REVIEW: Dimension Tripper Neptune: TOP NEP


Title	Dimension Tripper Neptune: TOP NEP
Developer	Idea Factory, Frontier Works, tiny cactus studio, WSS playground
Publisher	Idea Factory International
Release Date	January 20th, 2022
Genre	Rail Shooter
Platform	PC
Age Rating	N/A
Official Website

Most people know that I love the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise. It’s been one of my favorites for the last 10 years, and anything related to it that comes out, I have to try out. This very much includes the new, old school rail shooter, Dimension Tripper Neptune: TOP NEP. It’s time to help Big Nep bust some baddies and save Gamindustri. Let’s dig in and see if this small release packs a big bang!

No time for a story here, Big Neptune has some baddies to shoot out of the skies. The gameplay here is what you would find in a typical rail shooter. You move up, down, and side to side, blasting away any enemies that are in front of you till you get to the end of the stage and defeat the boss. Fortunately, you won’t have to take this horde of baddies alone. During each of the five stages, you will find coins. If you collect enough of these coins, a partner will appear and give you some extra firepower. You can have up to three partners at a time, if you can collect enough coins.

Fans familiar with the series will recognize the iconic stages presented here right off the bat. From the theme park in Lowee, to the skies over Planeptune, each stage looks fantastic in this retro style. The enemies are staples of the series as well. Nothing like blasting away a ton of Dogoos, Bits, and even some Eggplant Riders to make your day better. You will encounter some memorable bosses as well, even Trick and Linda make an appearance here.

The soundtrack in Dimension Tripper Neptune: TOP NEP is great. Fans will recognize these tunes right off the bat in their new chiptune style. I was actually very happy that you could listen to these tracks from the menu, once you complete the stages. The sound effects are nothing special, but they get the job done. Just don’t expect anything above the normal shooting sounds you’d find in a title like this, or a normal coin pickup sound.

While Dimension Tripper Neptune: TOP NEP is a very simple game, it is a lot of fun. Normal mode is fun for casual fans of rail shooters, while hard mode will give veterans a good amount of challenge. This extra difficulty comes in the form of no continues, and very little health is regained after defeating a boss. It takes about an hour to do a full run of the game, but there is quite a bit of replay value if you want to get all the achievements, or get your name on the leaderboards. I feel like Neptunia fans will get more than their money’s worth at the $4.99 price tag, and rail shooter fans will find a solid game for a great price as well.