Neptunia Riders vs Dogoos (PlayStation 5) Review

Dogoos mostly look more like slimes than dogs, although they are cute looking. That is unless we talk about the humanoid-looking creatures with dogoo heads - dogoo man and dogoo lady - who are just plain scary, even more so than antagonists in Idea Factory's horror series Death End re;Quest. Unfortunately, there were a few of those throughout the main plot but for the most part Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos is full of pleasant looking fun. The mainline goddesses were the stars of the show, with the sisters' generation ladies barely getting a mention. Interestingly, the central protagonist at the start is the returning character Uzume rather than Neptunia, although, as other characters are unlocked, they can be used instead. The freedom of choice in playable characters was welcomed, although not much difference was noted in applicable skills, making it perfectly okay to pick a favourite person.

There is a bit more to riding the bike than stop-and-start driving around the track. Mastering drifting will net rewards of gathering up a greater amount of dogoos. Certain types of the many coloured happy creatures will result in both positive and negative effects on the dogoo collecting. What is done exceptionally well is the tutorial. The first few levels introduce the various game mechanics in clever ways, slowly building up the knowledge base, which is unlike some games that hurl almost everything into a short tutorial that is overwhelming with information overload, which can be overwhelming and difficult to retain. Obstacles started small in size and grew into systems that would put the player at a completely different part of the track.

Unless solo play is selected an AI team member rides alongside the protagonist, and the opposing team also has two players. Whoever gains the required amount of dogoos wins. It isn't just a case of collecting dogoos from around the stage. More so in later levels, attacking the enemy team is the way to increase the dogoo count. This is done through a bit of skill and luck in chucking negative skill dogoos at them, so they then drop dogoos, or by zooming up to their dropped dogoos after they are hit by the AI companion or fall foul of obstacles. Levels can be failed by accidentally losing too many dogoos in the latter methods; winning is not always guaranteed, making each victory feel like a tangible achievement.

Taking on the various levels was enjoyable, with each area set in a hub like world from Neptunia games, and each little hub having a specific theme. It is advisable to check the menu for upgrades after each battle as this is where bike parts can be bought and used to increase stats. There is often a stats decrease at the same time so figuring out the best configuration with the three changeable bike parts can take a bit of juggling. Races can be run solo, and in fact one of the achievements is to complete it without partner, as well as trying to complete it in a short time. Replaying the levels for the timed achievement was fun and a way to extend play, which is needed as Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos' brevity is a major issue.

The story itself is as clever as always, fully playing on the humorous dynamic the Neptunia girls have when they are together, filling the screen with laughter at some long-running jokes and their many individual quirks. The time spent on the game itself unfortunately had to be rationed for review; those sensitive to motion sickness in games may discover time spent whirling around colourful race tracks triggers nausea which is not fun to contend with when it lasts longer than a few minutes. Keeping to just three to four race attempts at a time solved the issue in this instance. However, the base game was completed within a mere five hours, which, considering the price point, is on the short side. Worse is the fact that all costumes are only available from a DLC bonus pack. It would have been nice to have one or two new outfits in the base game. The DLC isn't too costly, but it does feel like costumes should have been included automatically, especially with the price of the base game being £35.

There are thankfully a myriad of accessories to change every character's appearance. Most items will be familiar to Neptunia fans, and up to three can be set at a time. Caution is needed as the accessories are seen in the story cut scenes and can completely block faces for some characters, such as the fairy wings. The issue is non-existent once the main story is complete as there aren't any cut scenes after that. The option to add a purely cosmetic appearance to the bike while retaining the stats would have been a good addition, especially when the most powerful bike parts have a less than pleasing aesthetic. An extra feature that is definitely welcomed is the ability to replay movie clips from the tale, and listen to individual music tracks.