Compile Heart and Summon Night developer Felistella have been bringing the Neptunia series from PlayStation 3 to PlayStation Vita. Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2 has a new intro video, turns the Oracles into playable characters, and has a new character, Stella. Siliconera had a chat with Neptunia series producer Naoko Mizuno about the game.
Stella who represents developer Felistella makes her debut in Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2. Can you tell us about her design and the dungeon crawling mini-game she’s in?
Naoko Mizuno, Producer: Stella is the mascot character for Felistella, the company that helped us develop the Re;Birth series. In the game, you are able to send Stella to specific dungeons using the Stella’s Dungeon feature. If Stella successfully completes the dungeon, she’ll receive useful items that can help you in the main game.
Before sending her off, you can select her equipment and the dungeon to which you would like to send her. Stella will go off on the journey by herself, and she will return when a certain amount of time has elapsed. During this time, you’ll just have to wait for her to return. (Hopefully, with some good items!)
Some dungeons take a long time to explore, so Stella’s Dungeon is a perfect fit for any time that you can let it run on its own, for example, while you are asleep or playing other games. Also, this is a mini-game, so it will not affect your progression through the main storyline. That being said, I hope that players can view this as a casual and relaxing side quest!
Red returns for Re;Birth2 too while NISA and Gust are not in the game. How has the story changed to incorporate Red?
There are no significant changes to the main story; however, you’ll be able to enjoy different parodies and dynamics from Neptunia mk2 (the PS3 version). I believe that fans will be able to enjoy this version of the story with RED, and consider it “another Nepgear story.”
Also new in Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2 is an option to play as the Oracles in battle. What kind of attacks do they have?
Aside from Histoire, all of the Oracles’ attack/battle styles are inspired by each nation’s CPU and CPU candidates.
Kei Jinguji uses swordplay, a skill that she learned from Noire in Lastation. Chika Hakozaki employs spear attacks, which she learned from her beloved Vert. Mina Nishizawa is magic mentor to Rom and Ram, so she is able to cast powerful magic and skillfully use healing powers. (She is a multitasker!) All of the Oracles have specific characteristics and roles, so they can be very powerful depending on how you play them. I should mention that Histoire (as shown in Re;Birth1) is capable of a very dynamic attack that you wouldn’t expect given her appearance.
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2 has jumping like Neptunia Victory. How did you redesign maps to make jumping useful? What kinds of secrets should we look out for?
There weren’t many huge changes made to the maps, but players will be able to see the unique characteristics of each of the characters’ jumps themselves! In Re;Birth 2, you’ll see the largest character line-up of the series so far. I am sure the fans will have fun choosing which characters to play in dungeons and which characters to include in their parties!
Why did you create a new ending for Re;Birth2?
The new ending is an extended story of Neptunia mk2. After the release of Neptunia mk2, we received a great deal of suggestions and feedback about one of the endings. If you are able to avoid that particular ending, you’ll get the chance to witness a much happier conclusion.
How do you feel about the Neptunia series coming to PC?
I never imagined that the Neptunia series would get this big, or accepted as widely in the world as it has been. With the game’s release on the PC, I hope that this “Neptunia Circle” will grow even bigger to include all those who are interested in the Neptunia series!
