Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars

Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is the hyper-specific and ultra-niche crossover game I never thought I'd get. It's a delight to see the Senran Kagura crew after so long, and it's a blast to see the Neptunia girls in what is easily the most fun and satisfying to play spinoff in the series. The lack of extra features and watered down story leave something to be desired, but if this is the first of many games, then it's a promising new direction for both series.

Working with a clearly limited budget, Tamsoft has focused on delivering a tight action-combat system, while also relying on the fan service of both Senran Kagura and Hyperdimension Neptunia to see it through. It’s a good couple of hours of genuine fun, with the requisite bath scenes, humour and familiar characters to meet and fight. You can’t help but think that both properties could have grown to become more than this, but taking as it is, it’s still entertaining nonsense, with a heavy emphasis on the “entertaining”. I play enough serious games that require deep analysis, this kind of thing is my ideal break time between them.

Neptunia X Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is a delightful crossover boasting an engaging narrative, heartwarming character interactions, and a steller localization. With its added mechanics, this is by far the best Neptunia spinoff, but that doesn’t absolve it of tedious and repetitive progression. It’s evident this is a game for the fans of these busty fighters, but we could have used additional characters and modes to heighten the experience.

No matter how you slice it, Neptunia x SENRAN KAGURA: Ninja Wars is a great deal of fun, especially with its hilarious dialogue scenes and cheeky cast of characters. It could have been a lot more enjoyable with some sort of multiplayer component, though.

Reflecting back on the series' now ten-year history in the West, Tamsoft has made the best Neptunia spin-offs. Much like the other Tamsoft spin-offs, Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is nothing special, but it's also not a poor game outright. It's a decent action game without a lot of depth, but its simplicity allows it to be fun in small bursts. Neptunia and Senran Kagura fans will most likely find this game an enjoyable addition to the family of both series. I played on PlayStation 4, but the game is also coming to Nintendo Switch and PC next year, so even more fans will be able to check the game out.

Neptunia hits a real middle-of-the-road balance with this one. On one side, the combat falls short of frantic ninja battles and the graphics desperately need a touch-up. On the other side though, the character designs are some of the best I’ve seen for a spin-off, it’s a treat to see the Senran Kagura gang interact with our favorite CPUs, and the story brings along the same meta humor and gaming references that Neptunia rarely fails to deliver. While the uninitiated might not find it fleshed out enough, for those who are fans of both series in this crossover, Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is a beautiful bacchanalia of busty, battling babes.

Neptunia X Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars will appeal to longtime fans of either series, but outside of that it’s an average action-oriented JRPG plus visual novel that anyone can easily get the hang of. There’s plenty of titillating fanservice to go around, even if Sony insists on at least some of it being censored for the Western release. It’s a safe bet if you can’t get enough of Neptunia and the rest of the Goddesses or Asuka and the other shinobi, but otherwise there are more traditional games that are probably a better use of your time.

Neptunia x Senran Kagura Ninja Wars maintains the cheeky charms of both franchise, bringing in the fun, safe jokes and jabs at the gaming industry. However, it taxes that charm with the gameplay choices made at the end of the game. There's enough here to bring in longtime fans, and even some crossover fans between the franchises, but not many others will rally to this mashup.

The visual novel portions are good and offer a change in pace, but feature limited animation and come off as low-rent as a result. That holds true for the similar texture work in a lot of environments, which doesn’t do justice to the impressive character models used and the solid animation across the board. For fans of either franchise, there’s a good amount of content here to enjoy, but this isn’t the kind of game that is likely to make new fans of either series on its own.

For fans of the Neptunia and/or Senran Kagura series, there’s a fair bit to like about Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars. While I couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for the game’s story, others may get on better with it. And while the combat isn’t great, it is at least enjoyable for the most part, with some pretty challenging boss battles. Add in plenty of fan-service that some are sure to appreciate as well as post-game content, and you have a game that will keep those who gel with it entertained for many hours. Those unfamiliar with either property involved in this crossover, however, probably won’t find anything other than confusion and disappointment.

If you like big-breasted anime females then Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars has got you covered. With lacklustre story, shallow hack-and-slash mechanics and ancient graphical presentation, there’s little here worth your time. If you’re a fan of action or RPG games that are anything more deep than a puddle, Ninja Wars ain’t gonna be the one, basically, especially if you don’t fancy balancing barely-glad animated women on peaches.

Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is full of fanservice and anime girls with big boobs, but not much more. Insanely long visual novel talk segments, and the story is so silly there’s not much motivation to keep playing.