Short Review: Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls
By: RJ (@rga_02)
• Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls
• Developer - Compile Hears
• Publisher - Idea Factory
• PC/Steam
We’ve already reviewed this game - not once, but twice. But as the resident Neptunia expert ™ here on clickbliss, I feel that I should give my two cents.
Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls is a collaboration between everyone’s favorite Nep Nep franchise and SEGA/Dengeki’s SEGA Hard Girls. For those out of the loop for the latter, here’s a quick rundown for SEGA Hard Girls.
In the Haneda neighborhood of Tokyo, there are anthropomorphized versions of SEGA consoles such as the Dreamcast, Mega Drive, etc. who go to school hoping to graduate. Like Neptunia, they are considered goddesses and they roam throughout the land.
On paper, it sounds like a perfect collaboration, but sadly the structure presented in the game is so muddled at times, you would find more enjoyment reading the copyright information from the in-game manual.
Instead of Neptune, you take control of IF (the personification of Idea Factory) in an apocalyptic version of Gamindustri. She later learns the this isn’t the world that it should be and sets out on a journey to restore the balance to the timeline. Along the way, she encounters the SEGA Hard Girls and traverses through their respective universes.
I said it felt muddled because the storyline didn’t feel fleshed out. Most of the time, it felt like they were doing the bare minimum just to get by. There’s so much that could have been done. SEGA has a vast archive of IPs to exploit, yet they chose to solely focus on the Hard Girls but even that fails in comparison to the original source material.
The writing in the game remains true to the Neptunia series but falls short at times which is a genuine shame. This may not be a mainline Neptunia title, but even its other spinoffs provided cheeky banter and humor that salvaged the rest of the game. As for the rest of the game, it is more or less the same you would find in other titles. You are presented with mission structures that you must complete in drab and weary environments that would make your pupils hurt.
There are some minor additions to the gameplay that gives the series a small breeze of fresh air. Such as platforming and minor adjustments to the battle system. For the latter, there is a small gauge that determines whether your battle turn will end sooner or later.
Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls won’t disappoint the die-hard Neptunia faithful but for the rest of the crowd, it leaves us yearning for a tad bit more.