Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos – Review

Overview – developed by Idea Factory and Compile Heart, with publishing handled by Idea Factory International, Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos is an action racing spin-off featuring the Goddesses of Gamindustri. A lone CPU Goddesses has found themselves in a mysterious dimension, surrounded by Dogoos and must find a way to escape with the others. This title is available for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation platforms 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 Riders VS Dogoos 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. For the sake of brevity, I will be referring to this game as simply Neptunia Riders. I have preiously covered other games in the Neptunia series, which you can find (HERE).

Story – Uzume, the Orange CPU Goddess is in an unknown dimension, being chased by a horde of Dogoos, slimes with dog-like features. Before this, she was in a trance being friendly with a Dogoo, before coming to her senses. Suddenly, she finds herself surrounded and must escape, finding a motorcycle that is strangely made just for her. With this bike she makes her escape, setting out on a quest to find her friends and escape this Dogoo world.

Gameplay – Neptunia Riders is a battle racing game, which plays out over 5 chapters and a prologue tutorial. The main objective for each stage is to collect a fixed quota of Dogoo, which are scattered across the stage. To accomplish this task, the player must drive into the various Dogoos, collecting them when they enter into the capture radius. But the player isn’t alone during these race stages, as there will be other riders who will try to collect Dogoos first.

During the tutorial, this will be a simple one on one racing battle, where the player learns the basics of bike combat. In the stages, the player can use a variety of skills to aid them in collecting the Dogoos. The main abilities are the drift, jump and boost, which will help the player cross the stage in style, with the drift expanding capture radius. Then there are combat skills, consisting of a melee and ranged attack, which will let the player steal opponent Dogoo.

The boost and attacks need to cooldown between uses, which adds a strategic aspect to the race combat. Then there are the Dogoo effects, which can affect the player, with some slowing the max speed of the player, giving them flight and more. The Dogoos can also be launched at the opposing riders, transferring negative effects to them, giving further depth to the combat experience. All of these mechanics make for a satisfying race combat experience.

Within the stages, there will be Dogoo boxes that contain a selection of random Dogoo that will be collected after breaking. Then there are enemies from other neptunia games that appear. These enemies can be attacked and will drop even more Dogoos to be collected, expanding the collection options. Some stages will also have unique gimmicks, like gates that have conditions to unlock, alongside unique stage specific mechanics.

When the game starts proper, the player will engage in two VS two racing battles, challenging elite Dogoo. But these are not the only opponents that appear, as the Goddesses of Gamindustri have been brainwashed, becoming infatuated with Dogoos. The only way to save them is to defeat them and their subordinates in bike battles. As each of the Goddesses are freed from their brainwashing, they will join the party as playable riders.

The player can use up to two characters at any one time, with a main and support rider. Each of the playable characters will have their own strengths and weaknesses, which will make them feel different during stages. But some of their capabilities can be affected by the bike they are riding, which can be altered by equipping them with new parts. These parts are unlocked during play, with new bike bodies, wheels and mufflers.

When modifying the bike, the changes aren’t all positive as there can be drawbacks to altering the parts. Some of the parts will give a boost in areas like acceleration and top speed, while lowing handling and boost power. This system makes experimentation important, mixing and matching parts for riders to find what works best. All of the parts, as well as cosmetic accessories for the riders are unlocked by spending BP earned during stages.

When stages have been cleared, the clear time will be added to the record, along with the Dogoos that have been collected. Stages that have been beaten will also have additional challenges after, with a solo clear and time target challenge. These are pretty self-explanatory, with the solo challenges needing only the main rider. However, the time challenges can be a little tougher, as the target times can be relatively tight during play.

Between stages, there is a mini hub world that can me wandered around, with the different worlds for each chapter on show. While in the hub menu, the player will also be able to access the library and customisation menus. The library menu contains a lot of information, with the most important being the Dogoo encyclopaedia. This gives players information about captured Dogoos, showing the effects that they have on riders during stages.

Last to discuss are the narrative segments, which will play between each of the stages. These narrative segments play out in two ways, with both animated cutscenes and relatively static visual novel style events. These scenes are fully voiced, making them easy to follow and making the characters expressive. If the player wants to revisit events that they have already seen, they can be accessed in the library, letting players refresh themselves on the story.

Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to cover the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.

Controls – the control scheme for this release is satisfying to play with a variety of controller options. All of the inputs are laid out in an easy to use manner, giving the game a pick up and play feel. When playing in handheld mode on switch, the game feels comfortable with the Joy-Con. Then we have big screen play, which offers an experience that felt good in the hands with a pro-controller and Dualshock 4. All input methods were responsive, with zero input delay.

Difficulty – Neptunia Riders is not the toughest game, with the experience being beatable in just a few hours. But the additional challenges are where the difficulty can increase, as the solo and time attack challenges can be tougher. The main game can be made a little more difficult by tackling all of the stages solo, or by using only the basic bike. Then for those who may struggle with some areas, the upgraded bikes can make optional stages easier.

Presentation – visually on both the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, the game is pleasing to the eye, with smooth animation and lag free performance. The PlayStation version has higher fidelity, but the general gameplay experience for both looks good. There is some compromise made with the Switch, especially in handheld mode, but it doesn’t compromise the experience. The animations and character models/art look good, with that distinct Nep charm.

Then we have the soundtrack, consisting of music that fits the motorcycle theme of the game well. The opening theme is a stand out, setting up the adventure perfectly, with a fast paced, energetic melody and beat. The event scenes round out the experience, with fully voiced dialogue available in both English and Japanese. The voice cast for the English dub features the iconic talents of Melissa Fahn (invader Zim), Erica Lindbeck (Helluva Boss) and more.

Final Thoughts – as a Neptunia fan, I was excited about Neptunia Riders, having heard about it all the way back in June of last year. So when I got the chance to play it, I happily took the opportunity to play it. I will say that it is not the longest experience, but it is still a fun and satisfying game that I will return to multiple times. The number of stages in game is limited, but the additional challenges and general replay value make up for this.

This is a satisfying experience to play, with a fun gameplay loop that can be enjoyed by everyone. There was little difference in terms of performance between the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, with a smooth and responsive gameplay experience. This makes the game approachable for those who enjoy play on a big screen or in a handheld form factor. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the game and I am happy to recommend it to everyone.

In the end, I give Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos a final score of 4.5/5. This is a fun and satisfying spin off in the Neptunia universe, offering an approachable experience that can be enjoyed by all. It is not the longest, but there is enough content on offer for players to sink their teeth into. If you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.

Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)

Link to PlayStation version (HERE)