Is it worth the Re-ReVisit?
Neptunia ReVerse is an interesting release as while it is a remaster of sorts, it is adapted from the 2013 PSVita version of Neptunia: ReBirth, which in turn was a remake of the 2010 Hyperdimension Neptunia for the PlayStation 3. While this isn’t exactly Idea Factory’s Skyrim per se, the small adjustments made to ReVerse feel largely minimal when compared to the more drastic changes ReBirth had to the original. That aside, there is fun to be had here, but for fans who have already played through this adventure once or twice already, the new additions here for ReVerse are passable at best.
ReVerse is oddly enough a PlayStation 5 exclusive, but if I were to bet money on it, I would honestly expect to see a PlayStation 4, PC, and Switch release in the near future. This is largely due to the game doing nothing to really capitalize on the new hardware. While we get some Dual Sense features in the newly added fishing game, there just isn’t much done to this title from its ReBirth version apart from some cleaned-up visuals, new UI, and an addition of a 4th person added to the active party. There is also an Arranged mode, which adds in a few late-game characters and items right from the start as well as some minimal combat changes. This is likely the mode that veterans of the series will want to start with as it changes up some aspects of the game instead of offering an exact 1:1 recreation of ReBirth. If you are looking for ReVerse to be your entry point into the series, that is still a viable option, but if you have access to the vastly cheaper Neptunia: ReBirth on Steam, that may be the way to go due to the PS5 version retailing for well above that at $49.99USD/$66.99CAD on the PSN store.
It’s hard not to make comparisons to ReBirth given this is essentially the exact same game with very little work done to distance that opinion. There certainly has been some work done to clean up the UI, some texture work to make the game appear cleaner, combat balances to add in the fourth party member, and the reflections of the environment in the few puddles strewn about which are impressive to a point, but all in all, the game still rocks that PS3/Vita DNA we had in ReBirth, giving us nothing that illustrates why this game is exclusive to the PlayStation 5. Had environments been entirely remade to take advantage of the drastically more powerful console, as well as improved character models, then sure, I would be convinced of recommending this version wholeheartedly, but honestly, as I’ve mentioned before, If you’ve played ReBirth to death already, the “ReVisit” here is just not worth the asking price.
Neptunia: ReVerse retells the story of Neptune, a goddess who has been cast down after being defeated by a trio of goddesses who want to rule the world of Gamindustri all by themselves. Neptune, who crashes down to the mortal world, is found by Compa, and cannot remember who she is. Neptune then, given the nickname of Nep, with the help of Compa, sets out on an adventure to discover who she is and save Gamindustri in the process. Now, Neptunia is a game about referential jokes, fan service, and game-based humor. These goddesses are revered as godly CPUs and are based on the very consoles we see across the “game industry” such as the PlayStation, Xbox, and the Wii. Even Neptune herself is based on a canceled Sega console of the same name. Apart from Compa who is likely meant to be '“computer” we also meet additional girls named Tekken, CyberConnect2, Falcom, Marvelous, and IF, who is easily named after Idea Factory herself, and features prominently in the story, despite being a mere mortal.
Told throughout the Console Wars, Neptune will eventually discover what she is, even if she doesn’t have the memories to fully make sense of it or her past. You’ll eventually meet the other goddesses, have them join your party, among others, and look to protect the various nations. Each nation is ruled by each of the goddesses. Neptune herself once ruled over the Planeptune, Lastation ruled by Noire, Leanbox by Vert, and Lowee finally ruled by Blanc; who represent PlayStation, Xbox, and Wii, respectively. You’ll also find areas around the map that are named things like Fantasy Zone, or Halo Mountain, borrowing names from various games, but not in their aesthetics. There are also a ton of quick NPC interactions that are based on particular gaming characters such as Solid Snake being some guy in a cardboard box called David Snake. Each nation also has Shares between them, which represent the measurement of belief the people have towards their CPU, so you’ll tackle repeatable side missions through the Guild that will sway those Shares, and it is in those Shares where the true final battle lies.
ReVerse is a turned-based game where its story is largely played out in a visual novel between battles. You can skip these sessions if you wish, and battles can be sped up with the same button, skipping moves that either go on for too long or attacks you’ve seen a few dozen times already. Combat is balanced in a way where grinding will be fairly necessary, but thankfully, a lot of the grinding can be done tackling a wealth of side quests that in turn, affect the Shares by increasing and decreasing those of particular nations. There is a lot to do here in respect to missions, crafting, special bosses, and battles, even if much of it is based entirely on repeating not just the same missions, but a vast overuse of the exact same environments that are simply called something else with a new arrangement of enemies and items within.
Depending on how you get on with certain characters and their voice acting, the story itself is largely serviceable to getting you from encounter to encounter. Like most visual novel JRPG’s, especially Azure Lane: Crosswave, a lot of key points and character traits are repeated throughout the story ad nauseam. This doesn’t drag down the story here as much as it did in Azure Lane, but there is often too much of a retread on certain plot points here and things like pudding where it can get a bit much sometimes. The overall narrative is Neptune attempting to get her memory back while teaming up with the other goddesses in order to stop a greater evil that threatens each of their lands. I enjoyed the build-up and the moments of each goddess coming on board, the fan service elements within, some of the voice acting, as well as the lore built around the big bad. Much of it works here when it pertains to the main characters, which thankfully, is most of the time.
When it comes to some of the supporting cast, they are only mentioned if they are actually part of the story. Early on in the game, I was given a few characters to add to my party; Peashy, Red, 5pb, Plutia, and Uzume, with the latter completely unusable due to a siren sound she makes when attacking that drove me to bench her indefinitely. While these characters proved useful, in fact, some are goddesses themselves, they are ignored throughout the entire game, even when the game illudes to me not having a full party when newcomers like IF and Noire joined, telling me I can finally have four members when I’ve been rocking a whole group for 5-6 hours already.
Each goddess can transform into what is called their HDD, a form befitting of a goddess, and the looks to match, even if IF herself was almost outpowering them in a few attacks; but then again, if you’re named after the publisher, that is sort of to be expected. These forms change their name, their appearance, and can dish out more damage as well. Neptune becomes Purple Heart, Vert becomes Green Heart, Noire becomes Black Heart, and Blanc becomes White Heart. You can also equip different parts and pieces to alter stats to their goddess forms or just a change to their look via a costume skin, allowing for some customization, even if 90% of the goddess parts you find are just for Purple Heart. This customization also translates to every character as well with an abundance of skins to change up their looks, with many of them not affecting their stats. While many of these are simple color swaps, there are some costumes that are entirely different, with color swaps of their own as well.
Combat is where ReVerse is at its strongest, even if there are a few big problems that I’ll address shortly. Combat is turn-based with a circle radius that illustrates your character’s full movable range. You can move anywhere within that circle and each weapon type has a range in itself. This sometimes allows you to attack multiple characters at once if enemies are close enough. Now, where this system often fails is moving the weapon cursor is incredibly janky, and trying to line up a multi-hit can have you moving your cursor all over the place to even just attempting to move it slightly to the left or right. This is made further annoying due to fact that characters have these invisible walls around them, blocking you from moving between party members even if there is a 4-foot gap in between them. I’ve had to cancel a character’s turn entirely or just have them buff another member of my party because I couldn’t even reach the enemy. This invisible barrier is oddly only on party members as I can get up close and personal with enemies and not have that same restriction. Apart from these issues, combat is rather enjoyable.
Each character has a selection of moves that fall into one of three categories: Rush, Power, and Break. Rush skills are weaker attacks but will build up your EXE bar faster, Power is a stronger attack that targets their core health, and Break is built around breaking down their guard, which will leave enemies open to taking even more damage during a Guard Break. In turn, these attacks also vary on increasing your EXE bar, which in itself consists of additional moves that don't consume it; it merely acts as a threshold for those moves. One bar filled on your EXE meter allows attacks that require a single bar filled, and two bars allow attacks that require two, and so on. Now, to consume the EXE bar itself, you'll use EXE-specific moves that can be very powerful. IF herself, has one of the strongest in the game, despite not being a goddess herself. These attacks are not too different than your SP Skills, which are flashy attacks that use SP points. Each of these attacks consists of custom and often lengthy animations, and with how many characters you have access to, it is a lot. One of my favorites is Tekken, as one of her SP Skills has this lengthy slowdown shot of a massive uppercut.
The EXE system alone is a very interesting one as consuming the bar with EXE attacks, reduces the access to EXE-powered finishers, which in turn can be pretty powerful attacks themselves, not to mention turning a three attack combo into a series of four attacks. Some of these moves are also accessible due to your bond via the Lily system, a relationship-like mechanic that sees additional attacks and skills unlocked as characters are used in unison. While four characters can take part in battle, each character can have one in reserve, linked together to forms bonds or to switch to if the fight demands it. It's not as in-depth as other bond-based battle systems we've seen before, but it's certainly welcomed here to gain access to more abilities even if the payoff isn’t as impressive as it could be.
Neptunia's battle system allows for you to customize your move set, using a finite system of having a certain amount of points to flesh out your three types of attacks with up to three attacks each. Characters will attack in a series of strung-together combos using what you have equipped. Some attacks cost more to equip than others, allowing a certain level of balancing to play out here. As you level up, you will earn more points to allocate, more moves to choose from, and swapping to those new moves can see big increases in your power. So it is wise to check back every level or so to see what has been unlocked and how it may serve you.
Equipping your character with weapons, armor, and accessories will see certain stats skyrocket, which is the norm for really any game with these systems. However, you can also use various digital media like discs, memory cards, and hard drives to add in perks and then burn those to a disc and equip them. These perks range from increasing or decreasing damage, as well as from what sources or how much experience or money you earn in battle. However, each drive requires certain levels of items to do so, and many of mine required a Yellow Level 1 perk, an item I really never encountered enough to use many of these drives. It also will factor in how often you use a character, and in fact, many characters enter and leave your party all the time, but will hold onto the items you give them, so be warned when they leave with your stuff for an extended period of time. In fact, one character left my party for almost five hours, housing one of the strongest discs I’ve burned, and took it with them.
Another system that lends itself well is the Plan system. As you progress, you'll unlock plans that require materials to workshop them. These include variants on all dungeons, new items in the shop, as well how you'll access easy or hard modes. In fact, these work a lot like how Nier Automata used their memory slot system as these plans are equipped using the same sort of system. Each plan uses as little as 1MB, and while you'll start out with around 64MB, if I recall correctly, you'll eventually have well over two thousand by the time you even come close to wrapping credits. I never once felt I was anywhere near reaching that limit but for those that seriously sink in time here, there is a metric ton to work towards, even if I don't feel the game earns it.
One of the only new pieces of content to ReVerse is in its fishing mode. Here, you can fish for various things in unique little fishing holes that unlock as you progress throughout the story. You can fish for items, weapons, and more, and failing to haul something up will result in enemies attacking you and your party members. While it’s not as extensive as Ratchet and Clank, or Returnal, the mini-game does use the haptic feedback of the Dual Sense, but not in any way that is impressive or justifies the PS5-only nature of the game. The mode is not really well implemented, or really that fun, but some of the items you can earn through it are decent enough but could have easily just been plans or found in the shop instead.
While ReBirth was a decent enough-looking title way back when, the jump to being a PS5 exclusive does hurt the overall package here when it comes to what the title looks like now. Sure, the boosts to resolution and framerate here are far and away better, as are the UI systems and reflections, but it’s still unfortunate that the game just doesn’t take advantage of the PS5 in really any way. Character models are ok, but never impress, and while the 2D artwork and visual novel models are incredibly clear and well done, the environments just can’t shake that Vita look, and it shows, despite the cleaner textures and reflections. If this wasn’t a “new” version of the game, and rather just a cleaned-up version of ReBirth through backwards compatibility, I would be far more lenient on it, but this is a combination of being a remaster and remake sold at nearly full price exclusively for the PS5, so it doesn’t quite earn that leniency when ReBirth is less than a third the price.
Neptunia: ReVerse is the best looking and running version of this game for sure, and newcomers will find something to like if Waifu-based JRPG’s are their thing. However; with ReBirth being vastly cheaper and containing the exact same story, it’s hard to recommend ReVerse at its current price and the fact it does little to earn its place as a PS5 exclusive. Comparisons aside, this definitive edition is a solid enough game with some fun laughs across its fairly enjoyable story, even if some aspects of the narrative are repeated a bit too often. Combat is certainly a good time, but the excessive reuse of environments causes combat to feel less impressive when you’re seeing the same six or seven environments over and over again. ReVerse is a title where it often takes one step forward with a good idea, but one step back on its execution, making it a very inconsistent game in its own right. Still, it’s far better than it’s not, it’s just a shame that Idea Factory didn’t bring the goods on their first PS5 release.
Developer - Compile Heart, Felistella. Publisher - Idea Factory. Released - June 8th, 2021. Available On - PlayStation 5. Rated - (T) Fantasy Violence, Language, Suggestive Themes. Platform Reviewed - PlayStation 5. Review Access - A review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.