their whining. I do hope Compile Heart adds this feature to their future Neptunia games other than the spin-offs. Another feature that might be great for people is the option to disable the “costume break”. Some people might find this “feature” uncomfortable. While you can’t disable it from the start, as your proceed on with your favorite characters you will unlock “unbreakable” costumes that won’t rip in battle.

As a fan of the Warriors series, it was pretty nice to play a light-hearted Musou-esque game that didn’t try to be serious. It was repetitive, but it was addicting. If you are a fan of both Musou and the Neptunia series, then I would recommend this game. However, if you are looking for the deeper experience that you would find in a traditional Warriors game, then you would be better off playing the real thing.