Knowing that I love RPGs and know nothing about the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise, who better than myself to tackle Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1? This version of Re;Birth1 comes with all the new features added to the Vita version from the original PS3 version. These features include better framerate, better overall graphics, new soundtrack, new voice acting, and some different characters. From playing this game on various computers, I can attest to it running smoothly on even older, not up to date machines.
So just what is Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 all about? Well, it’s a parody first and foremost. Secondly it is a RPG. Thirdly, it’s quasi-social commentary on the video game community. Now I get it, when people throw around the words “parody” and “social commentary” it can usual be scapegoat for when a game’s a bit off. Re;Birth1 contains itself in this endeavor however. Right off the bat, the game doesn’t try to be anything it isn’t. From the first cinematic to first conversations, the player understands the demeanor of this title. If you go into this game expecting something non-goofy, you’re going to be severely disappointed.
Speaking of which, the story is about a “Console War” taking place in “Gamindustri” which resides in the sky. In Gamindustri, the lands are split into kingdoms and leaders which represent gaming consoles: a fictitious Sega rendition, PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360. Unlike the real life console war, Gamindustri’s ‘Console War’ is an actual militaristic battlefield where these kingdoms are trying to vide for dominance. You play as Neptune who gets solo-targeted by the other big three, loses her memory, and must return to greatness.
Unlike previous iterations of this game, the combat is fast; extremely fast if you’re not strategic and just mindlessly grinding. There aren’t random encounters but instead monsters that wander around the levels. If you swing on the monster before it reaches you, you’ll get first strike. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if the monster reaches you first, it will get first strike. In the odd case you just run into the back of a monster (don’t ask how I know this), there is no first strike and just a good old fashion combat scenario.
Once the gauntlet is cast, your characters enter a sort of invisible barrier dome. During a character’s turn, a character can only go a certain distance but can move where ever they want in that certain distance. Depending the character’s weapon, a different sized blue box will appear showing their reach. Optimally, you’ll want to get as many monsters in the box as possible. Hitting more than one creature at once doesn’t reduce your damage what-so-ever. You’ll have to make decisions on who should be in melee with the creatures for they are more in danger of monster attacks. You’ll later get an ability to pair up characters with the Lily System that adds a whole new lair and choices. The CPU characters can transform in battle to make them even more powerful at the cost of SP. This system is called the HDD (Hard Drive Divinity) – you know, good for those tough boss encounters.
Through searching in and completing dungeons, you’ll unlocks plans which can be used to alter dungeons. For instance, found plans could replace enemies with harder foes, change the type of items found/dropped, or discover a completely new dungeon all together. This process adds all sorts of replayability to completed areas. Different versions of completed dungeons also offer new crafting materials which can open up new items or will continue the new plans cycle. Maybe you’ll find a new favorite farming spot if the dungeon you’re supposed to be in is too challenging. Along these lines, leveling up makes a significant difference in the strength of the character. While this may sound like a ‘duh’ statement, I mean more so compared to other RPGs – you’ll really feel the power increase.
As expected of an Idea Factory and Compile Heart game, the art and visuals have a very anime appeal to them. For the most part they are cutesy but at other times, like when characters inter their HDD form, they are more sexualized. While I believe it is contained, folk who aren’t used to this sort of art could take offense to it. From what I’ve seen of the other Hyperdimension games, this one far more tame. If you’re an RPG fan, I wouldn’t let this discourage you.
After your party wipe, you’ll learn the importance of saving every chance you get. As far as the whole save system goes, or lack thereof an auto-save feature, it is completely draconian. If you wipe, you respawn at your last save point – end of story. There are certain enemies that walk around dungeons that are far harder versions of the other enemies – some of them don’t even look different. I’ve encountered these foes, realized running was impossible, and got slaughtered. In this sort of scenario, you can potentially be set back hours. My suggestion – save whenever you can.
The appeal to Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 is in the parody, social commentary, and art style. The combat system was surprisingly fun but didn’t blow me away in terms of JPRGs. I’ve heard in earlier versions the combat was grueling so I’ll say it’s delightfully speedy if you’re not precise with it. It is also the type of game where if you hit a wall you can (and will) just grind until the challenge fades – I know this can be a positive to some and a negative to others. Will you save Gamindustri and contribute to the Console War? Nep-Nep needs you.
