Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online
- October 10, 2017
- IDEA Factory
- 20h median play time
While it can be a grindfest, fans of the CPUs will want to check it out just to see how often Noire is referred to as having no friends.
Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online is a single-player Role Playing game with around 20 hours of playtime. In this hack n' slash adventure, the four Gamindustri goddesses enter an online fantasy game world and team up in 4-person real-time brawls to fight enemies and unleash devastating skills. The game's story revolves around the goddesses' mission to log in and hack n' slash through this game-within-a-game to reach the final boss.
Reviews
- The game features gorgeous visuals and improved graphics thanks to the use of Unreal Engine 4, making it one of the best-looking entries in the Neptunia series.
- Combat is fast-paced and engaging, with a variety of characters and playstyles that keep the gameplay fresh and enjoyable.
- The humor and character interactions are delightful, maintaining the charm that fans of the series have come to love.
- The game suffers from long loading times, with initial startup taking several minutes, which can be frustrating for players.
- There are significant technical issues, including frame rate drops, crashes, and a problematic save system that can lead to lost progress.
- Enemy and boss variety is limited, leading to repetitive gameplay, especially in the post-game content.
- story37 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story in this game is generally light-hearted and humorous, featuring typical Neptunia tropes and character interactions that fans of the series may enjoy. However, many players found the narrative to be somewhat shallow and lacking depth, with a relatively short main storyline that can feel underwhelming at times. While the comedic elements and character dynamics are praised, some players noted issues with direction and pacing, leading to moments of confusion about how to progress.
“I thoroughly enjoyed this game, and once the story took off, I looked forward to every major and minor event for the great dialogue and character interactions.”
“Meanwhile, the story and writing & voiceover are as charming, cute, and silly as these games always are.”
“Such a different twist in the Neptunia series with a whole brand new Neptastic story. The game is really a new take on the series; I've been playing for 10+ hours and have never been so hooked.”
“For the first two hours, I was underwhelmed by the story and frustrated by enemies that felt like damage sponges.”
“Cons: while you can easily spend 100 hours farming for gear, the story itself is about 10 hours if you rush and skip farming.”
“Story-wise, there's nothing special, but the meat of this game is the gameplay, customization of skillsets, comedic character interactions, and satire on tropes commonly used in the 'characters in the MMORPG world genre'.”
- gameplay19 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by fast-paced, snappy combat and a hack-and-slash style reminiscent of MMORPGs, featuring quests to defeat enemies and collect items. While the game offers enjoyable character interactions and customization, it suffers from repetitive enemy encounters and occasional frame rate drops. Overall, it appeals to fans of the Neptunia series and casual RPG players, though it may not satisfy those who dislike anime or fetch quest mechanics.
“Honestly, this is the best game to start playing Neptunia games, with the gameplay being easier and action-oriented.”
“Still, the gameplay has its charms, and the solid writing makes this one of the first Neptunia titles casual RPG fans and devout Neptune addicts might both enjoy.”
“Gameplay: combat is snappy and fast-paced once it is engaged, but melee enemies are sometimes unresponsive unless provoked.”
“Avoid if you dislike anime, typical fetch quest/defeat enemy quest style gameplay, or long boss fights.”
“Unfortunately, the gameplay gets really repetitive as bosses and enemies get reused level after level, so it's hard to want to keep at it for long.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics have received praise for their vibrant art style and improvements made possible by the switch to Unreal Engine 4, resulting in gorgeous visuals and well-designed environments. While some players noted minor graphical glitches and lengthy loading times, the overall aesthetic is considered a significant upgrade from previous entries, offering a clean and attractive look that enhances the gameplay experience. However, some feel the graphics still lean towards a cartoony style, lacking the flashiness of other veteran titles using the same engine.
“The visuals are gorgeous with new maps that are fun and easy to traverse.”
“Unreal Engine provides beautiful graphics, although every time you start the game it takes almost 5 minutes to load.”
“It's a huge step up in the graphics department.”
“There could be more content, bigger areas to explore, less backtracking, and the game does have some graphical glitches, but there is nothing game-breaking here.”
“To me, it's a good start but not as highly appealing and flashy as other veteran games running the engine graphic system.”
“The graphics are a step in the right direction but still cartoony as you would expect.”
- humor8 mentions
- 88 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate its light-hearted, meta humor and clever references to MMORPGs, others feel it is overly toned down and lacks originality compared to previous titles in the series. The comedic elements, including fourth wall breaks and jabs at the gaming industry, resonate well with fans of the cyberdimension series, but some find certain jokes distasteful and the overall humor uninspired.
“The story is light-hearted and extremely hilarious.”
“If you like the meta humor and fourth wall breaking gags, it's here in spades.”
“There are a lot of humorous references and jokes about real MMORPGs; they poke fun at hardcore online players and take a few jabs at the game industry in general.”
“One recurring joke is rather disgusting in its implications, and the story is a snooze. The gaming references are lame and unfunny, and it doesn't do much to stand out from the pack of already available Neptunia titles.”
“The humor falls flat and often feels forced, making it hard to enjoy the game.”
“I expected clever jokes, but instead, I was met with tired clichés and unoriginal gags.”
- music6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised, with fantastic tracks for various settings such as dungeons and towns, earning an A+ rating from players. The returning voice cast adds to the overall experience, although one character has a new voice actress. Many recommend purchasing the limited edition for additional music-related extras.
“The music is A+ material.”
“Fantastic music in dungeons, towns, shops, and so on.”
“Heck, the soundtrack is even surprisingly good too.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for being buggy and unfinished, with notable graphical glitches and some slowdowns. While these issues do not significantly hinder gameplay for some players, the overall experience is marred by a lack of polish and content.
“Unfortunately, this game is a buggy mess with a lot of corners cut due to the switch in developers.”
“Fun, but very unfinished and buggy.”
“It is buggy.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players note that while the game offers a substantial amount of grinding—often requiring around 100 hours for gear farming—the main story can be completed in about 10 hours if rushed. The fast-paced combat and enjoyable gameplay make the grinding experience more engaging, particularly for trophy hunters seeking to achieve platinum status. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as a fun and integral part of the game, complementing its humor and fanservice.
“Cons: while you can easily spend 100 hours farming for gear, the story itself is about 10 hours if you rush and skip farming.”
“The fast-paced combat is a welcome change from the tedious encounter system from previous games, and the story strikes a good balance of cutesy and interesting.”
“[Fun, mindless hack-and-slash gameplay, graphically more impressive than past entries, for trophy hunters, grinding out the platinum is quite enjoyable.]”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players express disappointment in the game's replayability, noting a lack of additional playable characters and minimal incentives to revisit the game after completion. Despite a desire for more content, the overall consensus is that the game offers limited replay value.
“Even though I dislike DLC as a rule, I would have happily paid a few bucks for more playable characters (Plutia, Iffy, and Compa are sadly only NPCs this time around).”
“The last thing would be replay value; I don't see much replay value from this game at all.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is generally solid, with the framerate performing well most of the time, though occasional dips are noted. Despite these performance issues, the vibrant art style and engaging characters contribute to a strong action-RPG experience.
“Performance-wise, the framerate holds its own for the most part, but it will sometimes dip.”
“Even underneath the performance issues, anyone should be able to see there is obviously a solid action RPG here with a killer, vibrant art style and cool characters.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized as a blend of a decent hack and slash experience infused with MMORPG elements, creating an engaging and immersive environment for players.
“The game creates an immersive atmosphere that draws you in and keeps you engaged.”
“The world feels alive, with rich details that enhance the overall experience.”
“The atmospheric sound design and visuals work together to create a captivating environment.”
“Honestly, it's a decent hack and slash game with an MMORPG atmosphere and some mechanics.”
Critic Reviews
Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online Review - One Nep Forward, Two Neps Back
Even new technology and online features can't save Cyberdimension Neptunia from being a dull, forgettable experience. There are trappings of a good game here, and while the tone is consistent with other Neptunia games, Cyberdimension Neptunia's execution leaves much to be desired.
65%Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online Review
Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online is a pleasant surprise, actually. The fast-paced combat is a welcome change from the tedious encounter system from previous games, and the story strikes a good balance of cutesy and interesting. Unfortunately, the gameplay gets really repetitive as bosses and enemies get reused level after level, so it's hard to want to keep at it for long. The balancing is completely off, and there's not a lot of challenge past the first couple of dungeons. Still, the gameplay has its charms, and the solid writing makes this one of the first Neptunia titles casual RPG fans and devout Neptune addicts might both enjoy.
60%Cyberdimension, had to get away: Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online review
Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online is the MMO experience you’ve been dreaming of for Neptune and her friends, though it does come with a lot of shortcomings. The game does a novel job of producing a quick paced action JRPG that looks and feels incredibly like an MMORPG in almost every way, down to a “text chat” box. There are some issues with combat and that drags the experience down. Despite that, the game provides a fun and basic online mission mode, and provides a lot of fun and fast paced action in a pretty package.
70%