Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory

Overview

Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory (神次元ゲイムネプテューヌV(ビクトリィー), Kami Jigen Game Neptune V (Victory), also known as Ultra Dimension Neptune V) is the third installment to the Hyperdimension Neptunia series. In this game, Neptune takes back the title of main character and is sent to a parallel dimension where she meets the counterparts of her friends in the original world. It was released in Japan on August 30, 2012^[2] and later released in North America, Europe,^[3] and Australia in 2013.

A remake of the game titled Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3: V Generation released for the PlayStation Vita in Japan on December 18, 2014. This remake featured a modified battle system, new story events, and new game mechanics such as the Remake System and Stella's ☆ Dungeon.

Story

A few years have passed since the Deity of Sin's destruction. Even though it has had a few small conflicts here and there, Gamindustri has remained peaceful, and all the CPUs have been living their carefree lives.

Then one day, Neptune—The CPU of Planeptune—is swept away to another dimension. The new dimension she arrives in is a very familiar Gamindustri, but with a nostalgic 80s feel to it...

She learns that a mysterious group called the "Seven Sages" have been planning evil schemes to eliminate the CPUs in this other Gamindustri.

Neptune's new journey to return home, as well as protect this other dimension, starts here...

Gameplay

World

On the world map, the shares of each nation are displayed in percentages. The shares will change based on the Guild quests the player completes. The world map also has numerous icons that represent towns, dungeons, and Lost Places.

Battle System

Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory uses a turn-based system like Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2, but much more refined. The characters are free to roam the battlefield within their movement range. Depending on the equipped weapon and any utilized Skills, the attack range will change.

The player can setup combos in the Main Menu's Combo Setup section for each character. Just like in Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2, there are three attack types: Rush (focused on the number of hits), Power (focused on raw damage), and Break (focused on lowering the foe's GP). By setting an attack skill in each slot, you will be able to preform a 4-attack combo. Once a combo has finished, the character's turn will end and the next turn will begin. AP is no longer used in this game, instead Combo Skills require CP (Cost Points) to set commands to each attack slot. CP can be gained from leveling up your characters.

This game also uses EX Finishers, but in a different way. You can set EX Finishers in any of the four slots, regardless of CP, under the EX Finish section of the Combo Skills menu. After using a combo, you will be able to preform an EX Finisher in the EXE Drive Gauge has at least one slot filled. Using EXE Finishers will not deplete the EXE Drive Gauge. There are also Assist Finishers which are included in EX Finishers. These involved the rear-positioned characters performing a team attack with the front row character they have been paired with.

The EXE Drive is new addition to the Neptunia battle system. By filling up the EXE Drive Gauge, character's can unleash powerful attacks. There are four slots to the EXE Drive Gauge and more powerful attacks require more slots to be used.

Disc Burning

The Disc Burning system is a new feature in Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory that allows the player to create game discs by using Blank Discs and Idea Chips that each have their own special effects. Depending on the combination, the player may be able to create two special discs: Godly Games or Sucky Games. Godly Games gets an additional ability along with the abilities from the idea chips. Sucky Games come with negative effects.

Item Creation

Just like in Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2, the player can use Item Development to create new items. With the necessary product proposals and materials, rare equipment and items can be made and then purchased in the store after their creation.

Scout System

The Scout System is a new feature in Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory that allows the player to send out Scouts to explore dungeons and bring back items, credits, other Scouts, or alter dungeons.

Nepstation

Nepstation is a TV program that can be viewed at the end of a chapter and on the TV in the Basilicom. The end-chapter Nepstation program is a review to rate how well you did in the chapter. The TV Nepstation programs consist of a News segment, a Shopping segment, and a Quiz segment.

Setting

The game takes place in an alternate world in the year 1989. The regions of Lowee, Leanbox, Lastation, and Planeptune exist in this world as well. However, the countries' cultures differ from those in Gamindustri. For example, Lowee's towns and cities are said to be modeled after a Japanese style of architecture.

Characters

CPUs

Neptune: Voiced by: Rie Tanaka (Japanese), Melissa Fahn (English); The main character of this game. After two long years of not being the main character, she is almost too excited to hop back on the pilot's seat. Her excessively cheery demeanor and random comments have gotten only more strange. Even though she finds herself in a pinch after being sent to another dimension, she manages to drag those around her into her own mess, with almost no apparent effort to do so. Neptune's grown up looks, sincerity, and lack of sympathy in CPU form are all quite different from her normal form. Usually, she is too lazy to transform into her CPU form, but when facing a strong opponent (or when she needs to sedate a wild Plutia) she will change into this form.

Noire: Voiced by: Asami Imai (Japanese), Erin Fitzgerald (English); This Noire is from the other dimension. Her personality and appearance are nearly identical to the other Noire, the biggest difference is that she has yet to become a CPU, and that she actually has friend – Plutia. She is always the first one to point out anything she finds strange. She already had her hands full with Plutia, but with Neptune joining the party, she is pulling her own hair out. That being said, she refuses to get sucked into their weird behavior. When Noire finally becomes a CPU her personality and expectations improve when she is in CPU form she often abandons pointing out anything strange and instead starts acting troublesome herself. Contrary to her human form, Noire joins Plutia in running wild, and the tables are turned against Neptune, who ends up having to keep the other two in check.

Vert: Voiced by: Rina Satou (Japanese), Tara Platt (English); The Vert from the other dimension. She is the CPU of a foreign nation. While the other three nations are fighting, she tries to invade their continent. She is the same as the Vert from Neptune's dimension in that she looks like the friendly, big sister type, but in reality she is a hardcore gamer. One small difference is that this version does not have any qualms when it comes to bragging about her “size.” In her CPU form, her personality does not change much. In anything, she acts more like a proper adult. Although her personality is normal when compared to others, when she spots trouble, she will do as she sees fit to resolve the situation. In that way, she is quite mature.

Blanc: Voiced by: Kana Asumi (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English); The Blanc from the other dimension. She is the same as the Blanc that Neptune knows. She is usually calm, but when she gets angry, there is no stopping her. Although she looks young, she has been the CPU of Lowee, the only well-established nation on the continent, for a long time. She gets worried when the new nations Planeptune and Lastation pop up. After losing her cool, she decides to take hostile actions but things don't work out as planned. In her CPU form, nothing remains her calm self and she is angry at all times. Her actions change from someone who plans ahead to someone who charges in headfirst. When she was alone, it never really bothered her, but when she finds out that other CPUs experience growth in a certain body region when they activate HDD, she gets even more furious.

Plutia: Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa (Japanese), Cherami Leigh (English); The CPU of the other dimension's Planeptune, and the second main character. Neptune calls her Plutie, “for short.” She is very laid-back and it is impossible to tell what she is thinking at any given time. Her hobbies include making stuffed dolls and taking naps. She does her job as CPU only when she feels like it, which is never. She rarely gets mad, but when she does, it spells trouble. In her CPU form, Neptune arbitrarily dubbed her “Sadie.” she loves to “take care” of others in this form, although her methods are... questionable. The way she talks is reminiscent of her human form, but that's precisely what makes her unpredictable and frightening. If anyone angers Plutia enough to bring out Iris Heart, that person will go through a very traumatizing ordeal.

Peashy: Voiced by: Aoi Yūki (Japanese), Sandy Fox (English); One of the three girls who was taken into Planeptune's Basilicom when Plutia decided to open a day care center. She is extremely energetic and cheerful, but really dumb. This does help her get along really well with Neptune, so the two often play together and sometimes get into some serious fights. Neptune recognizes that she possesses enough talent to become her rival in the future. She is later turned into a CPU by the Seven Sages. No trace of her human child form remains. Since she has had her memories altered and her body partially reconstructed, she is extremely powerful and the other CPUs cannot even compare. You might think that her mental faculties haven't improved at all, but she has learned to read and write simple words.

CPU Candidates

Nepgear: Voiced by: Yui Horie (Japanese), Christine Marie Cabanos (English); Neptune's little sister and the main character of the previous game. Against her peers' judgment, she adores her elder sister and journeys to the other dimension to bring her back. However, due to her demotion from main character to just another party member, she is treated like a punching bag. She is really troubled by the fact that she has almost no personality compared to the other oddballs around her. In her CPU form, her battle capabilities are much higher, but her personalty is pretty much the same. Unsurprisingly, she gets put down quite often even in this form.

Uni: Voiced by: Eri Kitamura (Japanese), Sarah Anne Williams (English); The little sister of Lastation's CPU, Black Heart. She is very diligent, but insecure. She often compares herself to her nearly flawless sister.

Rom: Voiced by: Yui Ogura (Japanese), Carrie Keranen (English); One of the younger twin sisters of Lowee's CPU, White Heart. She is the quiet one of the two.

Ram: Voiced by: Kaori Ishihara (Japanese), Shelby Lindley (English); One of the younger twin sisters of Lowee's CPU, White Heart. She is the rambunctious one of the two.

Other

Histoire: Voiced by: Kanai Mika (Japanese), Stephanie Sheh (English); The Histoire from the other dimension. Her nickname is Histy. This little one likes to talk with emoticons. She is really small, and Neptune has a field day thinking up new nicknames for her. She is very advanced, just like the original dimension's Histoire. However, due to her compact size, her processing speed is very slow. That being said, don't call her slow, because she will turn into Pissty, as Neptune says.

Makers

Compa: Voiced by: Kanako Sakai (Japanese), Cristina Vee (English); A nurse who is good friends with Neptune and IF in the original dimension. In this other dimension, she first appears as an infant. Compared with the impudent IF and the dumb-but-energetic Peashy, she is a good girl who doesn't require a lot of care. From childhood till adulthood she continues to insist that “Nep-Nep's all I need!” When she grows up she enrolls in a nursing school. She also helps out around the Basilicom. On top of her own responsibilities, she cooks for Neptune if she is hungry, or will even act as a human pillow for Plutia when she is tired.

IF: Voiced by: Kana Ueda (Japanese), Kate Higgins (English); Neptune's good friend in her original dimension. Nickname: Iffy. In this other dimension, she was taken into the Basilicom's care along with Compa and Peashy as an infant. When she becomes old enough to work, she's taken as job as a spy for Planeptune. She really tries to impress Neptune because of what happened in her youth, and likewise, she speaks very formally and carefully to Plutia because of something else that happened in her youth.

1st-Gen Compa: A Maker based on the no longer existent company Compile.

Ultra Dimension Falcom: Voiced by: Akemi Kanada (Japanese), Xanthe Hyunh (English); She is a novice adventurer, but is already highly skilled. She is jinxed to be struck by a storm whenever she travels by boat.

Hyper Dimension Falcom: Voiced by: Akemi Kanda (Japanese), Xanthe Huynh (English); The Falcom from Neptune's dimension. She carries around a violin case that conceals the devilishly powerful sword, Dragon Slayer.

MarvelousAQL: Voiced by: Hitomi Harada (Japanese), Kira Buckland (English); A bountifully-breasted girl that belongs to a certain ninja training organization.

CyberConnect2: Voiced by: Masumi Asano (Japanese), Dorothy Elias-Fahn (English); A girl that loves manga and games. She works with her community's hazard response team to keep the peace.

Broccoli: Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese), Karen Strassman (English); A girl who may seem a mite bit familiar. She rides a mysterious being and has an interesting speech quirk.

MAGES.: Voiced by: Kaori Furukawa (Japanese), Amanda Celine Miller (English); A defiant girl who calls herself the Mad Magician. She uses an original style of spell casting that combines science and magic.

Tekken: Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu (Japanese), Sherry Lynn (English); A female pugilist. She looks like a pushover, but she's been trained in martial arts extensively. She's a bit of a masochist and likes getting hurt.

Antagonists

Rei Ryghts: Voiced by: Yuu Kobayashi (Japanese), Julie Ann Taylor (English)^[4]; Holds the title of Leader of the Seven Sages, however, she gets picked on by the other six every day. She's very shy and lack confidence. She can barely talk in front of other people and doesn't really have any special powers. On the other hand, since the other six are always attacking her, in a sense, she keeps the peace within the Seven Sages. She's the leader of a citizen's group in the original world.

Croire: Voiced by: Mika Kanai Mika (Japanese), Cristina Vee (English); A fairy-esque tiny girl who talks like a crude boy. She's very mysterious. She seems to visit Rei just to talk down to or pick on her, and then leaves when she gets bored.

Anonydeath: Voiced by: Yuki Fujiwara (Japanese), David Vincent (English); A highly-skilled hacker. He's the brains of the seven sages. He's male, but claims to have the heart of a pure maiden. He can be kind of creepy. He always wears a mechanical suit, so no one has actually seen what he looks like. He's willing to do anything as long as it's fun, which, incidentally, is the only reason he joined the Seven Sages. He's not very good at fighting, so he stays behind the scenes to make things go as he wishes them to.

Mr. Badd: Voiced by: Kiyoyuki Yanada (Japanese), Keith Silverstein (English); An evil looking old man. That isn't his actual name, but no one really knows what that really is. He likes doing and planning bad things, which is how he became a member of the Seven Sages. Since he's the oldest (or at least looks the oldest), he usually plays the role of the facilitator. He has very special tastes, and thinks that things many consider ugly are actually beautiful.

Copypaste: Voiced by: Daisuke Kusonoki (Japanese), Patrick Seitz (English); The physical manifestation of an illegal game software copying tool. He is the powerful type of villain who thinks himself to be the strongest of the Seven Sages. Therefore, he's not really bright. He likes destroying things and copying game software, but since his specs aren't really high, he can only copy older software. Since most of his body is mechanical, even if he is defeated in battle, he can be fixed to fight another day, again and again.

Arfoire: Voiced by: Chiaka Takahashi (Japanese), Laura Post (English); She exists merely to kill CPUs. She doesn't really like hanging out with other people, but since the Seven Sages strive to get rid of all CPUs, she hangs out with them. But seeing as how Pirachu calls her an old woman, she may actually blend in nicely with the other Seven Sages. She really hates Neptune, perhaps because the Arfoire of the other world hated Neptune so strongly, it crossed dimensions somehow.

Pirachu: Voiced by: Neeko (Japanese), G.K. Bowes (English)^[5]; A mouse-type monster. The self-proclaimed mascot of rodentkind. He used to just use and distribute tools that enabled piracy, but somehow he was able to become one of the Seven Sages. Not very good at fighting, his main job is to handle miscellaneous tasks. He says Rei and Arfoire are old, and he never knows when to shut up.

Abnes: Voiced by: Yui Shoji (Japanese), Stephanie Sheh (English); In charge of public relations for the Seven Sages. Even before joining the Seven Sages, she has always been working to save the children of the world. Since joining, she has always been disgusted with how young girls become CPUs and rule nations. Abnes looks young herself, but she's actually pretty old. She's really bothered by the fact that she barely ages physically. No one knows why, but whenever she makes an appearance, she makes sure to speak the sound of her opening a door.

Music

Opening Theme: "Kami Jigen! Fortune Material" by nao
Ending Theme: "Venus☆Megamix!" by Afilia Saga East
Soundtrack: Kami Jigen Game Neptune V Original Soundtrack CD, Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory: Sounds of that other Gamindustri

Composer Nobuo Uematsu along with his band Earthbound Papas perform the music found in Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory.

Videos

References

↑ Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory Headed To North America And Europe. Siliconera (2012 September 20). Retrieved on 2022 August 30.
↑ ^{Jump up to: 2.0} ^2.1 Neptunia V Lands In Japan In August. Siliconera (2012 May 14). Retrieved on 2022 August 6.
↑ ^{Jump up to: 3.0} ^3.1 ^3.2 Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory Delay Bumps '80s Gamindustri Back Nine Days. Siliconera (2013 February 28). Retrieved on 2022 August 6.
↑ Julie Ann Taylor. IMDb. Amazon. Retrieved on 2024 August 22.
↑ G.K. Bowes. IMDb. Amazon. Retrieved on 2024 August 22.

External links

Official Japanese website
Official English website (archived)

[1] Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory Headed To North America And Europe. Siliconera (2012 September 20). Retrieved on 2022 August 30.

[JP_release_date-2] {Jump up to: 2.0} ^2.1 Neptunia V Lands In Japan In August. Siliconera (2012 May 14). Retrieved on 2022 August 6.

[NA_and_EU_release_dates-3] {Jump up to: 3.0} ^3.1 ^3.2 Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory Delay Bumps '80s Gamindustri Back Nine Days. Siliconera (2013 February 28). Retrieved on 2022 August 6.

[4] Julie Ann Taylor. IMDb. Amazon. Retrieved on 2024 August 22.

[5] G.K. Bowes. IMDb. Amazon. Retrieved on 2024 August 22.

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