Overview – developed by Idea Factory and Compile Heart, with publishing by Idea Factory International, Neptunia Virtual Stars is an action RPG where the goddesses of Gamindustri enter the digital world or Virtualand. The four CPU goddesses cross over with Vtubers in this third person adventure, set in a world where content brings life to the world itself. This title is available on PlayStation and Steam, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Idea Factory International for providing the copy of Neptunia Virtual Stars that was used for this piece, via the Keymailer Service. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story. Please note, I will only be covering the core gameplay mechanics of the game, as there are many different elements of the game that I want players to experience firsthand. I have previously covered other titles in the Neptunia series, which you can find (HERE)
Story – Virtualand, a digital world that exists among the networks of various dimensions. In this world, the planet Emote is facing extinction, invaded by a malevolent force known as Antis. To save her world, the Digital Goddess of Emote, Faria, sends a distress signal to other worlds, searching for a savior. The call is answered by the rising Vtubers Me and You of Mewtral, along with the Goddesses of Gamindustri. Can Mewtral and the Goddesses stop the Antis and save Emote from Destruction?
Gameplay – Neptunia Virtual Stars is a third person Action RPG, with a focus on dungeon crawling and fast paced combat. The story plays out over the course of several chapters, which are pushed forward by completing the objectives for that chapter. During the course of the game, players will spend the majority of their time in the different Dungeon locations of the Planet Emote. Here they will explore the vibrant areas while engaging in battle with dangerous foes.
While players make their way through the different locations, various enemies will spawn in and attack the player. These enemy spawns can also affect the area that the foes can appear, trapping the player in a closed arena with the only way out being victory or death. To overcome the foes that are encountered, there are two distinct play styles that can employed in battle with the Antis. These styles offer different battle mechanics, with some skills shared between them.
To cover the shared abilities, all characters have the ability to use V-Skills that can deal massive damage to enemies. These abilities use MP which is shown on screen building up over time. If players do not have any MP they will be unable to use V-Skills, but there is a skill that can be used at all times. The Heart Tune ability is a very special power, which lets players recover lost health and MP. This can be used at any time, and will be very useful when low on healing items.
When playing as the Goddesses, the gameplay uses a third person shooter style, with the four Goddesses having a unique weapon. The protagonist Neptune uses an assault style attack, which is fast with a lower damage output. Then there is Noire, who uses a slashing style weapon that can stun enemies quickly. Vert uses a burst style attack, which hits multiple times and Blanc has a charge attack, which can deal massive damage if fully charged up.
The Goddesses can also use Boost, which will allow them to move swiftly across the battlefield. This is very useful when dodging enemy attacks, the boost will last for a limited time with a stylish maneuver when it expires. Then there is the Tokimeki Flash, which is a powerful status that is activated when the purification gauge is filled on screen. This deals massive damage to the enemy, while reducing the enemy strength and capability to fight for a short time.
When playing as the Goddesses, they can be switched freely, giving players the option to switch weapon types on the fly to deal with a variety of enemy types. Some care must be taken when using the Goddesses, as they all share the same health bar, meaning if all HP is lost they will be unable to act unless they are revived as a team. The Goddesses start off with 10 HP, but this can be increased to a maximum of 30 via equipped effects (explained further below).
The other style of play is the Vtuber Idols, where the players as MEWTRAL (with another duo that appears during the story) can engage in tense hack and slash action. When using the Goddesses, only one will be active at any time, whereas the Vtuber team are both active at the same time. The active Idol can be switched, with the other giving some support during action. They have their own health bars, so if one is taken down, the other can keep going.
The duo MEWTRAL are made up of Me, who wields a keyboard sword for up close melee attacks that can deal some big damage quickly. Then there is her companion You, who is armed with a harp bow, letting her attack enemies from a distance and support her partner Me. The two action styles have areas that they excel in, but they are vulnerable if they are overwhelmed. This can happen to the CPU character, so it is advised to keep an eye on them during the action.
The two of them have access to a dodge skill called Step Charm, which grants infinite MP for a time which can be key to success when using the Vtuber Idol Duo. They also have Execution Finisher, which can be triggered by defeating enemies with skills, giving a stylish ending to the target. When successfully pulling off an Execution Finisher, the player will gain enhanced health regeneration or MP limit for a limited time. Use both these skills to maximize damage to enemies.
As the player defeats enemies, they will earn experience points which will increase the level of the Goddesses and V-Idols. As they gain levels, the base stats will gain some boosts and strengthen the overall capabilities of the characters. Defeated Antis will also provide items, resources and most importantly Emotion Spheres, which are the currency for this title. The total number of collected spheres are shown on screen, building during play.
Players can also find chests and breakable boxes scattered through dungeons. The boxes will often contain Emote Spheres, along with the occasional items. Then there are the chests, which will have an image on them that scrolls through the item types, that the player can stop on the one they want. There are also save points, which heal the player and let them save the game. If the player is defeated, they lose half their Emote Spheres and be kicked out of the dungeon.
Then we come to the Emotion Gauge, a special meter in the shape of a heart that beats on screen, building up as enemies defeat Antis. It is used the two Emotion Arts, with the first being the Vtuber Guest system. During the game, players will encounter Antis that hold special cubes containing Vtubers captured by the invading force. When they have been rescued, the player will be able to call on them for support by using up a portion of the Emotion Gauge.
The type of support provided varies based on the Vtuber rescued, with some offering offensive support and others giving more restorative and defensive support. When calling on a Vtuber, they will be chosen at random from the pool of rescued Vtubers. Then we have Emotional Overdrive, an ultimate attack where all enemies can be assaulted by the Goddesses or V-Idols. During Overdrive, a special roulette can occur, giving players special items while Overdrive is active.
On the Subject of Vtuber Cubes, they act as equipment for the playable characters as well as supports. Each of the Goddesses and V-Idols can have up to 5 Cubes equipped, with each of them offering different stat changes. These include altering the attack, defense and maximum HP of the characters. There is no limit to the number of duplicate Cubes that can be collected, as there are more powerful variations can be found when playing, adding depth to the cube system.
At set points during the dungeons, players will encounter powerful boss enemies that must be defeated to progress. These bosses use the MV Battle System, which use special songs by the V-Idol saviors to influence the course of battle. The songs are also tied to a tug of war system, with the player entering a special state called Resonance Mode. In this state, if the player fulfills a certain condition, they can activate Finish Drive, an ultimate attack that deals massive damage to the Boss.
Outside of the dungeons, the players can access two base areas that they will be able to move around between excursions. The first area is The Cloud, a special management facility where the Digital Goddess Faira resides. In this area, the player can deposit Emote Spheres, check all of their collected items, Vtuber items and CG scenes from the story. The cloud is an important area, as it will allow players to visit new areas, which will then be added to the warp gate.
Last we have NeoTube Plaza, a colorful hub that contains various facilities that can be used when visiting this place. While in the Plaza, Emote Spheres can be used to unlock facilities and improve them by speaking to Nol, a giant cat that is MEWTRAL’s number one fan. The facilities that can be accessed are item shops, where supplies and accessories can be bought, as well as an option to strengthen Vtuber Cubes. There is even a community board, where side quests can be found.
Inside the Plaza are the BeatTik Studio and Video Battler. BeatTik allows the player to create cute dance videos, all through the power of a rhythm action mini game. Dress up the Goddesses and V-Idols with accessories collected during the adventure, maximize the Kawaii points and tap along to the beat of the song. Build up the ranking and unlock new stages to perform on, adding more variety to the dance videos that are made in the studio.
The videos that are made can be used in the Video Battler, where they can be turned into Items and Rad Colle Cards. These are added to the collection, with over 300 of them to collect and add to the collection, with ratings from N all the way to SSR. To create BeatTik videos and items from them, the player needs two resources from the dungeons. These are Live Crystals for recording and Video Stones for item generation, with each video creating one unique item.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to move onto the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – The movement for characters and the camera uses the traditional twin stick style, with all of the action inputs on the face buttons. In V-Idol mode, the player can lock on to enemies and in Goddess mode, the player can focus aim and strafe/shoot with the triggers. The special skills and character switches use the shoulder buttons, combined with the face buttons for easy hot keys. There are also hot keys for the D-Pad and touch pad, with all controls being easy to pick up and play.
Difficulty – this is a challenging title to start, as the player is relatively under powered and it can be even tougher when using MEWTRAL as the CPU partner can be swarmed easily. However, as the player obtains more powerful Vtuber cubes, levels up and strengthens their Idols the difficulty will balance out. The most challenging parts of the game are the boss battles, which can be even tougher if going in unprepared. Thankfully, the punishment for death isn’t severe.
Presentation – the overall style for Virtual Stars is something pretty special. At first glance, the game looks like your typical Neptunia adventure, with the gorgeous CG art and vibrant models. However, when MEWTRAL are introduced, things change as they are visually different from the rest of the characters. Then we get the guest Vtubers, who appear in loading screens introducing themselves, to the side when rescued, acting as supports and to cheer the player on.
This difference in looks for the Vtubers and Goddesses may feel odd, but it works well, showing that they are from different worlds. The story scenes are Pre-LIVE 2D, so they don’t look as animated as newer titles, but I think it works better this way. The music is excellent as always, especially the special Idol songs featured in battle and as the theme for the intro. The Voices are Japanese only, as it features real Vtubers, alongside the returning Neptunia cast who are fantastic as always.
Final Thoughts – The premise of Neptunia and Vtubers crossing over is what sold me on this game, as the series often takes inspiration from what is happening at the time. This direction was something I enjoyed, as I knew some of the guests featured. I was fully engrossed in the story, being pulled into every twist of the narrative, wanting to find out what happened with each turn. The inclusion of art from previous games like Mary Skelter 2 was also a very nice touch.
The action is fast paced, frantic and a hell of a lot of fun, with the addition of music as a key element of boss battles elevating it further. There is one weakness to the experience, as the V-Idol hack and slash combat is a little weak compared to the shooting. This doesn’t ruin the game, but the CPU controlled partner can cause some frustrations in tense moments. That being said, I am more than happy to recommend this to everyone, especially those who are fans of action RPG titles.
In the end, I give Neptunia Virtual Stars a final score of 4.5/5. This is another excellent action RPG, capitalizing on the popularity of Vtubers and Virtual Idols at the time, delivering an engrossing story, endearing characters and a solid third person hack n’ slash/shooter experience. if you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
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