Neptunia x SENRAN KAGURA: Ninja Wars
- May 10, 2022
- Idea Factory
Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is a fun action game for fans of the series, but a lack of variety holds it back from being truly great.
Get on Steam"Neptunia x SENRAN KAGURA: Ninja Wars" is a hack 'n slash RPG that combines the worlds of Neptunia and SENRAN KAGURA. Players can choose and switch between 10 characters, each with unique Ninja Art Skills, and engage in battles with projectiles and melee attacks. The game also features a meditation minigame and post-game challenges.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Steam Deck
Windows
PlayStation
Reviews
- The combat system is enjoyable, allowing for chaining skills and stamina management.
- The game features a lighthearted story with humor and fanservice that appeals to fans of both franchises.
- Character designs and animations are visually appealing, and the game runs smoothly on PC.
- The game is very easy, with mastery of mechanics not required until the endgame, leading to a lack of challenge.
- The story is considered mediocre, typical of crossover narratives, and lacks depth.
- There is a significant lack of content, including limited character roster and repetitive gameplay mechanics.
- story284 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The story of "Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars" is generally considered underwhelming and generic, characterized by lighthearted humor and campy references rather than deep lore or serious themes. Players noted that the narrative feels rushed and lacks meaningful crossover elements, often serving merely as a backdrop for character interactions and gameplay. While some fans appreciate the comedic tone and character designs, many feel the story is too short and repetitive, with side missions that do little to enhance the overall experience.
“It's a lighthearted story with a bunch of comedy and fanservice.”
“The story was pretty good if you like hyperbolic anime trope humor.”
“Fairly simple story has a mix of Nep story telling and Senran story telling although it was obvious that the writers had the most control with it mainly being focused on the land of Gaminjitsu as a ninja war is brewing and it's up to the heroes of Neptunia and Senran to set aside their differences and save the day.”
“There's no interesting story or darker motivations here; the story amounts to 'nep squad fights senrans, new threat, team up, story ends.' There really isn't much crossover in terms of how the characters act even - you could remove the SK cast and replace them with NEP OCs and it really wouldn't change much of anything.”
“A small quantity of small maps, cutscenes that are more limited than the already limited scenes that both of its mother series had, no variety on missions, a story that feels rushed and uncared for. This game had a lot of potential and, at the very least, the voice acting and character models are top notch as always, but this is a lame and cheap game.”
“The story is pretty much non-existent and is as generic as it can get, but Yuuki's plot is really big in this game and I suggest you pay extra attention to that because it's an integral and essential part of the game.”
- gameplay165 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the enjoyable mechanics of chaining skills and stamina management, while others criticize its repetitiveness and lack of depth compared to traditional musou games. Many noted that the combat can feel simplistic and spam-heavy, with a significant portion of the experience dominated by dialogue rather than action. Overall, while some find it fun and relaxing, others feel it falls short of expectations, particularly for fans of the Senran Kagura series.
“I went in expecting a musou game, but this is more of an enjoyable ARPG where the main mechanic is chaining skills and stamina management as the player switches between two characters.”
“The good parts of both Neptunia and Senran in a single game: funny story and dialogues, great gameplay, nice designs and soundtrack, a perfect mix of hack and slash and JRPG :)”
“The gameplay is fast, fluid, and responsive; there is dead time here and there, but they're mostly combo enders or responses to not using your stamina meter properly and getting punished for it.”
“Gameplay is very disappointing; there's no hordes of enemies to take down, no territorial control as seen in other musou games, poor AI and equipment systems that are bare bones.”
“Unfortunately, the gameplay is quite a mess.”
“There is just nothing to draw me in: the gameplay is lame and annoying.”
- music54 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it enjoyable and fitting as background music, while others feel it lacks the standout quality of previous titles in the Neptunia and Senran Kagura series. Although there are a few catchy tracks and high-quality compositions, many reviewers noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive, especially during extended gameplay. Overall, while the music is generally considered good, it doesn't fully capture the essence of the franchises it draws from.
“The soundtrack is great!”
“Voice acting is top notch, along with the music.”
“Don't get me wrong, I really love the game; the story is enjoyable and the opening and ending songs are awesome, especially the voice actresses of the game. They are the reasons why I play Japanese games because they put their effort into making the characters come alive.”
“Music was fine but nothing stood out to me - subjective of course, but I feel both series have had far better soundtracks than what is available here.”
“My biggest complaint would probably be that the music and level design can be pretty repetitive, especially if you engage with the side missions, which are often necessary to help level up characters in between story missions.”
“Very solid soundtrack but I wished there were more unique themes for the characters when they go into a drive, as having only 3 or 4 tracks overall makes the same songs kind of drone on the ears after some time.”
- humor52 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of campy, 4th wall-breaking jokes and referential gaming meta, appealing particularly to fans of the Neptunia and Senran Kagura franchises. While some players find the humor adequate and reminiscent of earlier titles, others feel that certain jokes have become stale over time. Overall, the game is praised for its funny dialogues and character interactions, making it an enjoyable experience for those who appreciate its comedic style.
“The good parts of both Neptunia and Senran in a single game: funny story and dialogues, great gameplay, nice designs and soundtrack, a perfect mix of hack n' slash and JRPG :)”
“Now that's out of the way, Nep fans will enjoy this game as it has its hilarious dialogues, meta 4th wall breaking Nep moments, and phenomenal voice acting work.”
“The voice actors go hard on some of the scenes, with its funny writing and references; it reminded me why I loved this series in the first place.”
“Having to hear the same 'Noire has no friends/noire is a tsundere' and 'Blanc is flat' jokes for 7 years now since the first Hyperdimension Neptunia game is extremely unfunny and just really old at this point.”
- graphics52 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beautiful art style, crisp visuals, and vibrant colors, with many noting significant improvements over previous titles. However, some critiques mention that while the character designs are appealing, the varying art styles can clash, and certain textures may feel underwhelming. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong aspect of the game, despite some technical issues like crashes.
“The graphics are gorgeous, sharp, and colorful.”
“The graphics are crisp, and design-wise pleasant to look at.”
“Awesome new animations and gameplay, combat, and better graphics while still keeping its core as a Neptunia series, all as a big fan of the franchise can ask for.”
“The graphics on the other hand are not that great.”
“Vn style cutscenes, decent graphics though textures are eh.”
“One thing that did feel a little odd though, and I understand that it's likely because it's a collaboration between two franchises, but the art styles for the characters are more in line with their core IPs, which can be a little jarring when comparing two different styles side by side.”
- optimization18 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with many players noting smooth performance and high frame rates, especially on older hardware. However, some users have reported issues with crashing, freezing, and stuttering, indicating that while the game performs well for most, there are still optimization challenges that need addressing.
“This is really the first Neptunia game to feel very good on PC; it's well optimized, runs at high framerates, and works well with keyboard and mouse, unlike some of the older Neptunia games.”
“I specifically installed it on my 9-year-old secondary rig with a native 4K display monitor to test the optimization, and it works flawlessly at 60 FPS.”
“+ Great performance with smooth FPS.”
“Bugs need fixing; crashing and freezing/stuttering makes the game a right pain to play.”
“Don't play this expecting some kind of triple-A performance like some of these misled people did in the comments. A deep Neptunia or anime game fan should already fully understand the gist of how it's going to play, and your main satisfaction will come from the cute/ecchi moments and to see your favorite characters again, not the gameplay, which it delivers on perfectly.”
“The performance is a hell of a lot better, too.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some enjoy the challenge of reaching platinum and appreciate the fun elements, others criticize the repetitive and tedious nature of quests and enemy encounters. The hard difficulty can exacerbate the grind, turning enemies into damage sponges, but many feel that the grind isn't overly burdensome, especially since upgrades can be obtained through regular gameplay rather than dedicated grinding. Overall, the grind is seen as a necessary part of the experience, albeit one that could benefit from more variety.
“The grind to platinum is a bit tedious but fun in its own challenging way.”
“Hard difficulty makes the game longer and more tedious as all enemies turn into complete damage sponges.”
“Scuffed game with needlessly long and tedious quests that feature the same 10 reskinned mobs and areas all the time.”
- character development12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is noted for its appealing designs and artwork, but many players feel that the characters lack depth and dynamic interaction, often appearing as static images with minimal animation. While the character designs are attractive and fit the game's ninja theme, there is a call for more engaging content, such as additional characters, storylines, and quests, to enhance the overall experience. Overall, the game is seen as enjoyable but lacking in substantial character development and narrative richness.
“It still has good art assets, appealing character designs, and satisfying side content for those willing to dig a little deeper.”
“Also enjoyed the character design and the soundtrack.”
“The artwork and the character designs are pretty good.”
“Since the entire game is designed with a ninja theme, the characters stick out even more because the Senran Kagura character design doesn't really give off the impression that they're ninjas.”
- monetization8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with reviewers expressing disappointment in its quality and suggesting that players would be better off choosing other titles. While not as egregious as some other games, the sentiment is that it feels exploitative, primarily aimed at fans, and raises concerns about potential future updates or patches.
“I love Neptunia, but this felt like a cash grab from fans.”
“A quick cash grab so they can make even more spin-off games with no quality whatsoever.”
“Interesting to see if they patch it or if this is an abandoned cash grab.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability due to a small roster of only 10 playable characters, which does not include many fan-favorites from the Senran Kagura or Neptunia franchises. Players have noted that the lack of character variety and depth contributes to a less engaging experience upon completion.
“No real replayability either.”
“A lot of characters are brought over for the crossover, but only 10 total are playable, with limited variations.”
“None of my favorite Senran Kagura or Neptunia characters are playable in this, which made me take forever to actually finish it.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a lack of emotional engagement due to a boring storyline and absence of meaningful content, such as costumes and mini-games, which detracts from the overall experience. Players feel that the game fails to evoke any strong feelings or attachment.
