Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1

This is a remake of the original game, which I never played. While the series has a reputation for fanservice, and it's there and prominent, it's not as overboard as I expected. Mechanically it's really interesting, though with some jank and quality of life issues. The original was very low budget, this remake is better but is still low budget (lack of dungeon variety and music variety).

Story is mixed, there's a lot of cutscenes and some of them are irritating to sit through. When it's good, it's good though! There's practically no 4th wall to speak of, and all characters are references to game consoles, Japanese game companies, or specific game characters. I picked up a bunch of them, but not all as I missed a lot of the 200x era of video games. Most of the characters are enjoyable though, especially the four main CPU's.

Combat is decent, it's turn based, with positioning mattering a good bit. Each turn is a fixed attack, then 3 attacks of your choice out of a choice of an attack to boost your "ultimate meter", a powerful attack, or an attack that does more to the enemies stun bar. Each attack adds a bit of delay before your next attack, so the displayed turn order is not always accurate. Various game elements are unlocked as you play (a big one are ultimate attacks at level 25), the rest are unlocked using the crafting system.

That said, combat can be very difficult, especially early when you don't have ultimates unlocked yet, and have weaker characters and poor equipment. There's a very big difficulty spike early (the main boss when you get into Laststation). Early on you'll need to grind a fair bit to survive the bosses, later on strategies and equipment matter more. One of the equipment slots is a customizable accessory which is pretty fun, though there's not a huge variety of different options.

Art's decent, though there's not a lot of variety in dungeons until late. You'll see a lot of the exact same dungeon with just different monsters and collectibles. Music is good, but again there's not a lot of variety so it gets very repetitive. Voices are just battle voices but are good.

There is also a crafting system, called Plans. It gives you extensions to the battle system, permanent boosts, added dungeons, adding monsters and changing items available in dungeons, and adding items to the shop. I do like that the dungeon options give you new items and adding bosses to keep old dungeons still useful later, but the way it's implemented is pretty poor. They all require items you get from defeating monsters or collecting off the ground in dungeons, but there's no way to see where to find those items. Only see what drops monsters have if you have gotten a drop from them! It takes a while to go through all the monsters to find out which one(s) give the item you need, and no way to tell what you can find on the ground. You also have limited points to do those Plans, and there are far more plans then you can unlock in one run. Plans are VERY grindy. Also, some monsters are removed from dungeons if you use the plans to add or change monsters/items, so you may have to turn them off. It's unclear what to do sometimes. One other frustrating aspect is you can see what monsters are available in the map, and some dungeons have multiple zones. The map will show that there are multiple zones, and says you should be able to see what monsters are in second zones but I couldn't find a key that worked and didn't see it in the config.

Overall, decent but not great game, I still had a fun 32½ hours though the game. Getting the true ending was grindy but still very satisfying with a good payoff. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, especially if you don't like Japanese media/tropes. If you don't like to grind a bit to be able to defeat bosses, you also won't like it. You'll also need to adjust your party and their skills and equipment regularly to keep up.

SEGA

As my first JRPG (unless you count the early Paper Mario games), Neptune has shown me what I've been missing out on all these years. The game is split into 3 main elements of gameplay; the map and city menus, 3D dungeons where you walk around and fight mobs, and visual novel story segments. The dungeons are fun to run around and seeing the girls as rendered models rather than flat sprites (like many other games) makes it feel more immersive. You have the freedom to pick your fights so if you only need to farm a specific drop or just want to fight a specific difficult enemy, you don't have to wade through heaps of mobs, just walk around them. Some people may not enjoy the ample amounts of visual novel storytelling in Neptunia but for me I rather enjoy it. Plus the voice talent is top notch, though for Japanese media that isn't exactly a rarity. It's a fun game that, while maybe a little grindy, I can see myself getting a lot of hours out of. Then I'll go play Re;Birth2.

Stuff I really love about Neptunia:

- The blend between turn based combat and free movement in battles. Having your characters too close together while fighting can cause enemies to target multiple of your girls at once, but you can also do the same to them if the enemies group up.

- The surprisingly in depth combat mechanics. Rush / Power / Break attacks, magical vs physical vs elemental damage, building up the EXE bar to add an extra attack to the end of your combo or spending the bar to unleash extremely strong EXE attacks etc. There's a lot going on and combat is way more complex than just 'press A to hit.'

- Customizing gear is a lot of fun, you can go for a generalist build or min max your stats. Each character has multiple slots for clothes, weapons, accessories etc. and through discovering plans or progressing the story, you get access to new gear to fill those slots, often with stat modifiers. There are also a LOT of items to change how the girls look in game, so for people like me who appreciate character dress-up, this was great.

- The soundtrack is a lot of fun. There are a limited number of tracks so be prepared to hear the same songs over and over but the music is good and really sets the mood so I don't mind having them get stuck in my head for the rest of the day. The music in this game really captures that niche 'early 2000's Japanese wizbang computer music' vibe. Lot's of beeps and digital sounds. It reminds me a lot of the Super Paper Mario OST so I found it very nostalgic.

Minor gripes about Neptunia:

- Enemy hitboxes are super inconsistent and it can be frustrating to get sucked into a battle against some insanely hard enemy because the tip of Neptune's toe touched its invisible hitbox that goes like 4 feet past its body.

- Sometimes maps or cities will be marked with " EVENT! text showing that's the next place you should go to progress the story. However, it doesn't give you any warning about if you are just going to that location normally, it might be just a VN reading segment, or you could get thrown into combat against a difficult boss. It doesn't wait around either, you just get one of those things as soon as you click it.

- The game is only really playable with a controller. I didn't even own one, I had to buy some cheapo PC compatible controller off amazon to play this game.


Overall, is good game. IF best girl

Nyu

This game is about what if the console wars were voluptuous anime girls?
The writing REEKS of early 2000's slang and comedy from that era, and yknow what?
I am all for it, this reminds me of such simpler times, the game has so much joy and personality to it
It's pretty simple too, basic attacks, specials, combos, and yet theres enough there that you can get really good at it
The DLC proves this hands down, it is VERY difficult compared to main gameplay.
This is a mustplay, hands down

Nep Nep

Epic Way to Represent the consoles as Personified Characters! Huge Sega fan, and who knew Neptune was Based on an Unreleased Console from Sega! I'm Glad Neptune in this continuity is doing much better, Especially with all the Chaos in Gamindustri

It's got a certain type of humor you probs either love or hate. As a roleplayer who likes to make a lot of trope-dissing and fourth wall breaking jokes in my own writing, this game definitely poked at one of my funny bones in all the right ways.

The whole deal where it's a reference in regards to the console war back then, and also various characters that represent other popular games/franchises is pretty fun. As an Ys fan it was cool to see Falcom, looks like a female Adol.

The story is fun, but the game is grindy and even grindier if you want to get all the game has to offer and such, but it's optional for sure. Grinding is boring af in any game imo, but in this one it is particularly mind-numbing as the dungeons are repetitive too. There are like 4 different dungeons layout and design wise, if I count right. They get used over and over again.

The music is generally pretty good though. Especially that during the cutscene before the final battle, for the true ending. Total hype.

The combat can start to feel super tedious and a time consuming slogfest if you don't know about skipping animations. I am definitely glad I knew beforehand that you can skip animations during combat with the left shoulder button. Shaved of hours of time, making the worst part of the game practically a non-issue for me as I could blaze through.

All in all I am glad I finally finished a game I got and played 10 years ago. My savefile showed it was from 2015. Yikes. At the time I was a pretty broke mofo and so I had a trash laptop that couldn't run this game well so I had quit at the time and forgot about it. Insane to imagine this type of game is too heavy for a machine to run, nowadays.

Either way, not a stellar RPG, very flawed, but fun and worth it if you're a gamer who will get the references and like the kind of humor this dev is known for. (Fairy Fencer had similar humor, at least.)

On to Nep-Nep 2!

Fun

when the nep be neptuning so u gotta hit the nep

Fun, story line slaps.

This game is your average grinding RPG, but it executes the formula in a way that's genuinely fun. It features the usual team system, with the added twist of a unique Lilly system. So far, the story feels niche—but in a good way. If you're new to this genre, I highly recommend getting the Babysitters Club DLC. The characters from that DLC are incredibly overpowered, with stats that make most enemies deal zero damage to them. Plus, they have infinite SP, which is incredibly useful.

This game is fucking killing me with its grinding and difficulty spikes, but its good content for streaming! Plus we have Plutia here. Recommended. The artstyle is also iconic and cute.

a good starter that gets me into neptunia for first time. good storyline, good gameplay (but be warned that this game comes in little grindy unless you wanna pay for DLC for fasten your progress), has cute characters and such. the game is semi VN because the game is story focused rather than gameplay focused. and much more. i would recommend for this one as someone who wants to get to know what neptunia is.

but ps : Blanc is best waifu, change my mind.

The "Modern audience" have a mental breakdown over games like this.

Long live fan service.

Nepu-Nepu :3

relaxing fun anime game to do some classic rpg grinding to

nep nep nep

Very cute game also lot of grinding for the achivitiment not worth 56 hours of grinding 100 million credit, they should make more NEP - NEP word

its really good i like it better than finly fanstys and kindom hearts

I will never see game consoles the same ever again.

haha neptune

This is one of the most boring slogs of an RPG I have ever played.
If you take anything from this take this advice YOU CAN SKIP ATTACK ANIMATIONS WITH THE SHOULDER BUTTONS!1!!
I HAVE WASTED HOURS OF MY FUCKING SHITTY CHUD LIFE WATCHING THESE SHITTY RETARDED ANIME GIRLS LONG ASS ATTACK ANIMATIONS OVER AND FUCKING OVER
please don't do this to yourself

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1601748787

This game is fun at most points, but EXTREMELY frustrating at others. The difficulty curve at certain points in this game, like Lowee Snowfield & Road to Celestia, is very high.

This game is great for hardcore Neptunia fans or for people who love the challenge, but I can't recommend this for casual players or anyone with a low sense of self-esteem.

Considering this game retcons itself, it's not even a good starting point into the series.

I do love this game, but if you buy it, do it when it's on sale - & pray the difficulty curves aren't enough to make you rage.

In other news, at least the music & the voice acting is top-notch.

very repetitive, many dungeons are copy-pasted and many enemies are reskinned version of each other

the dlc characters completely stomp the main characters in terms of power

characters are just personified anime tropes, i found them to be very uninteresting. neptune especially is giga annoying

plot is pretty lackluster as well

for the achievement hunters, most of the achievements require leveling every character to lvl 99 (and there is A LOT of characters), which combined with the repetitiveness of the dungeons / enemies makes this game a boring and grindy unfunfest

overall there's better jrpgs out there, unless you specifically want lighthearted anime girls the game i'd stay away

What is the fucking target audience!!! This game is ass, all I do is grind over and over to get to the next level, just so I can see Nep nep's stupid fucking face, god I want to kill her. This game is horrible and I hate it and you should to, DON'T BUY IT!

7/10

This could have been a Burger King game.

Silly anime grind-heavy JRPG.
I love the Remake Systems, gimme more plans, I am an addict to farming accessories, costumes, new dungeons and all that!

it's good

This game released at a time when jrpgs were very sparse on steam and the main way to play the genre was PSP/DS or consoles

As of today, I dont recommend playing this over any of the other highly acclaimed games you can find on steam nowdays. Your now in an era of having a lot more choice than we did and the maturity of the internet is generally higher so the appeal of the game is mostly lost...unless your still in your cringe phase and hey, we all had to go through it atleast once in our lives, and it stays with you, no shame in that

This game is a product of its time and is more of a reminder to people what things were once like or nostalgia, rather than a first choice of jrpgs to play

I bought this game because I wanted to try one of those "moe" games. Story, characters, dialogue, dungeon design... everything is as bland as possible.

But the combat and customization were pretty fun, so I guess it deserves a positive review.

The game doesn't take itself seriously, and neither should you. Haha. It's a fun little storry to play and get some laughs. Good game to pass the time.

**Review of *Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1* for PC**

*Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1* is a remastered version of the original PlayStation 3 JRPG, *Hyperdimension Neptunia*, and it brings a host of improvements and tweaks to appeal to both newcomers and series veterans. Developed by Idea Factory and localized by NIS America, this version enhances the original's visuals, gameplay mechanics, and overall user experience, making it a more polished and accessible title for the PC audience.

### Story and Setting

The game's premise is a fun and quirky one, set in the world of Gamindustri—a universe where the four major game consoles are personified as goddesses. The main character, Neptune (the personification of the Sega Neptune console), wakes up to find herself stripped of her powers and in need of regaining her memory and strength. The story follows Neptune as she teams up with the other goddesses—Noire, Vert, and Blanc—who represent PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo, respectively. Together, they must navigate a world filled with monsters, mysteries, and the ever-present threat of an antagonist known as Arfoire.

The writing is lighthearted, filled with fourth-wall-breaking humor, pop culture references, and self-aware jabs at the gaming industry, which provides a lot of charm. While the story doesn't take itself too seriously, it does offer surprising depth and moments of emotional weight, particularly in the relationships between the characters.

### Gameplay

The game is a blend of turn-based combat and dungeon exploration, and *Re;Birth1* offers a more refined experience compared to the original. The combat system is easy to grasp but still offers strategic depth. You control a party of characters, and battles take place in grid-based arenas, where positioning and turn order are important. Each character has unique abilities, and the game encourages experimenting with different team combinations to discover synergies.

A major improvement in *Re;Birth1* over the original is the inclusion of "CPU Switch," which allows you to switch between characters in battle. This provides more flexibility and dynamism compared to the static combat system of the original game. Additionally, the game introduces a crafting system, where players can gather materials and create new equipment, adding an extra layer of customization.

Exploration takes place in various colourful and beautifully designed locations across Gamindustri, from the bustling cityscapes to more serene landscapes. The dungeons are straightforward, and while there is some repetitiveness to the environments, they are designed well enough to make the journey enjoyable.

### Graphics and Sound

Visually, *Re;Birth1* offers a noticeable improvement over the original with sharper textures, more vibrant colors, and improved character models. While the game still has a somewhat simplistic art style, it suits the anime-inspired tone perfectly. The character designs are cute and distinctive, and the environments are colorful, which contributes to the overall charm of the game.

The soundtrack is composed of upbeat, catchy tunes that match the quirky vibe of the game, with some tracks being memorable and adding to the game's overall atmosphere. Voice acting is another highlight—while the voice cast is primarily in Japanese with English subtitles, the performances are engaging and fit the personalities of the characters, making for an enjoyable auditory experience.

### Performance

On PC, *Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1* runs quite well, with smooth performance even on mid-range systems. The game allows you to tweak settings to suit your preferences, ensuring that even players with lower-end machines can enjoy a stable experience. Load times are quick, and there are very few technical issues to speak of, making for a smooth overall experience.

### Final Thoughts

*Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1* is a fun, lighthearted JRPG that offers a combination of solid gameplay, endearing characters, and humor-filled writing. While the dungeon exploration can be a bit repetitive at times, the improvements to combat and the game's overall polish make it an enjoyable experience for fans of the genre.

If you're into JRPGs, anime-inspired worlds, and enjoy quirky humor with a good dose of gaming references, *Re;Birth1* is definitely worth a try. It’s not the deepest RPG out there, but it’s a solid pick for those who want a relaxing and charming experience with some strategic depth and a fun narrative.

**Pros:**
- Fun, quirky story with plenty of humour and character interaction
- Engaging combat system with strategic elements
- Gorgeous, colourful visuals and a well-done anime art style
- Excellent voice acting and soundtrack
- Significant improvements over the original game

**Cons:**
- Dungeons can feel repetitive
- Some might find the humour too over-the-top or self-aware
- The game play may not offer enough challenge for hardcore JRPG fans

**Rating: 7.5/10**
A solid JRPG with a fun, light-hearted tone and some enjoyable systems, perfect for fans of anime-inspired games.

nepnep

i dropped 100 hours of my life grinding on this game to say not recommended

BEST GAME!!!

It's a Neptastic experience, but there are other games that are more worthwhile to play & grind.

Also, here's a tip for those willing to play or are currently playing the game:
You can hold LB (or whichever key you assigned to it) to skip combat animations such as attacking, item usage, being attacked, etc. Nothing in-game explains this, so have fun not wasting a multitude of hours from watching attack animations.

Pretty fire game. I really like rice pudding.

I love playing this game, it's like going back to my childhood..

life changing game

‎

blackheart why are u so hard to beat :steamsad:

Love the game 9.9/10

Really wanted to enjoy this game, character design is cute, graphics are colorful, the story is fun and full of meta references and Compile was one of my favourite companies in the eighties.
But the grinding and the leveling, even with the plans and the whales, is too much. The combat ends being veeery boring and repetitive, the breaking guard systems just seems like killing two times the same monster and the dungeons look all the same because are, in fact, the same. This makes the moments of story being too spaced and made me lose the interest in going on. Maybe a VN with lighter RPG areas could have been a better idea, but this is an overwhelming grinding waste of time. 20 wasted hours for me and I wasn't still in the middle of the game.

First impression are fine (aside from not having a controller, and some menu confusion), but it takes a bit too long to allow you to save.

Update: once you start to skip, it's much too hard to stop, and you can't change the controls often enough.

The dub's good in terms of voice-acting, but it's weird how jargonized it is.

Neptunia fans, rise up

Best Fan Service Game.

nep nep

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 is a delightful surprise! This quirky RPG transports you to the whimsical world of Gamindustri, where console goddesses battle it out for gaming supremacy. The game's unique blend of humor, self-aware references, and turn-based combat makes for a truly entertaining experience.

While the graphics may not be groundbreaking, they perfectly capture the game's lighthearted tone. The character designs are vibrant and expressive, and the voice acting is top-notch. The battle system, though simple, is satisfyingly strategic, allowing you to experiment with different character combinations and abilities.

If you're a fan of anime, Japanese RPGs, or just looking for a good laugh, Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 is definitely worth checking out. It's a quirky, fun, and surprisingly heartwarming adventure that will leave you smiling.