Hyperdimension Neptunia (超次元ゲイム ネプテューヌ Chōjigen Geimu Neputūnu, lit. "Super Dimensional Game Neptune") is the first installment in the Hyperdimension Neptunia series on the PlayStation 3. It follows the story of Neptune, who is banished from Celestia in a battle to determine who can claim the title of True Goddess.
Due to Hyperdimension Neptunia's unprecedented success and popularity, it spawned a reboot: Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2, released August 18, 2011, which features a girl by the name of Nepgear - Neptune's younger sister and the CPU Candidate of Planeptune. The story takes place in a new Gamindustri with new faces and old ones from the previous title.
A remake of Hyperdimension Neptunia was made for the PlayStation Vita called Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1, which follows the story of Neptune once again in the world of the first installment's Hyperdimension. While the general story is the same, the plot and sequence of events is entirely different. This remake even features the CPU Candidates from mk2 who were not present in the original title.
Story[]
Gamindustri—
A parallel world protected by four goddesses,
who are engaged in a war with one another in Celestia.
Meanwhile in the human world, mankind wages war
with monsters unleashed by the being named Arfoire.
The tome, Histoire, contains the knowledge of the past
necessary to end both wars and shape the future.
What fate awaits Neptune in the present?
The goddesses' battle for Gamindustri, the Console War.
Mythology[]
Long ago, the world was united as one. However, when the four goddesses were born, a war began over who could best rule the world. Eventually, under these goddesses, the world split into four different lands, each worshiping one of the goddesses.
Setting[]
Gamindustri is comprised of two worlds: The World Below and Celestia. The World Below is where the humans reside and it is comprised of four floating contents: Planeptune, Lastation, Leanbox, and Lowee. Its population consists mostly of humans and monsters. Celestia is where the goddesses live and do battle in the Console War.
Gameplay[]
The World[]
Exploring the world in Hyperdimension Neptunia is done by a menu on each landmass. From the menu you can view information on the World, Land, and Nearby Land from the Explore command on the World Map. You can also Terraport when another land approaches the landmass you're on, visit the shop, or view the Blog of the goddess who presides over the current landmass.
Battle System[]
Hyperdimension Neptunia uses a third-person turn-based battle system. The player can use the Combo Branching feature to create custom combos by setting Combo Skills to buttons. Combos come in sets of 4 and all but the first entry can be altered. The usage of skills in the combo is heavily reliant on the amount of AP the character has.
Healing is done through Item Skills, which automatically activate when requirements are fulfilled in battle. In order to use Item Skills, the player needs the necessary materials. You can set the activation rate of an Item Skill by distributing skill points to each skill. The higher the percentage, the higher the chance of the Item Skill activating when the conditions are met.
Dungeon System[]
When traveling through dungeons, the player will always have a specified objective that needs to be completed. Depending on the dungeon, the requirements range between three things: obtain the specified item, defeat the specified monster, or reach the dungeon's exit.
When proceeding through the dungeon, the player may be faced with obstacles. When this happens, Dungeon Skills can be used. Each character has their own dungeon ability and the player can freely change between characters in the dungeon to utilize each of their Dungeon Skills.
Characters[]
CPUs (Goddesses)[]
- Neptune (Purple Heart)
- Voiced by: Rie Tanaka (Japanese), Melissa Fahn (English)
- The main character who conveniently lost her memory. She has the ability to transform during battle, significantly increasing her strength. She's usually energetic and optimistic. She tends to drag others into her problems without realizing it. Her personality changes completely when she transforms. She becomes more calm and rational, but can still be pretty oblivious.
- Noire (Black Heart)
- Voiced by: Asami Imai (Japanese), Erin Fitzgerald (English)
- The goddess presiding over Lastation. She's hardworking and polite; some call her the ideal goddess. On the other hand, she can try too hard, making her own efforts a waste. She cares a lot about what others think of her and seems to harbor many secrets about herself. Her goddess form is competitive, tough, and aggressive toward Neptune. She holds a strong grudge against Neptune and the party fights her multiple times.
- Vert (Green Heart)
- Voiced by: Rina Satou (Japanese), Tara Platt (English)
- The goddess presiding over Leanbox. Her quiet and feminine personality make her popular amongst her people, but it is rare for her to appear in public. She loves games to the point that it affects her ability as a goddess. Her goddess form maintains her soft speech and laid-back attitude. Not a fan of violence, she hardly ever initiates battles... but she does see Neptune as her nemesis.
- Blanc (White Heart)
- Voiced by: Kana Asumi (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)
- The goddess presiding over Lowee. She doesn't appear very often because she's shy. But she's still a reliable goddess who gets her job done. She tends to bottle up all of her emotions which occasionally leads to violent outbursts. Her goddess form retains most of the characteristics of her human form but her violent outbursts are amplified greatly. She's quiet and inexpressive. It's often difficult to understand what she's really thinking, though her hatred toward Neptune is obvious.
Makers[]
- Compa
- Voiced by: Kanako Sakai (Japanese), Cristina Vee (English)
- A nurse-in-training whose desire is to save troubled people. She becomes Neptune's ally to help save the world. She's quite oblivious to her surroundings, but has a dependable side as well. She and Neptune always get along since they seem to be on the same wavelength.
- IF
- Voiced by: Kana Ueda (Japanese), Kate Higgins (English)
- A member of the Guild who travels around the world. Through her travels, she's gained a wide range of knowledge and is usually very calm. On the other hand, since she's been traveling alone for so long, she can be a bit selfish and hard-headed. She ends up agreeing to help Neptune and Compa save the world.
- Nisa
- Voiced by: Kaori Mizuhashi (Japanese), Michelle Ruff (English)
- Gamindustri's Keeper of Justice, a heroine who appears in times of crisis. She's supposedly training to become a brave and passionate hero, but she's not very good at gathering information. She is the personification of the company Nippon Ichi Software.
- Gust
- Voiced by: Natsuko Kuwatani (Japanese), Cassandra Morris (English)
- A girl who travels the world while selling the items she crafts. She seems fragile and makes you want to give her a warm hug. She's also very strict with money. Her goal is to enrich people's lives with the items she invents. She is the personification of the company Gust.
- 5pb.
- Voiced by: nao (Japanese), Mela Lee (English)
- A popular pop-idol who is also the hostess of Hi-5 Radio. Her real name is Lyrica. While she seems confident and outgoing onstage as 5pb., her real persona as Lyrica is extremely shy. She is the personification of 5pb. Records.
- RED
- Voiced by: Kanae Itō (Japanese)
- A young girl who travels around Gamindustri searching for wives. Her personality is energetic, much like Neptune's. When she accidentally bumps into IF, she immediately declares her “Wifey Number 1.”
Antagonists[]
- Arfoire
- Voiced by: Chiaki Takahashi (Japanese), Laura Post (English)
- The main antagonist. She wishes to destroy Gamindustri and its goddesses. She is the cause of the monsters that have suddenly appeared on each of the landmasses.
Others[]
- Histoire
- Voiced by: Mika Kanai (Japanese), Stephanie Sheh (English)
- A tome that contains all the information and history regarding Gamindustri. She was sealed away by Arfoire during the Console War, but calls out to Neptune to help free her.
Music[]
- Opening Theme: Ryuusei no Bifröst by nao
- Ending Theme: Koi wo Game ni Shinaide! by Afilia Saga
A soundtrack CD was offered in the Japanese Limited Edition. The music for Hyperdimension Neptunia was done by Kenji Kaneko. The tracks throughout the game mostly use the same melody but a few tracks such do not follow this trend.
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- This is the only game in the series where the player can name characters, specifically the three goddesses that can be recruited. Because they can be given different names, all cutscenes refer only to their goddess names (Black Heart, Green Heart, and White Heart), however their human names (Noire, Vert, and Blanc) are present as the default names displayed on the naming screen along with being featured in the opening music video.
- The Premium NA box-art uses the Standard JP cover but due to censorship for Western audiences, Purple Heart's hand is placed where her cleavage is.
References[]
[]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||