Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed Critic Reviews

Like so many other "problematic" games before it — both in the genre and beyond it — Hyperdimension Neptunia U shows that it's possible to turn a blind eye to certain issues when everything else is just so much fun.

The gameplay is faster than ever before, and taking the Hyperdimension cast and plopping them into a mini-Dynasty Warriors game works surprisingly well.

What Tamsoft nailed was the core action brawler gameplay loop. This game plays every bit as well as anything else Tamsoft has created, and the Hyperdimension coat of paint over the top is just gravy.

As long as you can deal with a little skin and a silly plotline, Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed is a fun little action romp.

Hyperdimension Neptunia U is a superb tie-in, a saucy parody and most importantly a satisfying handheld brawler in its own right.

Some minor hitches aside, this is a great beat ‘em up, and hopefully the start of many Neptunia brawlers to come.

We've enjoyed this spin-off more than some of its main episodes. It's action-based, so those looking for an RPG will be disappointed, but we think it deserves a try.

Hyperdimension Neptunia U is a fast paced, high octane action game that is fun to play, but can be quite easy at times. The story mode will keep you entertained for at least 10 hours, but don't expect it to be as vast and as huge as it's JRPG counterparts.

A fun game that doesn't last too long. It's simple and has really some basic controls that anyone can handle. Although this could become a really good option for beginners to start in action games, fans of the series will feel that the experience is too short and easy when compared with other games.

A comedic script will keep you entertained as you hack and slash through dozens of stages. The shine and polish of games done before this one is missing, thus leaving it a shell of what it could, and should be. Fans of the series will undoubtedly have fun, but new players could get bored quickly.

If you’re a fan of musuo combat and witty humour, and you don’t mind some repetition when getting your fight on, you could do a lot worse on Vita than Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed.

This JRPG franchise evolves to offer an active gameplay system that put's it nearer to the hack'n slash genre, but with that change, also loses some of the key characteristic on the series.

Cheesy titillation aside, this is very possibly Tamsoft's best game.

The questing formula is pretty basic and repetitive, with the other two unlockable modes providing little relief. It is a game that doesn’t keep you engaged for long, but while it does have you there, it provides good entertainment.

It's an interesting spin off for true fans of the saga, but everyone else won't be involved enough in the lore to get what's going on.

With the recent release of Hyperdimension Noire setting the bar for quality and creativity for all Neptunia games to follow, I feel this one just falls well below the mark.

Neptunia U is an oddball — it's a solid game that excels in some aspects, but is equally forgettable.

In the end, Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed is a decent button-masher built around the polarizing Neptunia brand, with an overabundance of pointless banter that even the most hardcore fans may grow weary of.

Overall, this is an attractive and amusing game that is pleasing on the eye as well as the ear that is great for a fun quick blast in the middle of the day, during your commute or simply whenever you feel like it.

Existing fans of the Hyperdimension Neptunia series may feel a bit like lab rats being consistently subjected to different genres while the next main RPG is in the works. It would be acceptable if every game were a masterwork of its respective genre, but of course that isn’t the case here.