Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2: Sisters Generation

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2 is an extended port of Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2, the second part of the satirical jRPG series, whose heroines are personifications of consoles and Japanese developers. The title was originally released on PlayStation 3 in 2011. After the success of Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1, the developers from Compile Heart studio and Idea Factory decided to do the same with its sequel. The port was once again done by Felistella studio, responsible for jRPGs from the Summon Night series. unlike the first Re;Birth, Re;Birth 2 introduces smaller changes to the gameplay of the original, but still contains a number of improvements, as well as new characters, missions and scenarios, some of which appeared in DLCs.

Plot

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2 is not a direct continuation of the first part of the series. However, the game also tries to present the "war" between supporters of individual consoles and the fight against computer piracy in a satirical way. The heroines of the title are once again the goddesses of the fictional world of Gamindustri, ruling four lands, corresponding to different console platforms. The cast expands with a new protagonist - Nepgear, who is the younger sister of Neptunia, known from Hyperdimension Neptunia and Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Brith 1. Nepgear, along with other characters who are personifications of mobile consoles such as PSP and Nintendo DS, will try to stop a group of mysterious antagonists belonging to the Magicon organization threatening Gamindustri.

The plot of the title isn't taking itself seriously. In dialogues, characters often break the so-called "fourth wall", turn directly to the players, or realize that they appear in the game, pointing out its many tropes and mechanical solutions characteristic for Japanese RPGs. Players will also find here many references to the situation in the industry or references to specific titles and popular genres.

Mechanics

As in the first part of the game, we spend most of our time exploring various undergrounds and closed locations as well as fighting with encountered enemies. In order not to make the game too monotonous, it is diversified with cut-scenes. They are realized in a standard way for this type of game. The dialogues read by the actors are accompanied by the text displayed at the bottom of the screen and large portraits of the characters involved in a conversation.

The turn-based combat system allows up to eight female heroines to take part in battles. Only four of them take part directly in the fight, the remaining ones occupying the second row and supporting those in the front. We assign one warrior to each supporter - that warrior will be healed, and her attacks and defense strengthened with appropriate abilities. As in the first part, the combat system consists mainly of making combinations of different attacks and transforming the heroines into their stronger "divine" form, for which we "pay" with the points gained during the fight. When you see enemies moving around the map, you can now avoid or initiate battles yourself. In addition, we are helped in combat by summons, which are characters known from games produced by Neptunia's developers; they represent both classic Sega titles and newer games, such as Atelier Totori.

Technical aspects

The graphics in Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2 haven't changed significantly compared to the original. The developers have modified small elements such as the interface and maps. The detailed character designs and 2D graphics are decent. Unfortunately, the 3D models of characters and creatures, as well as locations suffer from low-quality textures and a small number of polygons.

Last updated on 20 May 2024