Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed

 PlayStation Vita
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 50 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 50
  3. Negative: 11 out of 50
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  1. ryuzaki57
    May 19, 2015
    6
    Hyperdimension Neptunia U Action Unleashed has 10 characters, which includes the four goddesses and their respective sisters, plus two newcomers Dengekiko and Famitsu. Those of you who follow Japanese gaming news probably found out already : those two represent the two major Japanese game magazines. More than the console war, it’s the press war that is depicted in this spin-off. DengekikoHyperdimension Neptunia U Action Unleashed has 10 characters, which includes the four goddesses and their respective sisters, plus two newcomers Dengekiko and Famitsu. Those of you who follow Japanese gaming news probably found out already : those two represent the two major Japanese game magazines. More than the console war, it’s the press war that is depicted in this spin-off. Dengekiko and Famitsu are arch-rivals in the game too and follow the goddesses in their job to cover their activies, so as to write the best possible article about them. A really great idea that should have been developed further, dialogs being scarce. Dengekiko is no less an excellent new character, the best that’s come to the series for a while as far as I’m concerned. Her voice actor Ryô Hirohashi does a fantastic job in the whole game.

    Compile Heart chose Tamsoft on purpose, because with this game the Neptunia series comes hunting into Senran Kagura’s territory by borrowing its famous costume break, quite fashionable those days. The characters’ outfits have a certain durability and if you take too much damage, you are rewa… eh, penalized by the tearing of those. The game jokes about this quite a few times as you progress and this self-satire is extremely fun to watch.

    But the main point of this game is that it’s GORGEOUS beyond my wildest expectations! As you can see, seldom on a portable device you had such a incredible rendering. Furthermore, Hyperdimension Neptunia U Action Unleashed is a Musô-like, that is to say you face dozens of enemies like in the recent Dragon Quest Heroes. But here again Tamsoft’s product is flawless : neither the colorful graphics, nor the perfect modeling or the meticulous animation come to hurt the seamless action. But here’s the best part : this game has a photo mode! Like in your replays of Dead or Alive 5, you can stop the game, zoom and frame anytime to snap your favorite characters. It’s ENDLESS, my Home and Start buttons have suffered since I have more than 200!

    On the other hand, gameplay appeared really poor. Half a dozen combos/skills for each character (including goddess form) is not enough to prevent a certain boredom. All the more true that it also lacks variety : while Dragon Quest Heroes or Samurai Warriors have large maps and different types of objectives, Hyperdimension Neptunia U Action Unleashed has you eradicating monsters in cramped areas from the beginning to the end. True, there are some “mystery” missions the victory conditions of which differ from the rest, but too few to be a game changer. The game is a lot too easy despite the changes brought by the 1.01 update : damage rose a bit but not the attack patterns of the monsters, which stay very simplistic (except for the final boss). The musical environment isn’t satisfying either, Tamsoft having picked tracks from the series a bit randomly and few fit to the action genre.

    After the main scenario, you unlock the Budokai mode. In this one, of which the DBZ inspiration is pretty clear, the girls will face each other like in Senran Kagura. But unlike the latter, here again gameplay lacks polish. The camera that has no problem following you in normal missions turns out too slow in those extremely fast fights. 1.01 brought weird balance, Whiteheart being a LOT stronger than the others… normal mode stays to easy, and impossible mode is clearly impossible, even at level 99! Not a lot to do after that, the story is rather short and trophy hunting didn’t feel very interesting.

    Hyperdimension Neptunia U Action Unleashed is a magnificent title but alas a bit contemplative. Its underwhelming gameplay won’t make it worthwile for action games fans at large, but Neptunia fans may well adore its new setting and its technical prowess.    … Expand
  2. xDaudex
    May 28, 2015
    7
    Pros:
    Characters
    Writing
    Cloths breaking mechanic

    Cons:
    Gameplay is extremely repetitive
    Uni is way overpowered compared to everyone else
    You are pretty much forced to replay missions to level up your characters
  3. jaymz1970
    May 19, 2015
    9
    I find this game fun, but it really is VERY similar to senran kengan.
    Which I like also, so I liked this game.
    Not very original, but fun to play....will tide me over until rebirth 3.
  4. RyuFujiwara
    Apr 15, 2016
    6
    Quizas le esté dando más nota de la que se merece ya que soy bastante fan de las aventuras de las Diosas. Este juego es repetitivo hasta la saciedad, con un sistema de combos muy simples. Intenta copiar a otros del genero sin exito alguno. En el apartado visual cumple con creces con unos graficos muy vistosos sobre todo en lo que concierne a las chicas. Por otro lado los escenarios son muyQuizas le esté dando más nota de la que se merece ya que soy bastante fan de las aventuras de las Diosas. Este juego es repetitivo hasta la saciedad, con un sistema de combos muy simples. Intenta copiar a otros del genero sin exito alguno. En el apartado visual cumple con creces con unos graficos muy vistosos sobre todo en lo que concierne a las chicas. Por otro lado los escenarios son muy muy simples y carente de detalles. Juego solo recomendando para fans.… Expand
  5. magiquone
    May 20, 2015
    0
    So, another spin-off in the series, another okay-ish game that is let down in several key areas. If you're not a fan of musou- or senran-style games, just stop reading here and leave, because that's what this game is. If you're a regular Hyperdimension fan that is more interested in the characters than the actual gameplay, this might not be for you either, because rather than a story, theSo, another spin-off in the series, another okay-ish game that is let down in several key areas. If you're not a fan of musou- or senran-style games, just stop reading here and leave, because that's what this game is. If you're a regular Hyperdimension fan that is more interested in the characters than the actual gameplay, this might not be for you either, because rather than a story, the focus is on grinding the characters and achieving goals.

    Gameplay is fairly competent, standard stuff, but there's very little variety in the available moves which means it can get boring quickly. This could be countered if the levels went by faster, so you didn't notice how much of the same thing you're doing, but the enemies are just a little bit too healthy. On the plus side, goddess mode has a sense of power to it that makes it the highlight of a battle.
    Sound effects for the attacks really lacked "oomph", they didn't give an attack the weight or satisfaction of a swing at all - more of a little 'ding' than the crashing and cutting sounds one would expect from a game in this genre.
    Character interactions are decent enough, but there isn't a whole lot of emphasis on them. There are cute scenes scattered around, but there was nothing to compare to Re;Birth 1's pudding scene, or Re;Birth 2's upside-down bikini scene. Dialogue is off; Neptune still sounds like she's from a different planet, completely different to the Re;Birth 1 character I loved.
    The soundtrack is mostly recycled from previous games, so naturally the response to this will differ based on what you thought of the previous games' soundtracks. Personally, I found the battle music (which was from Re;Birth 1, although I wouldn't be surprised if that was taken from even earlier entries) to be really grating after a while.

    Overall, this game receives a "NO" from me. It was fun for the first 10 hours or so, and if that's worth $60 to you, then go for it, but I ended up wishing I had saved my money.    … Expand
  6. MrDerpking
    May 19, 2015
    9
    Great game, not as good as Estival Versus, but this was released in Japan before EV so I can't blame the Senran Kagura team for it not being as good. If you enjoyed Shinovi Versus, then you'll enjoy this
  7. SwitSwat
    Oct 1, 2015
    8
    Like with any Neptunia spin-off, you won't get a very meaningful story here, but like with any Neptunia game, there is a lot of humor to giggle at here. Gameplay-wise, this is very similar to Senran Kagura. You go around beating up waves of enemies, completing quests along the way. There's not really much else to say. It's simple, mindless, beat-em up fun. Of course, after a while it doesLike with any Neptunia spin-off, you won't get a very meaningful story here, but like with any Neptunia game, there is a lot of humor to giggle at here. Gameplay-wise, this is very similar to Senran Kagura. You go around beating up waves of enemies, completing quests along the way. There's not really much else to say. It's simple, mindless, beat-em up fun. Of course, after a while it does get kind of tedious, but mostly if you're trying to get the platinum, which requires many, MANY, clean-up fights. All in all, if you are looking for a silly pastime on Vita, or if you are a fan of Senran Kagura and/or Neptunia games, give this one a try.… Expand
  8. sololeocr
    May 22, 2015
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. El juego en si es bastante bueno, en lo personal me gusta este tipo de juegos, no por el fanservice, si no por el factor de entretenimiento, para los juegos de hack'n slash, no busco un titulo con una gran historia o con grandes alardes de gráficos, en especial para una portatil, lo que busco es un juego que me divierta y con el cual pueda pasar un buen tiempo.

    Tiene sus puntos malos, como es el fanservice que se le introduce, aunque no es algo nuevo en la saga, tal vez a muchas personas cuyo fuerte no es el inglés les desagrade que el juego no venga con subtitulos en español. Pero tiene muchos puntos buenos, que compensan bastante bien el resto, como son los dialogos, los cuales son bastante divertidos, tiene muchos elementos a desbloquear en base de jugar, las chicas pueden ir mejorando basados en un sistema de niveles, aprender nuevas tecnicas, y equipo.

    Definitivamente el tipo de juego que presenta este titulo no es para todos, es un titulo machacabotones, no es un Bloodborne ni un Order 1866, tecnicamente hablando se puede comparar a un Seran Kagura, en mi opinión para quienes nos gusta esta serie de juegos del universo de Neptunia y compañia, y además el genero de hack'n slash es un titulo que vale la pena, si pueden ver mas allá del fanservice. Un consejo que les daría es que busquen videos por youtube donde muestren la jugabilidad, y lean las opiniones de los usuarios, sea que le den una mala nota o no, muchos medios especializados critican el juego y le dan malas notas, por ellos evaluan otras cosas, que pueden tener razón, pero uno no busca un titulo de estos por una gran historia o grandes gráficos, para mi son juegos para divertirse un buen rato, al final esa es la finalidad de este pasatiempo de los videojuegos.    … Expand
  9. millia
    Aug 11, 2016
    3
    I found this to be among one of the worst games in the series followed closely by Hyperdevotion Noire and PP. If you want a quality hack n slash Neptunia game then get Blanc and Neptune Vs Zombies instead of this complete garbage. The game forces you to watch your characters and their clothes get torn to shreds thanks to a terrible and laggy battle system. It all gets old quick really toI found this to be among one of the worst games in the series followed closely by Hyperdevotion Noire and PP. If you want a quality hack n slash Neptunia game then get Blanc and Neptune Vs Zombies instead of this complete garbage. The game forces you to watch your characters and their clothes get torn to shreds thanks to a terrible and laggy battle system. It all gets old quick really to the point that I only enjoyed the first minute starting into the actual gameplay. Blanc and Neptune Vs Zombies was far more balanced, action packed, and enjoyable overall. Don't waste your money on this one when there are better titles in the series, this one just ruined my faith in the series until Blanc and Neptune VS Zombies was released.… Expand
  10. OneManCast
    Oct 13, 2019
    6
    Tamsoft, as usual, has no idea how to make a great game. it doesn't help that it is a crappy ARPG. However, it is the most tolerable of Tamsoft's garbage. At least SOME of the story and gameplay are fun. I liked how the gameplay functioned, if barely. That being said, yeah no. The ARPG genre is pure cancer. Blanny-Blanny-Bii

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Best PS Vita Game of 2015
9
#9 Most Discussed PS Vita Game of 2015
26
#26 Most Shared PS Vita Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. games(TM)
    Jul 29, 2015
    70
    Cheesy titillation aside, this is very possibly Tamsoft's best game. [Issue#163, p.108]
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  2. IGN Spain
    Jun 30, 2015
    70
    This JRPG franchise evolves to offer an active gameplay system that put's it nearer to the hack'n slash genre, but with that change, also loses some of the key characteristic on the series.
    Read full review
  3. The Vita Lounge
    Jun 16, 2015
    76
    Hyperdimension Neptunia U is a fast paced, high octane action game that is fun to play, but can be quite easy at times. The story mode will keep you entertained for at least 10 hours, but don't expect it to be as vast and as huge as it's JRPG counterparts.
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