In the world of fan service games, two franchises stand at the top of the pile: Hyperdimension Neptunia, which features a group of anthropomorphised game consoles fighting in a literal and hilarious console war, and Senran Kagura, which pits ninjas with assets as impressive as their fighting arts against each other in nearly every genre imaginable. Enthusiastically celebrated for delivering fan service in games that don’t sacrifice gameplay for jiggle-physics, it was just a matter of time before the two worlds collided.
Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is what you get when two beloved franchises face off against each other. It is a hack-and-slash fighting game that should be familiar to players who have played either series in the past. The plot sees the Neptunia girls putting their ongoing battle for console supremacy on hold to engage in a ninja war against the cast of Senran Kagura. Neither side gets to taste victory, however. Suddenly, the Steeme Legion’s army of killer robots invades and threatens to take over the world. It should be mentioned that this world that is called Gamindustri and that is shaped like a giant shuriken.
Subtlety is not in style in this game, as you can see. Many of the names are thinly veiled references to the state of the gaming industry as a whole, though much of the commentary present feels like it was already dated at the time of release on PS4 in 2021. Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is not a game that wants you to take it too seriously; it is here for a laugh and a joke and it is infinitely better for it.
Though the plot is paper-thin and serves just to get the two franchises working together, there are moments of delightful writing sprinkled throughout. Characters on both sides are surprisingly genre-savvy. One will begin reciting the lyrics to an AC/DC song, only to stop herself for fear of getting a DMCA strike. Another will comment that the scream they heard in a forest must belong to a woman being attacked because tropes exist in this world, too. There is a level of absurdity and tongue-in-cheek humour at play here, but always just the right amount. It becomes a wonderful seasoning mixed into the gameplay to produce a unique flavour among the countless similar games out there.
The gameplay is a standard hack-and-slash affair, with some flashy moves befitting the ninja theme. Just like the previous games in both series, the combat is solid if familiar and dated at this point. If you’re looking for deep combos and challenging gameplay, this isn’t going to scratch that itch. Combat is simple, with a melee and ranged attack options, plus special attacks that can be equipped and changed out as new moves are learned. Both franchises built their foundation on this fighting style, so it is a comfortable home for fans of both.
Each level consists of a series of corridors and clearings that are populated with various enemies, punctuated by the occasional boss fight that is generally a matter of avoiding their clearly telegraphed attacks. Players take two characters into each dungeon, which can be switched out on-the-fly. Every character, unfortunately, plays pretty similarly, with very little variation in strength or speed by default. Different combos and items can be equipped to change things up slightly, but none of them will ever play much differently from each other.
Despite being a celebration of both the Neptunia and Senran Kagura franchises, the cast for this game is surprisingly tight, which makes it feel limited in scope. There are only ten playable characters, which would be a small roster for a Senran Kagura game alone; with the Neptunia crew thrown in as well, it is positively tiny. One could argue that this gives each character a better chance to shine but that isn't what made these franchises great. Fans love the many over-the-top designs and wild personalities that are usually on offer and they're sadly missing here.
We were also hoping for a bit more than the seven hours of gameplay we got in the end, which makes recommending this title to anyone but the most ravenous fans difficult. Though players don’t need much knowledge of either franchise to follow the plot or enjoy the game, it simply isn’t going to satisfy those who aren’t already on board with the silliness on offer.
While the gameplay is shallow and simple, neither of these franchises have ever looked this good. The single-button combo mechanics might result in a lot of button mashing, but the way the characters move is exactly as chaotic and exciting as we wanted it to be. Character models flow from one side of the combat arenas to the other with effortless grace and speed, making the experience feel more energetic than the basic inputs and limited scope alone.
The character designs, as fans of both series will expect, emphasise certain aspects of the girls. The unnatural bouncing physics that have become a hallmark of these games is on full display here, though it is not as gratuitous as in the past. Some of the spin-offs of the Senran Kagura series, for example, see them engaging in water gun fights or cooking competitions that put every character in risqué outfits and positions. Compared to those games, this one is positively demure.
Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars doesn’t feel like a rushed product with how it performs or looks. What it lacks, however, is enough depth to truly serve as a celebration of these two storied franchises. There is no photo mode, extra costumes, or the usual minigames that we’ve come to expect from both Neptunia and Senran Kagura. Once the main story is done, there is not much incentive for players to come back for more. As fun as this game is and as much as we laughed and smiled, it is screaming for just a little bit more. More extras. More gameplay mechanics. More characters. Just a little bit more and this could have been something special.
Conclusion
Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is a solid, fun hack-and-slash that doesn’t take too long to finish and looks gorgeous while you’re playing it, but it never reaches the heights of some of the classics from either franchise. What's here feels polished, but a lack of extra modes and features will be disappointing to fans of both series. Still, the game's charm lies in the Neptunia and Senran Kagura characters and their interactions, with writing that delivers great, unexpected punchlines that help give the game some focus. If you are a fan of either series, this is definitely worth playing despite its lack of depth. It just might be one to wait for a sale before picking up.
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Comments 31
I'm honestly more surprised that both franchises are still ongoing. The game has a total "wait for sale" air about it and the reviews seem to reflect that
Removed - unconstructive feedback
Sounds ridiculous. Which will suit many purchases. Not me though, ha ha.
Well, even if this game isn't "good", it's at least still loads better than Super Neptunia RPG, right?
No thanks I've played enough of these games to last a lifetime. Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash along with Neptunia Virtual Stars were the last ones I played and that's enough for me. I might get it on Sale but that is unlikely.
When I think fan service, I think comedy/slice of life anime, not video game with mediocre gameplay. I've never been tempted by these games.
Disappointing that there's no real extra content. That's half the charm of at least the SK games I've played in the past...the huge cast of characters (that actually played as differently from one another) and variety of things to unlock. This one definitely sounds like a wait-for-sale. Shame, I was interested in this.
@Dualmask Sony censorship. If it launches on a sony platform, it was censored/neutered in development. See Kandagawa Jet Girls.
Will get the game again! I do disagree that this game being demure is positive, it should have been just as ecchi as the other Senran games. But eh, its still fun. (I have it on PS4 ans will get it on Switch in the future)
"Cast feels small for these games"
The other thing that bugs me about these Senran Kagura spinoffs, or collab games I guess. Not only that, but it's ALWAYS the same damn girls.
Just give the Switch a normal Senran Kagura game already, sheesh!
>.<
"Simple gameplay?"
This thing has button combos and special attacks that not even Age of Calamity has. (And I loved that Hyrule Warriors).
Not sure what you talk about that in the review, but everything else is on point.
@Rhaoulos That's an interesting interpretation of fan service.
When I think fan service, I look at all the Super Robot Wars titles that have been released to date. Just pile a bunch of giant robots, some bigger than others, into a random universe and have them join forces and fight their antagonists.
If you come to this game as a SK fan you will be disappointed.
It won’t feel like a SK game at all from the expected ecchi fanservice angle which was one of the main draws for the series whether the reviewer likes it or not
HDN is much more tame in comparison. Make no mistake it’s a Nep spin-off game with SK characters as guests.
Toning down ecchi fanservice that promotes an ecchi fanservice series in the game is hardly a “positive” because the reviewer in not taking into context what demographic of people this type of game would target at to begin with. “Hey guys we got Senrans! They are more modest now! Hey guys…why are you leaving?”
Honestly I don’t blame CH for the above. I blame Sony censorship which is why they been porting their actual lewd games to Switch even though they were originally on Sony platforms. Moero monster girl games says hi.
Putting aside the neutered fanservice aspect: The game itself is pretty scarce in content of things you can do. The roster size is also limited compared to the SK musou games too. The combat isn’t particularly deep either. It’s not deeper then SK EV anyway
5/10 for me even if you don’t care about omitting the ecchi it’s still a mediocre Nep spin-off. I felt even the Noire spin-off game was better
Only “a bit bare”?
Partial nudity is the worst kind of nudity!
The Switch needs an actual Senran Kagura game.
Just started it today. Pretty good so far
@Tobiaku That’s dedication 🤔
@Olmectron, gameplay is simple indeed: you unlock 4 new moves by character at the beginning of the game and then no more.
No other choice than spamming the same moves every time.
There could have been a skill tree or idk.
As it is, it's very simple. And boring.
Finished the game on PS4. Controls are nice, but there are too few characters to play and not enough moves to really enjoy the game. As you play, the game gets boring, redundant, repetitive.
Get your 3DS and an old SK game i.o. wasting your money on this one! Even on sale, there isn't much to enjoy.
So glad to have another open minded review of these sorts of titles on NL instead of the usual tripe which dismisses and is offended by the very nature of them. Not quite there with the consistency yet but it's good progress.
As for the review itself it's pretty much my thoughts though as a fan of both series would give it a higher score.
Combat is deceptively simply, on PS4 some of the later levels and Yomi Training can be real tough so you have to balance your different attacks, dodges and styles which boost effects.
I hope this is the start of a push to get more SK games on Switch. Do what Koei did with Atelier and like with the Super Robot Wars series, port the older catalogue, build up the fan base to make newer entries successful.
While both series are on Playstation they will continue to suffer from their American ordered censorship which has already killed one SK game (so long 7even) which was a disgusting move by Playstation since so much money and development had been poured into it.
Well I have yet to play ether games ,But I do have interest however, but from what it sounds like playstation did the playstation thing and got rid of stuff Sigh.Well I just wanted to know if the gameplay is good and as far as I can tell its very close with AOC so thats all I need.
Will pick it up at some point, probably when there is a price cut.
Already pre-ordered and I can’t wait to play it tonight, not expecting a lot from the game but since it’s only $40 and I’m a big fan of SK(main girl Homura) and the Neptunia(Main girl Noire) definitely going to enjoy it to the full.
@BlubberWhale I atleast 1 of every Senran Kagura game on every console they have been released on. They are worth it ♥️ So not going to stop now
@BloodyMurder I could have tolerated the censorship if it at least had more to do. A SK game should have at least 20-something playable characters, with some hidden behind unlockables. The total cast from both games is only ten characters...that seems lazy.
@Dualmask Another side effect of censorship: Lowered Sales Expectations
Without the fanservice, all you have is a mediocre Dynasty Warriors clone that won't sell much. As the old saying goes: Sex Sells
@BloodyMurder It still doesn't excuse the developers and publishers lack of trying to add MORE content to the other platforms. Hopefully they'll try to, but I doubt it.
@BeautyandtheBeer They should put Senran Kagura Burst Renewal on the Switch, especially since the original Burst was on the 3DS.
With the Intimacy mode intact
Two 'great' franchises?
.... i mean, i don't have an argument to the contrary, but i definitely don't think of either as such 😂
@DASchenk Neptunia is great. Senran Kagura is phenomenal. Both are well worth checking out.
@Tobiaku Haha yes! Even though they look only “alright or slightly good” to me, I fully support your enthusiasm! (I’ve got a few games like that… Rabi-Ribi comes to mind lol.)
@farrgazer You're in the small minority. "Fan service" these days is basically a euphemism for characters who are dressed in skimpy outfits, get their clothes shredded, and/or wind up in other perverted situations.
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