Publisher: Idea Factory
Developer: Idea Factory
Medium: Digital/Disc
Players: 1
Online: No
ESRB: T
One of Megadimension Neptunia VIIR?s big selling points is that it?s added VR features to 2016?s Megadimension Neptunia VII. Full disclosure: I don?t have PSVR, which means I have no idea whether their inclusion here makes a substantial difference. I mean, given that we?re talking about a JRPG, I have a hard time imagining that VR would transform the game in any major way, but in the interest of fairness, I feel that?s probably worth noting.
That said, the game?s other selling point is that it?s an enhanced version of Megadimension Neptunia VII, featuring a new engine and a new battle system. As someone who played — and was mostly indifferent towards — Megadimension Neptunia VII, the promise of such changes was enough to at least pique my interest.
Turns out that my usual rule of thumb when it comes to Neptunia games still holds true: they?re only worth playing when they stray from the standard JRPG formula. In the case of Megadimension Neptunia VIIR, which is based on one of the series? mainline entries, this means that what you see is what you get. (However, it also theoretically means that the VR portions might be worthwhile — though, again, I can?t comment on that front).
By which I mean: much of what I said last time out about Megadimension Neptunia VII still applies. Sure, it looks a little nicer thanks to the updated engine, but these games aren?t exactly graphics powerhouses. Likewise, the battle system may be slightly updated, but we?re still talking about parties engaging in turn-based battles — it?s not like they?ve reinvented the wheel.
On the bright side, I guess, if you didn?t play Megadimension Neptunia VII, then Megadimension Neptunia VIIR offers you a perfect chance to jump in and get a slightly improved experience than you would have otherwise. But that just raises the question: who would be interested in a Neptunia game that didn?t play Megadimension Neptunia VII, but suddenly needs to play now? I can?t imagine there?s a huge audience for this out there, but for those elusive few holdouts, now is as good a time as any to jump in.
Idea Factory provided us with a Megadimension Neptunia VIIR PS4 code for review purposes.