It seems that the Neptunia spin off games are becoming very popular with fans, especially after the release of Hyperidimetion Neptunia U: Action Unleashed. Now that Noire had shot, it’s time for Blanc to shine with her own spin off MegaTagmension Blanc & Neptune vs. Zombies. Will fans take to this spin off just like the rest or will this be the first game in the series to have jump the shark? Let’s check it out.

School’s in session

Expanded roster- Even though the game stars Blanc, she isn’t the only one that is on the roster. Much like Action Unleashed, MegaTagmension (MegaTag from here on out) includes the other CPU goddesses, the sisters, and the two journalists Dengekiko and Famitsu. The game also adds in Plutia and Peashy from Hyperdimention Victory, Uzume from Megadimention VII, and a new character Tamsoft. Other characters also make an appearance in the game as well but instead of being playable, they are side helper/assist characters.

Support characters- As I mentioned above, other characters that are from the Hyperdimention games also appear in the game but as side helper/assist characters. These characters give the player various different buffs to help in battle. At first only Compa and Iffy are available to use but as the storu progress you meet more side characters and are able to switch them out.

Added multiplayer- While Action Unleashed was fun and I gave it a high score, it felt something was missing. What was missing turned out to be a multiplayer mode. MegaTag adds in a multiplayer mode that lets up to four players joint together and complete quests and missions that are separate from the main single player story.

Action progression- A big change from Action U that MegaTag adds to the game is character progression. Just like in Action U, you are able to level up each character by using them in battle. The character progression part comes in the form of action point/AP which they earn in addition to XP. These action point can be used to raise the base stats of each character. So if there’s a duo that you favor, then you could just use those two and power them up.

Detention

Repetitive stages and enemies- Just like all of the Hyperdimention games in the franchise, MegaTag suffers from repetitive stages and enemies. You would think that in addition to the various gaming tropes and memes that are littered throughout  the game, that a few zombie tropes/memes and horror themes would pop up as well.

Awkward button mapping-  MegaTag’s button mapping felt a bit awkward in my opinion. For example, being able to tag in and out using the L shoulder button and O buttonis handy, but at the same time it will cause your character to lock on to the closest enemy and will sometimes cancel the tag. Also having to press R and a face button to trigger special moves isn’t as satisfying as imputing a button combo similar to a hadouken or a shoryuken.

For the most part, MegaTagmension Blanc & Neptune vs. Zombies feels like an extension of Action U but with added features and some similar problems. Having an extended roster and support characters gives the game some added kick that Action U didn’t have. Also playing with friends in the multiplayer mode fills in what was missing in Action U. However with a series known for its repetitive nature and awkward button mapping does bring MegaTag down a bit. Regardless if your looking for a game you can waste some time on until the next main series entry or spin off, give MegaTagmension Blanc & Neptune vs. Zombies a look.

7.5/10