The Hyperdimension Neptunia games are set in Gamindustri, but the strategy RPG spinoff Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart is in a whole new world, Gamarket. Producer Naoko Mizuno talked to Siliconera about the new world and what writing a story for Noire is like compared to Neptune.
Why does Hyperdevotion Noire take place in a different world than Gamindustri? What aspects of the video game industry did you want to parody with this game that you couldn’t with other titles?
Naoko Mizuno, Producer: The world in which Hyperdevotion Noire takes place is called Gamarket, and we thought that the actual video game market, which has wide variety of titles, matches the theme of the Strategy RPG system that is used in Noire.
In this game, there are even more video game parodies that will allow fans to see and enjoy a different side of the Neptunia series!
How does writing a story that revolves around Noire differ than creating a story that centers on Neptune?
Unlike Neptune, Noire is not always cheerful and positive, so she encounters many situations in which she gets in trouble with other characters, specifically because of her personality in the story. She also tends to worry about things on her own, so the story for Noire tends to be a bit more on the serious side compared to other stories in the Neptunia series. I think we were able to bring a greater focus to the unique points of Noire’s personality in this game.
Can you describe the process of how you created new characters for Hyperdevotion Noire?
First, we extensively researched various video game titles, and we picked up the main elements that could be symbolic of them. Then, we added detailed characteristics and some parody elements. The new characters were then born from these special collections of traits.
There’s a rumor that Vio was supposed to be “Capcom” and a character like Tekken or Marvelous for Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory. Can you tell us about this?
That is actually a rumor. Vio was inspired by the types of games where players fight against zombies; however, nothing about Vio is directly connected to a specific game. Hyperdevotion Noire uses various video games as inspiration, so I suppose it can’t be helped that a rumor like this has surfaced!
With the new generations of consoles out, will Blanc, Noire, and Vert get a “next generation upgrade?”
We are currently developing a new title for the Neptunia series, Shinjigen Game Neptune VII, for the PS4, and we are almost halfway done. The PS4 expands upon the capabilities of each character’s expressions, so we are able to make characters even cuter and more lovable than before! This new title is packed with even more than fans might expect! There are new goddess forms for each of the CPU that players can look forward to, so we hope that everyone can enjoy the game upon its release!
