Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3: V Generation (PC) Review

The Hyperdimension Neptunia series is easily one of the most interesting and fascinating ones, even for those who haven't even played it. Whenever talk of a JRPG arises, this particular one is sure come into view, and its various pros and cons come forth. Some love the characters and find them delightful and enjoying, others find them annoying and fan-servicey - and others find it hilarious when one of the characters outright says, "You will listen to my plot-advancing exposition!." Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: V Generation doesn't strive to change this - and nor should it; but it also seems to keep on avoiding the things that should be changed.

The story takes place in the world of Gamindustri, a land ruled over by the four goddesses of Lastation, Leanbox, Lowee, and Planetpune, and over the events of the four prior games, these characters have gone from bitter rivals to friends. All seems bright and well for the world until Neptune is accidentally sent tumbling into another dimension by a woman who believes that these goddesses should no longer rule Gamindustri. She awakens in a new world; a world where there are only two goddesses, Blanc of Lowee, and Plutia of Planetpune, right before the time of the great console war, the time of Nintendo vs. SEGA.

Traveling back in time, to the now famous console war, is actually a bit fun. The HDN series has always focused on parodying the video game industry, and what better way to do this than head to a time when the tension between Nintendo and SEGA was at its thickest? At the very least, it allows them a much wider scope for story instead of remaining stuck with the current-gen systems and set-up of their world. For a series that survives on gaming nostalgia this is a fresh and much-needed boon, to help it remain alive and thriving.

Much of what makes the series liked or hated is present in here as well. The characters are all both delightfully lovable and irritating in the manner that made the original games great. Each one is simply a treat to enjoy, especially the newcomer Plutia/Sadie, which is a goddess who can transform into a woman with… certain tendencies towards torture; tendencies both terrifying and alluring. Besides her, who fits in well and is easily one of the better characters in the franchise, the returning cast, including fan-favourite Noire, are also a treat and in top-form.

However, not all is well, as, sadly, the tendency towards laziness returns as well in the form of the various dungeons. Once again, many of them are outright copy-and-paste set-ups of other dungeons, where 'running the dungeon backwards' qualifies as a major map change. While disappointing to see them return in such a manner, the series still manages to at least add something in the form of hidden treasure boxes scattered throughout the dungeon, which in turn function in a manner very similar to the invisible question blocks in the Mario franchise.

As for the combat itself, it follows the path so boldly blazed by its predecessors, with only a few changes - still following the turn based formula, and still allowing for three kinds of attacks in the form of rush (focusing on a large number of hits, which is great for charging up for special attacks), power (raw damage), and break (focusing on making the enemy more vulnerable). The biggest change is that the balance between rush attacks and special abilities has been vastly improved, allowing for an increased focus upon that form of attack. However, on the whole, it is still the same game - and that cuts right to the crux of the problem.

Despite the new setting, Plutia, and the like, Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3 is still the same as its predecessors. Its biggest change is the addition of a mini-game called Stella's dungeon, which serves as a time-reward thing and isn't too deep. While it is clear that effort went into working on the story (and it stands out), potentially saving it from the dangerous pit of sequelitis that the Call of Duty franchise frequently falls into, there is no way to deny that, even then, it's only by the slimmest of margins; a margin that most likely won't matter to non-fans of the series, for who there is little reason to start or not start here, as, ultimately, much of the experience is similar to the one provided by its older siblings.