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. 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
  4. 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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