Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart

At the end of the day, I can say with confidence that Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart is easily the best game in the series, and certainly worth the time of any JRPG fan.

As someone who can't get enough of the tactics JRPG genre, this is one I couldn't put down.

Quotation forthcoming.

Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart doesn’t revolutionize the genre of Strategic RPG in any way and instead focuses on offering a simple yet funny and enjoyable game. That’s something to not be ashamed of. It is more a game to enjoy for all the elements it has than those that could have had. A really good game for those who like SRPG.

Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart is an amazing surprise. Actually, we liked it so much we think it's the best Neptunia game and we're already waiting for a hypothetical sequel.

It may not be as out of left field as Producing Perfection was, but it's still a marked departure from the norm, and in the process of differentiating itself it shows that the series still has promise, no matter how iffy the first two mainline installments have been.

The step into pure turn-based tactics works well for the Neptunia crew. It lacks the depth and raw charme of games like Disgaea though.

A decent first step into the TRPG pond. While it lacks the serious tone and depth required for a diehard RPG lover, fans of the series and those looking for a laid-back comedy story will have lots of fun.

Regardless, it’s a solid SRPG, and sure to provide Neptunia fans with many hours of content and entertainment.

A strategy RPG seems like a perfect fit for the Neptunia series, and this largely ends up being true. A fun battle system combined with a large and diverse set of characters to choose from makes for a good deal of fun.

Noire provides a different, perhaps more traditional leading lady to the game, and helps balance some of the randomness that the other characters demonstrate. It’s a fun enough ride, and franchise fans will lap it all up, but maybe it needed to go even further to demonstrate some wider appeal.

A surprisingly competent strategy RPG with solid mechanics, great stylised visuals, plenty of content and well-observed videogame parody humour. Not to mention an extraordinary amount of risqué fanservice for those who love Hyperdimension Neptunia.

Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart offers great gameplay with the unfortunate caveat that you’ll need to waste more time than expected waiting on enemies to enjoy it.

Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart is not groundbreaking in any aspect - but if you’re into fun, lighthearted RPGs with a certain depth of gameplay then look no further.

In the end, Hyperdevotion Noire is a spinoff that breaks from the gameplay norms of its predecessors, but not its overall sentiment: if you can stomach (or even embrace) the pandering amounts of moe and shower scenes, you will be treated to a fun and addicting RPG that does service to several tried-and-true gameplay mechanics while poking fun at several well-known franchises.

If you’ve got a Vita and you’re jonesing for a Final Fantasy Tactics clone that is not too deep, and incredibly silly, this is the game for you.

Even though much of Hyperdevotion Noire is indeed unoriginal, with its countless caricatures of trendy gaming icons, there's enough novelty and variety in its strategic battles to keep players, especially fans of the mainline series, interested for quite a while.

That aside, from a gameplay perspective it’s a decent first foray into the world of SRPG’s, it’s just bogged down by poor characters and story.

Fans of the franchise will love the change of pace, as well as getting up close and personal with Noire and the other generals. Everyone else, however, may not be wooed quite so easily.

Pick up the game if you’re a fan of the Hyperdimension Neptunia series, but stay away if you’re looking for a solid strategy RPG.

The cloying characters and banal story are just so incredibly vapid, and the respectable strategic gameplay just isn't enough to compensate for the myriad of drawbacks and stumbling blocks.

The game’s pace is slow throughout; from combat that you trudge through to dialogue and character development that seems to do nothing but spin its wheels in the mud endlessly. Hyperdevotion Noire is at its best, forgettable, and at its worst, un-engaging.