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Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos Review

Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos Review

Idea Factory's Neptunia games are some of my favourite titles, and the vast majority of them are roleplaying games. Every now and then, they release a spin-off title, such as an idol game, or a SHMUP, or Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos. The spin-offs usually focus on one of the other main characters, because the games are named after Neptune, they're usually focused on her. This one features Uzume Tennouboshi as the main character, and is a kind of third-person racing/action game.

Uzume starts off absolutely in love with Dogoos. They bring meaning to her life, brighten every day, and — yes, you'd be correct in being very suspicious of this behaviour, as nobody actually likes Dogoos. Uzume comes to her senses and takes off on a motorcycle, vowing to find her friends, the Goddesses (AKA the franchise main characters). So, she holds up in some kind of room which acts as a hub. Nobody ever actually references the room, so it's literally there just to let you choose which level to play, not that you have to even move since you can just select a level in the menu.

Levels in Riders VS Dogoos all play the exact same way; you and a partner have to drive motorbikes around to collect 100 Dogoos before the opposing players can do it. Each level has more than 100 Dogoos, and you can attack the enemies to steal any Dogoos they happen to be carrying, or at least a portion of them depending on your character’s attack power. There are close-range and long-range attacks, as well as a boost, jump, and you can drift — which has the added bonus of increasing the Dogoo capture circle around your bike.

Each of the five worlds (three levels in each) has its own hazards, and Neptunia enemies are usually scattered around the place, which can attack you to knock Dogoos off of your bike. You can also attack them, but apart from maybe giving you a Dogoo there’s not much point as they respawn pretty quickly, and your attacks have a cooldown.

There are dozens of different types of Dogoos to find across the levels, some of which add abilities such as a higher jump, others make it easier to grab more Dogoos, and some even slow you down or shrink you! It’s not always easy to see which ones you’re picking up, depending on the level.

After you complete a level you can replay it to earn more BP, used to buy upgrades and costume accessories. Complete it solo (without a partner), for one, and finish under a time limit for the other. Even if you accomplish either of these during your first play, tough, you have to redo it to earn the bonus. After all, if you want those head things Anya Forger wears, or a (legally distinct) shield like Link, you’ll need all of the points that you can get. The bike upgrades are neat, but honestly, there isn’t a noticeable difference in performance.

One of the things I really like about the Neptunia titles is the writing. It’s always littered with references to other game franchises and those make me giggle. Unfortunately, a lot of that is missing from Riders VS Dogoos. About half of the game is the fully voiced cutscenes, with Japanese and English dubs, but it doesn’t really do anything much with it. The majority of it is characters talking about the strange dimension they’re in, and how everyone is acting weird and loving Dogoos. Some of the level titles are references to things, and some of the Dogoos are too, but the usually fun dialogue is just ordinary discussions?

The cutscenes are a step up from the usual, with fully 3D models moving and interacting over the visual novel-style text much better than previous Neptunia games. While they usually move a little, they actually seem animated in this game.

Visually, Riders VS Dogoos is just fine. It’s made in Unity, so there’s nothing wrong with it, it looks just like a Neptunia game made in Unity. Some of the motorbike designs are fun, and the levels are distinct, but there’s not much more that I can say about them.

As far as music goes, it’s a lot of the usual Neptunia music, but to my surprise, there are some new tracks too. Idea Factory likes to reuse assets, so whenever something sounds new it’s always welcome. The voice acting is, as always, great but I just wish they had a better script to work with this time.

With a playtime of about four hours, Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos is one of the shortest Neptunia titles. That’s not to 100% completion, but it includes finishing the game and replaying a couple of levels to get more BP.

Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos is the first time that I’ve been disappointed in an Idea Factory title. It’s not even a budget title, priced at £31.99, the same price as the 15+ hour long spin-off Super Neptunia RPG from 2018, and that game has more than one thing to do over and over again. The motorbikes don’t go fast enough to make things hectic, the enemies aren’t really a hurdle, and it’s just catching 100 Dogoos over and over again…

5.00/10 5

Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos (Reviewed on PlayStation 5)

The game is average, with an even mix of positives and negatives.

Quite a disappointment, with only glimmers of fun to have peeking through the bike exhaust.

This game was supplied by the publisher or relevant PR company for the purposes of review
Andrew Duncan

Andrew Duncan

Editor

Guaranteed to know more about Transformers and Deadpool than any other staff member.

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