Over the years NISA has published some interesting RPGs, but only a few of them were really successful. Among this list is Neptunia, which is an RPG about the game industry and really games in general. Naturally this spoke to a lot of people and the original game became quite the collectible. Shortly after the sequel, Neptunia MK II released with even more buzz than the original. Now that the third title in the series, Neptunia Victory is out in the US, will it remain a success or has the concept played out?
Lets look at what’s HOT and what’s NOT in our review of Neptunia Victory.
HOT
Same Great Gameplay
Easily the best thing about Neptunia Victory is the fantastic battle system. As with previous Neptunia games, all the monsters are clearly visible on the map and can be confronted or avoided based off what you’re trying to do. If you’re looking to fight said monsters, you can elect to attack them, which will let you go first if it connects, but will allow them to go first if they touch you after missing. As far as actual combat goes, well that’s where things get interesting.
Like all traditional RPGs, Neptunia Victory features a form of turn based combat, which is more of a modernized version of the classic style. For instance, during a turn you’re able to move anywhere within a geographic area and attack any enemy that fall in your hit box. Most times you’ll only attack a single enemy, but it’s possible to attack several at once. This can be accomplished by dumb luck, lining up your hit box tactfully or using a weapon with a different hit box. To give you an idea, one sword might have a really wide hit box, where as another will have a really long one. These can be helpful in different situations, so you should pay attention to them.
If you’ve already played Neptunia MK II, then this explanation probably sounds familiar. This is because the combat system is virtually unchanged from MK II, but does feature a few minor additions. One of these is the EXE drive, which charges up as you attack/kill enemies and gives you the ability to use stronger specials or finish combos with a little extra. Not a whole lot else has changed, although EXE drive skills are pretty useful in tight spots against bosses.
Challenges
One of the biggest changes in Neptunia Victory, is the ability to gain additional stats by completing various challenges. These range from things like walking around to winning fights without taking any damage so they will give you different things to fight for. Every character is also given their own set to do, so you will need to actively use different characters if you want to keep everyone even, although you can always focus on your favorite character to make them shine brighter than others. Whatever your choice might be, these challenges add a little more depth than weapon stats/leveling and offers some small rewards for just playing the game.
Costumes
Similar to previous Neptunia games, Neptunia Victory features a few costumes/accessories to change up your character’s appearance. However, you’re given a vast selection of costumes to buy at the start of the game, over gradually over the course of the game. Unfortunately, some costumes will be out of your price range for a while, but it does give you the option to get the look you want over buying several items you have no use for.