It’s been over ten years since Compile Heart e Idea Factory they launched Hyperdimension Neptunia for PlayStation 3. A title that probably not even the authors had foreseen the possible growth of community. Nowadays it almost seems that Neptune and his friends are now the publisher’s mascots, seen the different spin offs, remake o crossover which are produced almost every year. The work analyzed in this review, however, is not just any video game, but the long-awaited one new episode of the main series: Neptunia Sisters VS Sisters.
The sisters are back on stage
The premise of the game is interesting for fans of the franchise, because the vivacious protagonist is not the main character in this chapter, but her sister Nepgear. The story begins on a day like any other, when Neptune and the other goddesses of Gaming industry they respond to a call for help from the PC continent. At the same time, the dee candidate are sent inside an abandoned research facility, to investigate a worrying epidemic of monsters. Inside they meet a mysterious girlwhich traps the four heroines inside a cryo capsule.
Nepgear, Uni, Rom and Ram remain in a state of deep sleep for two years, until they are found and rescued by Historie. At this time they not only find that the PC continent is destroyed and the world is invaded by a mysterious Trends phenomenonbut even that Neptune has disappeared without leaving any trace.
We prefer not to continue with the story, given the easy risk of entering the dreaded area of the spoiler. The script is however one of the best features of the product, since it manages to entertain and intrigue without becoming too heavy or complex. There are filler moments and characters with a stereotyped character, something now typical of the series, but the result is an enjoyable story which perfectly affects the range of users to which it is addressed. In this helps both the General requestwhich always remains light in both comic and more dramatic moments, but above all the metafictional context that pervades right up to the end credits.
In this review of Neptunia: Sistsers VS Sisters it is appropriate to point out that the game it is not immediately understandable for brand newbies. The story is practically stand-alone and enjoyable as a whole, but there is no deepening of the relationship between the characters and the narrative context. In this sense the small initial summary and glossary descriptions they fail perfectly in their task, in a work that assumes that the player knows the events of the previous main episodes. Not really a flaw of the work, but it should be emphasized in case someone thinks of starting the journey into the world of Hyper dimension from this chapter.
The visual novel touch
The gameplay of Compile Heart’s work is mainly divided into two sections, the one in style visual novel and that of Action JRPG. The former is a very important aspect, since it is probably the part where one spends most hours of the adventure. The only goal inside is to assist the dialogues, through a typical setting of visual novels both for the aesthetic aspect and for the commands. In this sense, the care to give one is evident full customizationfrom commands that vary the speed of the words to making scrolling automatic.
A feature to highlight for our market is how, at least at the time of the review, Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters exclusively presents a English localization. The vocabulary used is not at all complex, so it is understandable even for those who are not experts in the English-speaking language. Dubbing is also available in both Japanese and English. A significant choice not so much for the quality of the work, but because in the second case most of the cutscenes are not dubbed.
An honorable mention goes to secondary scenes. Sections not related to the main plot, but where comedy manages to express its best thanks to the metanarrative. We don’t want to spoil what the writers have managed to come up with, but those familiar with the pop culture market will enjoy recognizing the many comments and cross-references.
A change
Neptunia Sisters VS Sisters if you present as a Action JRPG dungeon structure. Thus the player takes control of a party of three characterswith the aim of reaching a certain point in the level.
The basic exploration is virtually unchanged from the rest of the series, with those small to medium sized locations populated with monsters and treasures. Maybe it’s possible that Nepgear and her friends run into someone puzzle or environmental interaction, but they are so simple as to be extremely superfluous. The fights, on the other hand, present a totally different approach compared to previous adventures.
The player is offered a wide possibility for prepare the heroines with interesting dynamics such as the customization of combos, the preparation of upgrade discs, weapon equipment or items and much more. Very nice that you can choose all kinds of clothing for his team, which does not change physical characteristics but simply aesthetic ones.
A definitely positive side, that though goes around and becomes almost negative when the possibilities offered to the user are so many that they become too many. Enemies, in fact, are extremely slow and predictable in movement, unlike the all-too-capable playable characters. A pity, because basic the combat system is also funbut eventually every kind of strategy becomes a button mashing where you just have to press the keys non-stop to complete all fights without any difficulty.
Fortunately the boss fights they require a minimum of more strategy, but it is not enough to raise the degree of difficulty of the production. One point that is positive for many, and negative for others, is the extreme speed of the level system. The developers have reduced the grinding to a minimum, given that with a few fights it is possible to see the level of the characters evolve exponentially. They also help in this side missions, which can be started after the conclusion of some chapters, which in their extreme repetitiveness allow to further facilitate the task of Nepgear and her friends. Fortunately, it is not mandatory to complete them all, but we advise you to be careful barra Goddess shares in case you want to reach one of the three unlockable endings.
The developers of Neptunia Sisters VS Sisters have thought of an enjoyable experience for any gamer: It doesn’t matter whether you are an expert or new to the sector to enjoy this journey, because the gameplay is extremely accessible. The complete customization is also evident in this sense, since it is possible to modify your gaming experience down to the smallest detail. The end result is a relaxing experience full of light and colour, capable of entertaining in its own right simplicity and general monotony.
An experiment for the future
One of the major novelties of Neptunia Sisters VS Sisters, is the possibility of explore the city of Planeptune but unfortunately the work seems incomplete. The map is in fact very nice to the eye, but there is almost nothing to do inside it. Whole areas are empty and without a real purpose except for aesthetic taste, so as to suggest that the whole city is more a demonstration of team capabilities what else.
On the purely technical side, however, Neptunia Sisters VS Sisters it does not reach the current market standards in the slightest. The polygonal models are all too simple, the environmental interaction practically non-existent in addition to the very minimal animations. The big one content recyclingboth from previous productions and this one, is an all too obvious flaw that Compile Heart does not try in any way to hide.
The PlatStastion 4 version, the one tested in our review, is still well done. During our game we did not encounter serious bugs and glitches, if not a sporadic crash of little importance thanks to the automatic save. In certain moments the pop-up effect is quite evident, in others the slight FPS slowdowns, but nothing that is really capable of ruining the whole gaming experience.
The artistic side has succeeded, both in terms of art style and music. THE new characters they integrate well with the rest of the group that fans have come to love. The drawings of both the visual novel sections and the sporadic artworks have a refined style, able to be appreciated by a specific audience. The soundtrackon the other hand, is not memorable but has some successful tracks, together with the opening and ending that risk getting into the head for those who love that kind of Japanese music.
Review
Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters (Provato su PS4)
6.5 Final Vote
Compile Heart’s latest effort is fun and presents its own vision, but all the work seems to fall into the usual mistakes that the franchise has been carrying around for far too many years. The new action JRPG-style gameplay system offers a breath of fresh air to the whole experience, without however excelling due to a poorly studied balance. The script, on the other hand, is one of the best features of this game, with an enjoyable story and very entertaining dialogues for those familiar with a certain part of today’s entertainment. Ultimately, a product that manages to hit its audience without making its detractors change their minds.
