Fourth (or possibly seventh, depending on how you look at it) mainline installment in the Hyperdimension Neptunia series, Megadimension Neptunia V-II tells an enjoyably silly, satirical and allegorical story about the upheaval that comes to the games industry any time there’s a new generation of hardware.

Developer: Compile Heart, Idea Factory
Publisher: Idea Factory International
Available on: Windows PC, PS4

Cover Game Articles

Megadimension Neptunia V-II: Introduction - Since its original appearance in 2010, the Neptunia series has grown from a niche-interest RPG into one of developer Compile Heart’s biggest success stories. This is a particularly remarkable achievement, given that the first installment in the series didn’t have a strong critical reception at all — while review score aggregation isn’t an exact science by any … Continue reading Megadimension Neptunia V-II: Introduction →

Megadimension Neptunia V-II: Historical Context and Mechanics - The Neptunia series may only have been with us since 2010, but it’s already a mainstay of the modern Japanese gaming landscape. It wasn’t an entirely smooth ride for the series in the early days, though; in many ways, given the extremely poor critical reception the first game, it’s surprising that we’ve seen as many Neptunia games over the years … Continue reading Megadimension Neptunia V-II: Historical Context and Mechanics →

Megadimension Neptunia V-II: Narrative, Themes and Characterisation - While dismissed by many mainstream critics as lightweight, disposable moe fluff, the Neptunia series actually has some of the sharpest, most on-point writing in the business. Both strongly allegorical and satirical, the series as a whole has evolved its treatment of its narrative themes and characters from installment to installment, roughly in keeping with trends in the gaming business … Continue reading Megadimension Neptunia V-II: Narrative, Themes and Characterisation →

Megadimension Neptunia V-II: Sights and Sounds - One of the most appealing elements of the Neptunia series for fans is its consistent and instantly recognisable aesthetic. This is largely the work of artist Tsunako. In fact, the Neptunia series at least partly came about as a result of developers Idea Factory and Compile Heart wanting to give her artwork a more prominent role after her previous … Continue reading Megadimension Neptunia V-II: Sights and Sounds →

Other Articles about Megadimension Neptunia V-II

Reflections on PlayStation Vita - At the time of writing, Sony has just announced that production of the PlayStation Vita will be ending in 2019, with no plans for a successor. This follows news from earlier this year that we’re counting down the days until the last Western physical Vita release, with many of the last releases coming in limited … Continue reading Reflections on PlayStation Vita →

The “Build a Harem” Tag - It’s been a while since a Community tag post, so let’s let our hair down a bit, since the ever-charming Raistlin was kind enough to nominate me with some very nice words! This particular tag originated from Cactus Matt over at the excellent Anime Q and A blog — he’s a frequent collaborator with a … Continue reading The “Build a Harem” Tag →

Waifu Wednesday: Uni - We’ve already covered quite a few Neptunia waifus in our weekly Waifu Wednesday celebrations, but there are still plenty more where those came from. And with today being the six-year anniversary of the release of Hyperdimension Neptunia mk. 2 in North America, I figured it’s only fitting we show our appreciation for one of the CPU Candidates, … Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Uni →

Waifu Wednesday: IF and Compa - I can’t in good conscience separate these two, so it’s a two-hander for this week’s Waifu Wednesday as we give thanks for the lovely IF and Compa. Recurring characters in the Neptunia series since its very inception, IF and Compa are the personifications of developer-publisher Idea Factory and subsidiary developer Compile Heart respectively. They’re an inseparable … Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: IF and Compa →

Cyberdimension Neptunia: Narrative, Themes and Characterisation - One of the interesting things about the Neptunia series as a whole is that it doesn’t really have an overarching “big plot” as such, but nonetheless sees each of its characters getting plenty of development. Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online is an especially intriguing case in that, although it is a spinoff title from the main … Continue reading Cyberdimension Neptunia: Narrative, Themes and Characterisation →

Waifu Wednesday: Noire - Noire is a consistently popular member of the Neptunia cast, and for a variety of reasons. For one, she personifies the range of consoles that have, to date at the time of writing, played exclusive host to the games in the series: Sony’s PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, with her younger sister Uni representing Sony … Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Noire →

Cyberdimension Neptunia: Action Neptunia’s Latest Evolution - While the Neptunia series is primarily known for being RPGs, developer Compile Heart’s frequent collaborator Tamsoft has had a number of shots at bringing the franchise into the real-time action realm. Over time, the scale and ambition of these “action Neptunia” games has expanded considerably, with Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online marking the most convincing realisation of the … Continue reading Cyberdimension Neptunia: Action Neptunia’s Latest Evolution →

Waifu Wednesday: Nepgear - A month of coverage for a Neptunia game is as good a reason as any to celebrate my favourite series waifu and indeed joint-favourite waifu of all time (alongside Amane from Grisaia). Yes, it’s Nepgear, the long-suffering sister of series protagonist, reluctant and self-conscious protagonist of her own games (Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 and its subsequent remake Hyperdimension … Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Nepgear →

Waifu Wednesday: Vert - Everyone has a favourite in the Neptunia cast, but even if she’s not top of your list, it’s hard to dislike Vert. The blonde-haired, big-breasted goddess of Leanbox personifies Microsoft’s Xbox platform as well as embodying the anime trope of “beautiful foreigner” thanks to her physical characteristics. And as with the rest of the Neptunia cast, there’s … Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Vert →

Some Thoughts on Localisation - Localisation is, it seems, a somewhat thorny issue these days — but it’s one worth discussing. Before I begin today, I’d like to emphasise that by no means am I attempting to present a “definitive” opinion here. By its very nature, this is a topic that is highly subjective and a matter of opinion, and … Continue reading Some Thoughts on Localisation →

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