Hyperdimension Neptunia

Overview

Hyperdimension Neptunia is a PlayStation 3 game developed by Compile Heart and published in North America by NIS America. The game takes place in a bizarre universe where video game consoles and developers are personified. These personifications, often called console-tans when dealing with video game systems or gijinka in general, are represented by cute and attractive, or "moe," girls. In Neptunia, these heroines battle each other in Celestia (a parallel world to the human one) in what is essentially a representation of the console wars. While in the human world, the evil goddess Arfoire has unleashed monsters upon mankind. Arfoire's name is meant to sound like R4, a type of flash card commonly used to pirate Nintendo DS games. In the Japanese version, the goddess's name is "Majicon," another name used in that country for such flash cards. Neptune, the main character of the game, and the other goddesses of the major consoles must band together and use the ancient tome Histoire to battle the goddess of piracy. The story is conveyed through static images and text, similar to most visual novels.

The game's main character, Neptune, is a personification of the unreleased Sega Neptune. Compile Heart secured approval from Sega to use the name Neptune, and as a result, she is the only character based on a console that is named after the console she represents. The game also contains appearances from classic Sega characters including Alex Kidd.

Gameplay

Hyperdimension Neptunia uses a turn-based battle system. During battle, each character has action points (AP) that are spent to create four-part combos from a customizable, branching menu system, including actions like attacks, defense, healing, etc. During these combos, the characters can transform into their goddess forms. Also. players can summon "guardian angels," represented by classic Sega characters or photos from the PS3's album, that grant them bonuses.

In regards to photos, the game features two image implementation systems, EDIT and EMBLEM.

EDIT allows players to import an image from the PS3 photo album and use the image as an attack.

EMBLEM allows players to change the image on Neptune's back to an image from the PS3 photo album.

Worlds

The world of Gamindustri, existing in the Celestia realm, is divided into four landmasses, each ruled over by a goddess and Basilicom, their form of government.

Description	Screenshot
Planeptune Main page: Planeptune Planeptune Is protected by the goddess (and main character) Neptune, also know as Purple Heart. It has been three years since Neptune has been seen after her battle with an overlord and is believed defeated. In her absence, rifts have formed, allowing monsters to ravage the lands unchecked.
Lastation Main page: Lastation Lastation Is protected by the goddess Noire, also known as Black Heart. This land relies heavily on industrial business, which is why many factories exist here. However, the establishment of the company Avenir and its unprecedented growth over three years has sent Lastation into economic decline.
Lowee Main page: Lowee Lowee Is protected by the goddess Blanc, also known as White Heart. Lowee is different from the other landmasses. Instead of having one overarching Basilicom, each city is governed by a local Basilicom, and all of the local Basilicoms are managed by a central Basilicom, or Entremets.
Leanbox Main page: Leanbox Leanbox Is protected by the goddess Vert, also known as Green Heart. Filled with nature and peace, Leanbox is the opposite of Lastation. It is akin to the medieval era, with aristocrats and knights living here. Once suffering from endless fighting, the goddess and her Basilicom brought peace to this land, but that peace is enforced by strict rules.

Characters

Primary Characters

Each goddess represents it's console equivalent and rules over a specific land in Gamindustri. All four goddesses have two different forms, a human form and HDD (Hard Drive Divinity) form.

Description	Human Form	Hard Drive Divinity Form
Neptune Main page: Neptune Neptune, the goddess of Planeptune, is the main character and represents the never released Sega Neptune console system. In battle, she can transform into Purple Heart. Neptune, unlike the other goddesses, is full of energy and tends to drag her companions into sticky situations during their adventures around Gameindustri. She also tends to be a slight airhead and is easily excited by small things that lead to her getting distracted or into trouble. She has lost her memory after being cast down from Celestia and aims to save the mysterious Historie, a tome that can only contact her via mental voice messages. Purple Heart is Neptune's goddess form. In this form, she is calm , confident, and not afraid to battle others if it means getting closer to her ultimate goals.
Vert Main page: Vert Vert, goddess of Leanbox, is the representation of the Xbox 360 and transforms into Green Heart. Vert is quiet and quite feminine, making her popular, but she rarely appears in public. She owns all systems and her sometimes excessive gaming habits occasionally interfere with her duty as a goddess. She sees Neptune as a rival and seeks to defeat her in battle. Green Heart is Vert's goddess form. In this remarkably charming -looking form, she is calm, soft-spoken, and usually does not engage with others in violent behavior.
Noire Main page: Noire Noire, goddess of Lastation, is the representation of the Sony Playstation 3 and transforms into Black Heart. Noire is the ideal goddess, hardworking and polite, but she tries too hard. She has a grudge against Neptune and seeks to defeat her at any cost to prove that she is superior. This attitude is in reference to the real-life competition between Sega and Sony, as it was Sony's PlayStation and PlayStation 2 that largely contributed to Sega's declining hardware sales and eventual exit from the console hardware market. Black Heart is Noire's goddess form. In this form, she becomes aggressive, short-tempered, and snappy with others.
Blanc Main page: Blanc Blanc, goddess of Lowee, is the representation of the Nintendo Wii and transforms into White Heart. Blanc is somewhat shy towards others and rarely smiles. She does not like to be bothered when doing what she wants and suffers from occasional outbursts of coarse language and throws minor temper tantrums when upset. One thing that she makes very apparent to others is her burning hatred of Neptune; Blanc believes that defeating Neptune will signal the end of the console war that has been raging for many years. This is an allusion to the early console war between Nintendo and Sega, before Sega left the console business. White Heart is Blanc's goddess form. In this form, she becomes cold and indifferent towards others.

Other Characters

Several real-life video game developers are represented in this world in the form of gijinka. These developers include:

Description	Appearance
If Main page: IF IF, representing game company Idea Factory is a member of a guild that travels around the world, and through these travels, she has gained a wide range of knowledge. However, travelling alone causes her to be selfish and hard headed. Her default costume displays a lower-case "i" on her shirt. She runs into both Neptune and Compa during one of their quests and joins their party, bringing her talents as a treasure hunter to their ranks. Her weapon of choice in battle is a pair of wicked metal claws that somewhat resemble Vega's claw weapon from Street Fighter IV. They can be upgraded with newer, more powerful variations as you progress in the game.
Gust Main page: Gust A traveling alchemist who is very strict on spending money. First encountered on Lowee after completing one of the first quests for the local Basilicom. She is a direct copy of Japanese game company Gust's mascot.
Compa Main page: Compa She is a nurse-in-training who wants to help troubled people and represents the game company Compile Heart. The company's logo appears on her hairband, the heart on her choker, and on the round pouch on her hip. She discovers the unconscious Neptune on Planeptune and, after tending to her wounds, joins Neptune's party. Her weapon of choice in battle is a giant medical syringe, which can be later upgraded into more powerful variations as you progress in the game.
Nisa Main page: Nisa She is the heroine who appears in times of crisis but is very helpful. She is also very bad at gathering information. Nisa is first encountered on Lastation when taking on the Avenir Corporation. She represents the game company Nippon Ichi. Her character design takes elements from the Disgaea franchise. She has the red scarf and blue hair of Laharl and the wings of a Prinny.
5pb Main page: 5pb Introduced to the game as DLC, 5pb is a characted based on the company by the same name.
Red Main page: Red A second character added through DLC, Red is the personification of Red Entertainment.