Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation (PS Vita) Review

By Shane Jury 24.01.2015

Review for Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation on PS Vita

Often regarded as a fine piece of hardware engineering with plenty of power under the hood, the PlayStation Vita has become somewhat of a sales shipwreck in recent years. Although gifted with a large amount of Indie developer support and a high number of quirky off-radar games, Sony's handheld has effectively been thrown under the bus as far as high profile franchise releases go. Despite this, many Japanese developers continue to find recognition and sales with the handheld and its low install base, in particular Idea Factory and Compile Heart, both of which have a dozen Vita releases between them. A high number of these games are from the HyperDimension Neptunia series, one that started life on PlayStation 3 and in 2014 had a re-imagining of sorts with HyperDimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 on Sony's handheld. How does the sequel fare to its well-received predecessor?

The concept of the HyperDimension Neptunia games actually revolves around the industry itself, or the idea that the last generation of consoles - namely the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii - would be represented by warring Goddesses in a utopian land called Gamindustri. In HyperDimension Neptunia Re;Birth1, the namesake CPU Goddess Neptune (representing the SEGA console-to-be of the same title) developed amnesia during a climactic battle at the beginning of the game, and through story events ended up uniting the other Goddesses against Arfoure, an unknown villain bearing the same name as the infamous DS piracy card, R4. HyperDimension Neptunia Re;Birth2 essentially continues this tale after Arfoure is vanquished, as the four Goddesses join forces against a mysterious new enemy that incapacitates all of them easily, leaving only the CPU Candidates - their younger sisters - free to rescue them and restore Gamindustri to order from the dominating regime left behind by Arfoure.

Screenshot for Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation on PS Vita

Whereas the first game carried a unity theme of unifying opposing factions, like numerous debates and arguments of the current gaming consoles, HyperDimension Neptunia Re;Birth2 instead explores the damage piracy does to the industry, as each Goddess' kingdom is left without faith and order. It still follows the adventuring structure set by the first game though, as the player guides Nepgear, younger sister of Re;Birth1's protagonist Neptune, through the kingdoms of Gamindustri to restore the faith of the people and rescue the Goddesses from their imprisonment. Comrades old and new join the party as the story progresses through portrait-driven voiced scenes, and the characters are distinctively different and entertaining; with a fourth wall break every now and then, for good measure.

The Re:Birth duo take the form of dungeon turn-based JRPGs, with a map overlay of the world and a list to choose where to go. Genre staples like Hit Points and Skill Points, Special Moves, battle Items, and freely movable terrain when in the middle of a fight are here in abundance, and don't outstay their welcome; battles can be over in a flash with the right moves, and with four characters in the offensive party at once now, instead of three previously, there is now more space for tactical choices.

Screenshot for Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation on PS Vita

That isn't to say HyperDimension Neptunia Re;Birth2 is easy. The game does carry over an unfortunate trait from its predecessor in that it is rarely clear when a boss or bigger enemy on a given map is too much for the player's team, leading to many a Game Over screen and subsequent reloading. The frequency of this occurring has been reduced though, by ironically limiting the options of exploration and not giving out too many new dungeon visiting choices at once. This does serve to make the game feel more linear than before, even if the world-manipulating options that allow the addition of tougher enemies or change the discoverable items remain.

HyperDimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 became somewhat of a grind-fest at times, not just with Levels and Experience gain, but with item ingredients needed to complete dungeon and weapon Plans. Re;Birth2 alleviates the item search somewhat with the new Stella's Dungeon option. This allows gamers to send a non-playable character called Stella on her own journey through the dungeons already visited. Doing so allows her to find not only multiples of the same items that could have been found previously, but also goodies unique to her search. With equip-able weapons and armour, together with a real-time clock that allows for choosing how long Stella's search takes, Plans can be completed far easier and quicker than normal, easing petition by a notable amount.

Screenshot for Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation on PS Vita

Re;Birth2 borrows a lot of visual elements from the first game. World Map, Character Portraits, Enemy Designs, and even a number of dungeon map layouts, although the latter are mixed in with the newer ones to a degree so that they don't repeat as often as in Re;Birth1. The game is very lively and colourful with an anime aesthetic, rarely taking itself or the story too seriously, and the vast number of dungeon names and enemy design references to other popular franchises will raise a smile more often than not.

With returning characters comes returning voice actors, and again they do a terrific job conveying their character's personality with even the rarest, potentially mundane line. The newer cast should be lauded as well, even when playing to anime character tropes. Re;Birth2 carries over some of the energetic backing themes of the story scenes, and introduces new battle tracks that sadly do lack the impact of earlier songs but are still easy on the ears.

Re;Birth1 necessitated a considerable number of Vita recharges to get to its endgame, and the sequel matches this goal. Repetition of levelling and item gathering is considerably shortened, but even with that cutting off a good hour or two, the number of Plans to beat, optional monsters to slay, and character strategies to use in battle easily provides Vita owners a lot to do and see. HyperDimension Neptunia Re;Birth2 doesn't tamper with a winning formula, instead providing more of it.

Screenshot for Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation on PS Vita

Cubed3 Rating

8/10
Rated 8 out of 10

Great - Silver Award

Rated 8 out of 10

Sliding into the warm slippers left by the first game, HyperDimension Neptunia Re;Birth2 continues stroking the same fire but adds little in the way of new fuel. The comforting familiarity for returning players, though, and the ease of use for newcomers as well, gives Re;Birth2 considerable weight in the Vita market.

Also known as

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2

Developer

Felistella

Publisher

Idea Factory

Genre

Turn Based RPG

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  8/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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