| Developer | Idea Factory, Frontier Works, tiny cactus studio, WSS playground |
| Publisher | Idea Factory International |
| Genre | Action Arcade Bullet Hell |
| Release | January 20, 2022 |
| Platforms | PC |
| Price | $4.99 USD |
| Where to Buy | Steam |
It has been quite a while since I last wrote a true review article. So I was happy when Idea Factory came to us over at The Daily Gamepad and provided us with a free copy of Dimension Tripper Neptune: TOP NEP to play for review. As bullet hell’s and shoot ’em up are one of my specialties when it comes to gaming. Before I go into my review of Dimension Tripper Neptune: TOP NEP, I would like to take the time to thank the developers and publishers for providing us at The Daily Gamepad with a free copy of Dimension Tripper Neptune: TOP NEP to play for review. It is due to their kindness and generosity that I am able to write this review.
Dimension Tripper Neptune: TOP NEP is a bullet hell action arcade game that is based on the Neptunia series. In the game, you take on the role of Older Neptune as she goes through five levels of bullet hells and on-rail shooting action. What makes the game cool is that it is a part of the Neptunia universe, but it is in fact its own game. I also really like how they choose to go with 2D graphics as opposed to 3D Graphics. If you enjoyed games like Space Harrier then you are really going to enjoy Dimension Tripper Neptune: TOP NEP.
One of the cool features in the games is collecting the coins in the levels. If you collect enough of the coins you get a wingmate that comes and help you on the levels. I would say they show up randomly but I have played through the game twice at the writing of this article and they seem to show up in the same format. The wingmate you get is other characters from the Neptunia series. They stay for about a minute and then they are off until you get enough coins to summon another wingmate. Sometimes if you get enough coins you can summon two different wingmates, with the exception of the twins which allows you to summon both of them with just enough coins it takes to summon any other wingmate.
When it comes to the controls of the game you can use your keyboard or the gamepad. For me, I chose to use the gamepad as it is easier to maneuver through the levels, and I will honestly say that controls were pretty fluid when it came to the game. I didn’t have any hang-ups in regards to the gamepad controls. I did not try this with the keyboard as I am a fan of gamepads with these types of games, but if you like to play the keyboard then it is an option.
The game offers two modes, which are Normal and Hard. Normal mode feels more like an Easy Mode and allows you to use points to continue on with the game. Hard mode is more like a Normal Mode, in which it allows for you to play the game without a continue so once you get through your six lives it’s game over and you have to start over from level one. Much like the games of ole. Another thing is whenever you defeat bosses in Normal Mode you get a lot of lives to replenish your lives. Where in Hard Mode you tend to only get one life to fill up your lives, so you have to play very skillfully unless you want to start over from the beginning.
For those of you who are achievement hunters, you’re in luck because this game does have achievements. If you wondering how many achievements the game has the answer is 14. There are 14 different achievements that you can get from the game, and if you are skilled in Bullet Hell’s then the achievements will come to you pretty rapidly. I played the game for about 30 minutes and unlock 9 of the 14 achievements right out the gate.
That leads me to the next thing about the game. The game is pretty short if you are not an achievement hunter. I would have preferred longer gameplay. However, because I am an achievement hunter and I love the genre, I will continue to play. But for those who are not into these types of games, may find a hard time with replay value. If the levels were a would have been a little longer, that would be awesome. Within 15 minutes I had finished Normal Mode and I died during hard mode for the game, but got up to at least 15 minutes in that mode as well.
Overall, Dimension Tripper Neptune: TOP NEP is a pretty awesome game, and I do highly recommend it if you are into Action Arcade bullet hell’s. If you’re more of a casual player you may like the game, but if you don’t like replaying a game to get its achievements then this may not be the game for you. However, if you would like to play Dimension Tripper Neptune: TOP NEP for yourself you can pick up the game when it releases on Jan 20, 2022, on PC for Steam with the price of $4.99 USD.
