Dimension Tripper Neptune Short Review
by Amr (@siegarettes)
Every once in a while Neptunia will draw me in with a new premise, something that promises to break up the monotony of the main line games. Like Superdimension Neptunia vs. SEGA Hard Girls, Dimension Tripper Neptune does this by drawing on the appeal of SEGA properties, this time with taking after SEGA’s Space Harrier. Sadly, the resemblance is only superficial, and the comparison once again doesn’t work in Neptune’s favor.
Running for about the same length as SEGA’s Space Harrier, Dimension Tripper Neptune lacks any of the intensity or character that made SEGA’s sprite based 3D arcade game memorable. The scrolling is smooth, the colors are intense, and it’s fantastic to see pixel art renditions of Neptunia enemies, but none of the characters really take advantage of the 3D effect, or provide interesting patterns. It makes for a game that’s visually intense, but unexciting to play.
Dimension Tripper Neptune rarely requires any precision movement or shooting, and even the final boss’ more complicated patterns can be avoided entirely, rather than forcing you to weave through them. Even the addition of a melee move doesn’t add much to the action.
Dimension Tripper is just too insubstantial to hold your attention for more than the 15 minute runtime. Even the scoring mechanics are too simple to return too, leaving this as little more than a novelty for the franchise.