OK, so as a general fan of games that are just plain weird or do their own thing in some way, I always try to keep an open mind when checking out just about everything that shows up in my inbox. There are times when oddball ideas and quirk can mesh together with at least reasonably good play to create something memorable… but then there also are times when no matter how amusing the presentation and characters may be, the underlying gameplay just doesn’t work. Unfortunately in the case of Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos we have a clear case of the latter.

Honestly, from a story perspective, even having played the game, I’m really not 100% positive what’s going on. You’ll initially start out playing as Uzume, who has found herself on an odd planet and must try to rescue her gang of fellow anime gals and combat being overrun by a rainbow of weirdo blobs called Dogoos. Your key to success? Riding your motorcycle around to gather them up, while trying to fight off and steal them from other riders using a pretty limited set of attacks. As you liberate your friends from their various Dogoo obsessions you’ll have the option to ride with them instead, and each have their own strengths.

The problem is that none of the action is terribly interesting or exciting, and so much as muddled and confusing. You’ll figure out how to be successful through some trial and error, but given the limited degree of nuance and technique it’s pretty unsatisfying in general. I suppose the quirky characters and attempts at humor in the brief breaks between stages could have appeal, or that some of the stage gimmicks that attempt to somehow punch up the paper-thin gameplay could briefly make for some fun, but the generally weak fundamentals simply don’t hold up. You will absolutely walk away from this experience thinking it’s at least unique, but not likely in a good way, or as something you’d have much interest in returning to.