To be sure, as a whole, Super Neptunia RPG is far from perfect. Even as it recognizes all the ways to lampoon games, it still indulges in its own worst impulses a little too often to be considered anything more than a niche. But if you’re a fan of that niche — and, to be honest, I kind of am, at this point — it delivers an experience you’re not likely to find anywhere else.
Super Neptunia RPG feels like a game that's stuck in limbo, not knowing where it wants to go. There is certainly potential here, but it falls flat of what it wanted to accomplish. I do like the return to a simpler, light-hearted story but I wish the rest of the game didn't have to suffer for it. I always wish the best for Neptunia, but this is one spin-off I'm afraid I must leave in the past.
I really don't get the hate for this little gem ****.
Not only SUPER NEPTUNIA RPG is not a bad game, it's actually one of the best entries in the series as it feels much more like a canonical entry rather than a side spin off.
First of all let's talk about the aesthetic of the game. It's a 2D game with many dungeons and platforming sequences. Everything looks stunning, colorful and detailed. Most importantly everything is new, original content. A couple of later dungeons are stunning throwback ones.
The level and art design...just superb.
The animations are a bit clunky and magics/abilities aren't as flashy as in other entries of the series but it doesn't tarnish the quality of the presentation.
Minor pixelated areas are also noticeble on bigger screens.
The game looks beautiful but it also sounds just as great. The soundtrack is probably the most inspired and less annoying of the series with melanchonic piano suites and soothing melodies. The score is varied and it goes from calm and traditional to digital and frenetic depending on the area. A stunning work that elevates the story.
Speaking of which, the plot is one of the strongest in the franchise. It starts with the 4 goddesses suffering from amnesia, this explains their understated personalities for a pretty big part of the game. But as you progress, the protagonists slowly regain their memories and older personalities back. The narration isn't oscar worthy but it's consistent and it works, the game has a subtle melanchonic and sad theme going on and it delivers one of the deepest and most charming experiences from a Neptunia game. The tone is totally different from the other games as it's much more serious but it eventually brings the canonical funny meta references and the characters really come to life once you unlock their HDD forms.
The gameplay has been harshly criticised but again I have enjoyed the game's mechanics a lot. First of all we finally have a new quest system based on NPCs instead of having monotonous hunt quests at the guild. This is a good way of forcing the player to explore the beautiful world and interact with the npcs. You won't discover nothing jawdropping but it's a pleasant experience thaf offers variety and a little more depth than in most of previous games. But we also have guilds and many challenging hunt quests neatly divided per enemy's level and area. LOT OF FUN!
The equipment and skill system is identical to the one found in FFIX, needless to say it's flawless and one of the best system a JRPG can offer.
The actual fights are ok, this is not the best tactical game nor a sparkly action game but it balances the two components well, after a few game overs you learn how to position your characters and bring an effective set of skills in battle. Once you get your head around this the game hardly challenges you unless you don't have the right elemental skills forcing you to rely on elemental items or on the flee action.
Overall the mix of strategy, equipment collection, skill mastering and the many quest works really well and it's addictive.
The beautiful dungeons also requires some basic platforming and gem collection. Many users seem to hate the controls but i honestly think they work just fine, if you fall the game is never too punishing and once you unlock the double jump and the pudding magic you will fly through the incredible looking levels.
SUPER NEPTUNIA RPG doesn't score a 10/10 because it has indeed some negative flaws, mostly in its user interface which is slow and lacks many quality of life features such as a bestiary, a weapon/skill comparison window, a complete memorandum on the game's stats and mechanics, info texts about the story progression and so on.
Nothing of this is a deal breaker and makes the game unbearable, it just plays a little old school and slower but the scope of the game isn't infinite so you will surely know where to go next or what to do and buy either way.
Overall I'm very pleased with this release despite the little flaws typical of a budget game, SUPER NEPTUNIA RPG is made with love and passion and respect for this genre. Every fan of the series and the JRPG genre should give it a try, bought it for 15€ with a PSN sale but I would have gladly bought it for the full price.
Also a bit sad it wasn't released on the PSVITA and only on PS4, SWITCH and PC. Either way, buy it and have fun!
a great short rpg for fans of the series. very fun and addicting. the voices english and japanese are all great, and the dialogue is just brilliant. the gameplay is flawless with the only downside is a little slow. the story is engaging and the artstyle is beautiful. 9/10
Without its flaws, Super Neptunia RPG manages to depict the whimsical appeal of Neptunia in a new, approachable way for newcomers. However, these same flaws bring many aspects of the game down. Combat and character development also lack a whole lot of depth. Conversely, that lack of depth comes with an ease of access that works for this silly endeavor. Consider this title a between-games RPG curiosity.
Super Neptunia RPG feels like a good idea gone awry. On paper, having everyone’s favorite Hyperdimension Neptunia characters come together for a more traditional JRPG style makes plenty of sense. That’s especially true since the classic JRPG style is a wealthy mine for comedy. But instead, Artisan Studios made a game that looks and feels cheap, due to a bizarre focus on platforming that detracts from the experience more than it adds.
Fans of Neptune and Friends will likely have a great time here. Those who already hate it should run away. For those who aren’t sure? Well, despite its warts, it’s a decent introduction to the series, and a great way to see which side of the line they will fall on.
Super Neptunia RPG makes an earnest attempt at shaking up the formula of the Neptunia series. Unfortunately, major technical issues bog this game down at every turn, and even if they were fixed, the drawn out story and over-simplified combat would fail to equate to an enjoyable game. Super fans of the Neptunia series might find something worthwhile in this experience, but it's sure to be buried under ten tons of headache and frustration.
crashes/freezes all the time, in combat i forget what skills are attached to what button in what formation, they really should have labeled it instead of showing you the button layout, which is obvious. a LOT of running back and forth for fetch quests and the like, grinding forever for drops. sidequests are a pain. the rest is fine, pretty enjoyable and typical neptunia, and i don't mind the combat system whatsoever other than the point above about skills. honestly a lot of quality of life issues and the bugs hurt this game a lot, some simple fixes would have made it so much better.
Terrible game. There should have been a lot of bug fixes that didn't happen in 3 years. Try to option the options menu and would take 15-20 seconds to open. Random frame rate drops. There were multiple times in combat where my characters and the enemy would just stop moving and had to swap the formation constantly to be able to get one attack in. Also ran into one where I defeated all of the enemies just for it the game to get stuck in the battle screen and had to restart the game and replay entire areas of the game. Combat makes zero sense half the time when you'll come across enemies that can instant kill your entire party with one area attack, especially Noire who is just one huge glass cannon. Feels more like a filler game before the next full entry with almost no care in the combat or optimization. Disappointed being one of my favorite franchises.
SummaryThere was once a primitive form of entertainment software that ruled the world: 2D games.
In one of infinite dimensions, the world of Gamindustri exists...
a world where 2D games reign supreme.
An organization fiercely devoted to these games rules over this vibrant world.
They are known as Bombyx Mori and their devotion comes with a he...