Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1+ is an enhanced port of the remake, Re;Birth1, which was originally released on the PlayStation Vita and PC. While its colorful illustrations remain visually appealing, its gameplay mechanics still feel somewhat unpolished.

Bringing Back Memories

Re;Birth1+ follows Neptune, one of four CPU goddesses engaged in the Console War to become the one True Goddess ruling Gamindustri. During a battle, Neptune was caught in an incident and lost to the other three goddesses. Flown down into the world below, Neptune wakes up with amnesia and, with the help of Compa and IF, sets out to find her memories. However, an ancient evil lurks in the shadows, manipulating the goddesses to bring chaos to Gamindustri.

The story has held up well since the game’s original release for the PlayStation 3 in 2010. Neptune’s carefree personality and comical love for pudding make her an entertaining protagonist. Supporting characters like Compa, with her bubbly personality, and IF, with her seriousness, add to the fun of exploring with this trio. The other CPU goddesses each have their own unique personalities that later intertwine with Neptune and her party.

The series is known for its many game references and remains entertaining. For instance, each CPU goddess is a parody of gaming companies, the “Console Wars” reference gaming consoles competing, and Neptunia breaks the fourth wall with gaming mechanics references. IF and Compa are nods to the companies behind the game, Idea Factory and Compile Heart. There are plenty more references to discover, making it enjoyable to spot them all. It’s like a game poking fun at the gaming industry while also enjoying the humor.

Running on Past Hardware

Battles are still turn-based, but with a more active role where players can move their fighters within a radius. Players can then initiate moves from various types of attacks, use items such as healing, and defend against enemy attacks. Enemies can do the same by moving within their radius to initiate an action on your party. Taking out enemies requires strategic moves, as they have both a health gauge and a guard gauge. Taking out the guard gauge allows players to initiate higher attack points versus a lower number when the enemy’s guard is still up. As you level up your team, you’ll learn skills to initiate powerful attacks or aid your party, such as healing. Players can also initiate EXE Drive for a heavy dose of attacks to end battles quicker, requiring players to build up through battles. The battle mechanics still hold up well after many years, though maneuvering your fighter’s range of attacks feels a little clunky and could be smoothed out for an easier experience.

Neptune has a unique system where she can transform into her goddess form, dealing heavier damage to foes. Players can also upgrade Neptune and other goddesses’ gear with unique items. Additionally, you can create cassettes and discs with stat builds to equip any character. However, if you wish to remove the customized item, you’ll lose all attributes, but the original media to hold these stats can be reused. It plays off how actual media works when wanting to re-use it.

Players can explore dungeons by initiating a key point on the overworld map. Each dungeon varies in size, with enemies roaming around. Encountering them by either approaching them or having them approach you starts a battle. You can gain a preemptive attack by swinging your weapon at the roaming enemy, giving you the first move to attack. If you miss and they approach you first, they begin the battle first. As you play, players will notice difficulty spikes, with some battles seeming too easy and areas feeling too challenging. For example, battling one of the goddesses right after a previous boss battle can be difficult to pull off. Players will have to spend some time grinding out levels before trying again. To gain levels a little easier, the game offers items to change “rules” in dungeons, such as altering enemy levels and changing the items to be found in dungeons.

Visually Up and Down

While exploring dungeons, the visuals of your characters walking may appear slightly off, as if they are hovering in midair, and the sound effects sound distorted. These issues may have been overlooked when the game was first released, but some improvements to the visual exploration could have been made. Although the game is an enhanced version of the remake, it still retains some visuals from the previous gaming era that may not always satisfy players.

There is a remake of the remake called Neptunia ReVerse, which offers upgrades to its visuals and mechanics. Players new to the Neptunia franchise would likely be better off playing this newer remake rather than this port of the original remake. However, fans of the series will still enjoy playing this version as it does come with 

The character illustrations in the game still hold up very well, with vibrant and stylish characters. Each character looks stunning from head to toe, and the voice acting captures the character’s aesthetics perfectly. This art style is timeless and can continue to impress for many years to come.

The Final Enhancement

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1+ is a charming RPG filled with stylish characters, humor, and a story that still holds up. However, some visuals and clunky combat, along with difficulty spikes haven’t aged as well for modern times. Despite this, it remains a fan favorite title for revisiting Gamindustri and reconnecting with the characters as if for the first time.

A PlayStation 4 code provided for this review. Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1+ available now for the PlayStation 4. Fans can visit the game’s official website for more information.