The CPU goddesses and CPU candidates have been busy as of late; becoming idols, taking over the Vita and PC with the Re;Birth series and having other CPUs having spin off games, with Noire being the first to get a spin off on her own. Just right when you think it’s break time for the ladies of Gamindustri…..BAM!! NEW GAME!! Hyperidemtion Neptunia U Action Unleashed. Now don’t let the title fool you as it did many fans. When it was first announced it was revealed as Hyperidemtion Neptunia U. This led many to believe that the franchise was making the jump to the Wii U. Nope. It’s another Vita game, this time emphasizing real time action elements. So what kind of trouble the CPUs get themselves this time around?
Action packed goodness
New story- Instead of some variation of an evil force threatening Gamidustri and the CPUs having to team up to save the world, there’s a time peace in the world and fighting between the CPUs only happens when they play games as they have all become friends. While peace in the land is good and all, things have gotten a bit boring, even for the CPUs and their sisters. To spice things up, two of Gamindustri’s top journalists Dengekiko and Famitsu decide to write articles about the CPU’s and the sisters to get the people interested again in the goddesses. Now the CPU’s and CPU candidates take the two journalists along showing them what they do. But lurking in the shadows is an evil waiting for their chance to jump into the spotlight. It’s a pretty simple and straightforward story that has the girls and the two newcomers (more on them in a bit) take on missions and eventually uncover an evil that is trying to take over Gamindustri. I think I like these kinds of stories of the girls being friends and not at war with each other. This way we can learn more about them on their downtime and see what they do when hanging out with each other. In Action Unleashed’s case, we see the CPU’s team up with each other to show the people what they do on a daily basis. Its a fun change of pace of having the girls a war with each other in every other game.
Journalist join the action- I believe there is a saying that goes something like: “If you want a real scoop, you must get in there and get dirty”. What that means (at least in my interpretation) is that in order to get a good story, you have to get out in the field and look for it, not wait for it to fall in your lap. I bring up journalists because in Action Unleashed, two of the new characters are journalists: Dengekiko and Famitsu. If the two names sound familiar, they should be. Dengekiko is the representation of the Japanese gaming magazine brand Dengeki and Famitsu is the representation of Japan’s largest gaming publication Famitsu.
New developer- Now unlike the main Neptunia games and similar to Producing Perfection, Action Unleashed has a new developer at the helm. Now at first it seems wrong to get someone else to take over the series, but since this game is more action oriented, it make sense to get someone who is skilled at making action games. So who did IF get to develop the game? Why none other than Tamsoft, developer behind Oneechanbara, Senran Kagura, and Dream Host Club. They also helped produced Producing Perfection. Besides being known for developing games with busty characters, Tamsoft actually knows a thing or two about action games. Which is good because if the main developer tries to develop a game in a different genre than they are used to and doesn’t know what they are doing, the results can end with a very bad game.
Combat system works with RPG elements- Although Action Unleashed is primarily an action game, at its core it’s still a Neptunia game.Which means that it should still retain some of its RPG elements. Which seems pretty simple enough for Tamsoft since they have also developed RPGs as well. So does the action of Senran Kagura blend well with the RPG elements of Neptunia? Actually yes they do. Tamsoft applies the combo system of Senran Kagura while keeping Neptunia’s RPG elements intact. For example, instead of having to input a special combo for CPU skills, all players would have to do is press the L button and one of the corresponding face buttons. As the CPUs and the two journalists learn more skills, they can be easily switched out.
Tag team- One of the newest mechanics that Tamsoft added to Action Unleashed is the ability to tag team. Players will be able to pick a team of two girls to enter a dungeon and complete the mission request. You could even mix and match them up into different teams for different effetcs and interactions with each other.
Same ol’ same ol’
Repetitive stages/enemies- Just like all previous Neptunia games and even in Senran Kagura, Action Unleashed suffers from repetitive stages and enemies. Its a standard action/beat em up/hack n slash game problems honestly and is not that big of a deal, but with Neptunia known to parody several iconic gaming creatures I expected them to come up with even more creative enemies. Also this is the (not counting the Re;Birth games) fourth/fifth game and we still haven’t seen what each of the kingdoms in Gamindustri.
For me, Hyperdimention Neptunia U Action Unleashed is the best entry of the series to date. While I do love the RPG elements of the past Neptunia games, the action in Action Unleashed freshens up the series. Not only did Tamsoft adapt the combat of Senran Kagura and implement into Action Unleashed very well, they also added some new features and even new characters as well. Of course the game does suffer the same fate that all action/beat em ups/hack n’ slash games suffer from and that’s repetitive stages and enemies. If your a fan of the franchise and want something a bit different or if your just a person who likes action games, be sure to pick up Hyperdimention Neptunia U Action Unleashed. I personally think this is the best spin off so far and I hope they do more like this.
