Certain licenses seem particularly tenacious, even if they do not count among the great critical successes of our time. Hyperdimension Neptunia is certainly part of this strange category, since its rather mediocre debut on PlayStation 3 in no way suggested the appearance of such a vast series. However, almost twenty-four years after the Japanese release of the first opus, here comes the twenty-sixth iteration of the franchise, Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution.
A title which generally covers what was done Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters which we tested a little over a year ago, for a fairly warm verdict. Which boded well for players receptive to this type of production, and more particularly those who have followed Neptunia since its first steps, of course. Especially since, let's not shy away from our pleasure, this opus is entirely translated into French, and into various European languages as well. An attention which is certainly a pleasure to see, but is not enough to avoid a feeling of repetition.
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Test conditions: We spent around 25 hours on the title in its PlayStation 5 version. This test is guaranteed without major spoilers.
The impossible planet
It is perhaps appropriate, above all, to clarify one small thing: this article is written by a novice in the series, having only had the opportunity to touch on Sisters VS Sisters last year. A somewhat thin background, filled with some research on the internet of course, but obviously nothing beats field investigation. Also, not only does it go without saying that we are not the primary target of this sequel, but there are also certain problems raised in these lines which risk appearing absurd to regulars, who may have known them all along of their experience with the franchise. Now that that's said, we can move on.
Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution, what is this ? Well like Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters, it is an Action RPG taking place in a very colorful world where video games are of capital importance in the daily life of the entire planet. Here, the goddesses, who are personifications of the giants of the video game industry that we know (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, etc.), govern the entire market with their consoles and their games. Which gives rise to real wars of position on a static world map, since according to an impregnable rule, creators can only distribute their games in the areas they control.
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Well, this may seem complicated at first glance, but newbies (and others) can rest assured: we are facing a fairly clear story. Moreover, despite the writing facilities that are obvious, and an overall very cutesy tone (even more conspicuous since the arrival of a very good quality French translation), we very quickly get into this pleasant story. follow, which enjoys the same qualities and suffers from the same defects as previously. In other words, since Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution borrows from the Visual Novel, and the series is known for its economy of means, its dialogues, which constitute the only way to advance the plot, take a rather cheap form.
At the same time, provided you have no problem with oversized breasts and alluring outfits, or with the stereotypical characters of manga heroines who scream all the time, you quickly become attached to the main characters, composed of three new faces and one that fans know well. All this little world is also fully dubbed in English and Japanese, which will allow everyone to find what they are looking for. Let's note, while we're at it, the very successful soundtrack. It will of course be about video games, this time with a simple objective: to conquer the industry with the help of its own development studio. An idea which, on paper, is enough to make one salivate. And in terms of writing, even if the childish bias can be off-putting, it works rather well, although you can see the twists and turns coming from miles away.
As at Sisters VS Sisters, Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution enjoys a cleverly considered rhythm. The dialogues are ultimately the only downtime, and you just have to adhere to its universe and its heroines (since practically no male characters are to be expected) to have a good time. Although we can criticize the title for the absence of a simple option, allowing players who have already completed the previous part to skip part of the tutorials, which sound like a horrible repetition, and above all which turn out to be a little long when you already know… Especially since the gameplay is not complicated to understand or to get to grips with.
The misfortunes of virtue
At first glance, nothing is changing with regard to Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters. We find the same combat system based on the use of two keys to attack, and one used both to parry and to dodge. Two others will be used to unleash a special ability, and to make our character enter a kind of state of rage (resulting on the screen in an even more undressed transformation than usual) significantly increasing the damage inflicted on opponents. Let me be clear, if you have already touched an Action-RPG, especially titles like Tales of Symphonia and others, Star Ocean The Second Story R or Eternal Sonatayou will advance on conquered territory, and will have no difficulty finding your marks.
Something that can be taken as a quality as well as a fault. Since the title can certainly be attempted by a player who does not know the series, or the previous part, to the extent that the scenario (although hanging up a few wagons with past events via characters, but nothing very invasive) is not not very complicated and mainly revolves around the discovery of this new world by our main heroine. But also that the title takes us by the hand enough that none of its mechanisms seem too complex… especially since in truth, the gameplay is very simple.
A little air of PlayStation 2 emerges from this production and the previous one. This kind of tone that sounds simple, reminiscent of a time when basic game design ideas could result in very enjoyable games, with concepts not necessarily flying high, but still holding you in suspense for hours. A bit in the same vein as Sand Land, released recently, although the latter is significantly more ambitious. And precisely, what the title of Compile Heart is certainly missing, and the series is starting to get used to it, is a renewal of resources. His ideas, as said earlier, are simple, which is not a bad thing. What is annoying, however, is that their execution never goes in depth.
The confusion of feelings
Take the fights to start. Certainly, they are enjoyable, and go quickly, which means that you don't get bored for a good ten hours beating up all kinds of colorful creatures. Especially thanks to the addition of an additional character, for a total of four on the field, which it is possible to play as you wish, the change being made with a simple press on the directional cross. But we quickly encounter obvious limitations, since the combos are basic and, despite a visible good will, we too quickly have the impression of going in circles, of doing the same things over and over again. What the sparse bestiary, and largely taken from the previous opus, promotes, and even accelerates.
And since we are talking about recycling, because it is certainly that, then it is good to note that the biomes of the environments will bring back a lot of memories to players who have tried the previous part of the series. But, worse, some maps are even repeated identically, simply making us start in a different place in the hope that we won't notice… so, of course, not everyone will necessarily pay attention to it , especially since Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution is definitely a popcorn game, in other words an experience that you consume without thinking too much, by simply pausing your brain. But such a lack of consideration for the players, and especially the fans, is still a little sad to see.
Even more so when we see that in terms of production, nothing has changed since the previous part. As far as we are concerned, we were testing, in 2023, the opus Sisters VS Sisters on PlayStation 4. This year, Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution came to us, for its part, on its little sister, the PS5. And let it be clear, we saw no difference between the two games on a technical or visual level. The latest one suffers from the same slowdowns, the same camera problems in combat, the same general lack of readability in full action. So we know the lack of resources of the development studio and the publisher, but a little something extra wouldn't have been too much, or simply work on the framerate.
Fortunately, some good ideas are still worth noting, significantly increasing interest in the long term. We were talking earlier about creating games, and opening our own studio in this strange world. And in fact, if this functionality once again remains under-exploited, which we regret, the concept still works quite well. We collect different artists as we progress in the adventure and as we carry out side missions (of a banality as unpleasant as in the previous opus, unfortunately), and we invest money and resources in this business which will quickly gain in volume and reputation. As with the fights, despite the lack of depth, there is something quite exhilarating about it.
And then, there remains the appearance of a motorcycle, on which to ride in the environments to explore… well, it's fun, and it can actually save a few minutes when you want to go as quickly as possible, avoiding the fights. But this unfortunately goes with maneuverability that lacks a little something… starting with a button to reverse… Furthermore, the machine goes a little too fast, which doesn't help to maintain our course. That said, this little novelty is quite nice, and adds a real dose of fun to exploration, and not only that! Since it is also possible to compete in races, face monsters, or complete challenges within the environments. A real plus, which brings a notable dose of freshness.