I've got a few Neptunia games on my account already, and the time has finally come to get to Megadimension. Turns out it was worth the wait, since this might be the best entry in the series so far, both in terms of story and overall polish. The plot is split into three acts, and that structure works well, letting each part stand mostly on its own while still building into a bigger picture by the end. It gets surprisingly dark and even emotional at points (of course while ignoring the fish guy nonsense at the start), but it never loses the humor and fourth wall breaking jokes that make these games what they are. Neptune is still her usual goofy self, and older Nep is, well, a menace in the best way possible.
Characters got a real upgrade too. Nepgear finally feels like a useful, well written lead instead of dead weight, Noire, Blanc, Vert, and Uni all get more to do in the main story instead of just standing around, and Uzume might be one of the best new additions in the whole franchise. The antagonist this time around is genuinely well written as well, which isn't something this series always nails.
Gameplay wise, the combo system got a solid overhaul, picking the right combo for each weapon actually matters now, and positioning during fights makes a real difference, especially in the bigger battles against giant enemies. Scouts are a nice touch since they give you bonuses in dungeons without forcing extra grinding, and the dungeons themselves are bigger and easier to actually get lost in, which is a step up from the smaller, more linear ones in earlier games. The soundtrack deserves a mention too, it's great throughout but especially shines during boss fights.
Now, the bad. The new overworld travel system slows the pace down more than it should, especially once you're overleveled and still getting stuck in random fights with weak early enemies (You can turn it off later once you craft a special item, but I genuinely wish for the person who created this mechanic to step on a lego). Mouse controls take some getting used to at first, and while the game looks fine overall, it's pretty clear a chunk of the assets, models, and even some music got recycled from older entries (Or are just re-colors). For a stylized anime game that doesn't hurt much, but after this many entries in the series, a bit more visual improvement wouldn't have hurt.
If you are a Neptunia series enjoyer, this is a must play. If you're not a Neptunia series enjoyer, I believe this could be both a good start and end on Neptunia series.
