Game Review: MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies

I was an unapologetic fan and evangelist of the first proper Neptunia game to grace the Vita (Re;Birth1… Producing Perfection doesn’t count). I bought it before I started writing game reviews, so I wrote a review on Amazon:

A completely under-rated gem of a game, Re;Birth1 takes everything I loved about videogames in the 80s and 90s (non-sensical, fun, laughable story and characters) and brought it to a 21st Century RPG which is beautiful to look at and tremendously fun to play.

The combat system is amazing, the crafting system is deep (as is the armoring and items system), the story is fun and makes little sense. The game doesn’t take itself too seriously, making constant references to the fact that it’s a remake, and that they are indeed in a video game.

As you can see, I was quite besotted. So, when I got the code for MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies, I was really, really excited: an action RPG set in the world that I love so much? It can only be fantastic!

And yes, it is good for the most part. But it also has its downsides.

Mustaches optional. Greatness as standard.

The best thing about the game is the gameplay: a very fun, button-mashing, combo-driven RPG that is reminiscent of the Senran Kagura series. Once you’re in that “ring”, there’s no stopping the fun. And because the battles are short and sweet, they are perfect for a portable console.

As you can see from my Amazon review of Re;birth1, the story and dialog were highlights for me: I was enchanted by the silliness and the self-aware, poking-fun-at-the-industry brand of humor. Sadly, Blanc didn’t receive quite the same quality of writing for her game than Nep Nep did. The story is very light and there’s no real sense of jeopardy. The self-aware humor is gone, and replaced by a very standard “high school anime girls” affair. It’s not bad, but it falls short of the great precedent set by its main-series predecessors.

Tamsoft, I love you so. — Characters, however, remain… interesting.

On the other hand, MTBNVSZ (isn’t that a mouthful?) has some advantages over previous entries, chief among which is the character roster: you can choose to play as pretty much any main character from the Neptunia universe, and you unlock more and more the more you play the story mode. I went with Tamsoft, because… well, see picture above.

Another thing this game has going for it is the variety of game-modes: there’s even coop multiplayer! I mean, how fun is that? I don’t particularly like interacting with other humans, but if that’s your thing, I imagine you’re over the moon by this addition.

In the graphics department, the game looks and runs beautifully at all times, but the menu design and UI is not really that great. The voice-acting is superb as is the norm for Neptunia games, but because the story and dialog are a bit lackluster, you’re better off sticking with the Japanese voice actors (you can choose between Japanese and English voicing).

Two's company, they say. What about four, then? — Two’s company, they say. What about four, then?

At the end of the day, MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies is not a main-line Neptunia game and it was unfair for me to approach it as if it was.

If you take it for what it is, this quirky action RPG will fill a ton of your time with fantastic fighting and plenty of character development from the girls we know and love.

It isn’t perfect, but it’s perfectly fine, and a really fun game, specially in short bursts.