The first thing that struck me about `The World Ends With You' is the high quality of the production values. This is a one slick looking game. The next thing that hit me was how complicated the game is. I tend to prefer simpler RPG's like Paper Mario and the fantastic Mario and Luigi games but once you get past the moderate learning curve this is an awesome game. It's also a game the devilishly hard to put down.
As with just about every RPG ever created the meat of the game involves battles and leveling up. The action takes place on both the top and bottom screens. The top screen is managed using the directional pad while the lower requires the stylus. Players are given the choice as to which screen to control while the action in the opposite screen is taken care of by the system. I would generally switch back and forth in mid battle. The stylus attacks are more fun and powerful but the directional pad attacks can allow for devastating synced attacks. It all works very well and has yet to grow tedious. As a player gets more confident in fighting she can chain battles to fight multiple enemies in a row for greater rewards.
The rewards for battles include the standard experience points, cash and treasure but you also get experience points for the pins you bring to the fight. Pins? Pins are a way to customize your attacks. By attaching one or more pins you can employ various attacks including flames, ice, bullets using motions of the stylus. Most pins are upgradable through experience and some even evolve into more powerful pins.
The game I'm most reminded of playing TWEWY is the classic River City Ransom and that is high praise indeed. The game involves traveling around a city, fighting battles and purchasing clothes, foods and pins to increase your fighting abilities. River City Ransom was one of the all time great games and I always wondered why its formula wasn't emulated more. I'm not sure that the developers of The World had River City Ransom in mind when they created this game but it certainly was on mine while I played it.
This is one of the best handheld RPG's I've ever played. The story is very good if a bit more verbose than I usually like. The best thing I can say about this game is I never got bored and that's not always the case with RPG's. There is so much character building in the game whether it be upgrading your pins, creating relationships with salespeople or just increasing your attack and defense stats. I would have to put this game in the must get category for RPG fans.
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I won't rehash all that has been said previously about this game in the other reviews. Simply put: This is the best game I've ever played on the DS. It ranks right up in the Top 3 I've ever played.
I am mainly writing this review for all you casual gamers out there. This game walks you through the steps and actually teaches you what to do PLUS you get practice time. One of my big issues with games is the frustration level since you don't know what to do or where to do it. I bought a DS and a Wii as a way to play more with my kids, since they prefer video over board games (board games are what I grew up with). In an effort to spend some more time with them doing things *they* like to do I started playing the DS. We have found a few Wii games but the majority are only so-so. I was very worried that the DS would have the same problem but we've found quite a few excellent games that really are varied. I have to say this 40+ year old mom has a new love.
Back to the game: I cannot express how awesome this game is. As a FIRST TIME RPG/Action player I have had no problem picking up all the skills needed to play. It is varied and has many options for difficulty. In fact (much to my surprise!) I have been doing much of the game at all 3 levels in order to collect the most pins and level them up. EDA: There is an Ultimate level you get to after beating the game--I've played it as well and it is far more challenging but quite fun!
For any type of gamer I highly recommend TWEWY. I can only hope they make a sequel.
Edited in 2010: This game remains on my top 5 DS games. Since I wrote this review I've played many games for the DS and become much more of a gamer with a particular focus on RPG, SRPG, and Puzzle games. TWEWY's music, characters, unique battle system and storyline are still amongst the best I've ever experienced on the DS. It really is the package that puts this game above so many others--individual games may have strengths in one thing or another but I have found few that can put it all together and provide you a memorable game experience. There are so many little things in this game that make a difference--from the catchy unique music to the way you can aquire experience by taking a break from the game. This title retains its place of honor amongst my games. If someone is looking for an RPG that's not like the others this is still my top recommendation!
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I just wanna tell everyone about an EXCEPTIONAL game. From beginning to end, in every way, I found it to be a true work of art... in fact, the elements come together to make it one simple thing; a masterpiece.
It is called The World Ends With You, by Square-Enix for the Nintendo DS. I won't go into details about exactly what happens... but just know, the plot, storyline twists, and character development are some of the best in any game I have ever played. They are on par with the best movies I have ever seen.
The game takes you through a journey questioning what it means to be alive, and what the point of living truly is. It keeps you on your toes trying to guess the end, and in the final moments still leaves you absolutely shocked, and even leaves many points unresolved (but luckily you can go back after you beat it and complete tasks which answer these ideas which were vaguely laid out for you). It does so in a mind-twisting way that is so distinctively Japanese its brilliance is astounding.
On top of all of that, it features an exceptionally unique art style, with an innovative and fun battle system. In fact, every system or menu in the game is extremely original, yet simple and easy to get a hang of. The music is also top notch (all sorts of j-pop & rock), and theres lots to collect and play with.
Its rare I will praise ANYTHING this much... but this game rekindles that majesty Square used to be known for; the ability to touch the player with a story told not in a couple hours, but through a course of dozens of hours and countless interactive experiences. The ending, as well as several moments in the game, struck a cord with me and what I am dealing with in my own life. Almost never has a game been so inspirational and therapeutic, while completely avoiding sounding like a self-help book.
The World Ends With You mixes fun and an incredibly powerful narrative into one interactive masterpiece. Its games like these that make me remember why I consider video games to be the most potent art form in our world today.
Honest reviews on The World Ends With You
I used to play a lot of RPG but quit for a long time because most RPG games are just repetitive. Most RPG games you just proceed through a linear storyline and a lot of battles are turned base. There's really no fun in most of the gameplay because of the lack of action, but they're cool with special effects from battles. The World Ends With You however is ENTIRELY UNIQUE; there is no close substitute to this game.
Graphics:
Really fluid motion and great colors to the game.
The cutscene with the anime characters look smooth and fit into the mood of the game.
Music:
Really catchy with the mood of the storyline.
Some are in English and some are in Japanese ;)
Gameplay:
It's a hack and slash with REALLY REALLY good concept. It doesn't get repetitive at all.
Each slash you do is automatically determined by how you slashed the DS stick and depending on the pin you have, your attacks and the effects will be different. Ex. if you slash across a Noise (the monsters) you do a physical slash on the Noise, but if you gently hold down to DS stick and move it across the screen, your character will create a wall of fire.
Pins give you different attacks & there are so many pins you can customize (plus they level up)
Clothing is really nice because you can customize 4 for each character.
Food enables you to gain permanent stats (don't worry about messing up the stats because there's a fixed maximum for all the stats anyways).
The ability for you to change the difficulty to gain more experience and better drop rate deserves a noble prize.
The dual screen lets your partner character help you fight the Noise (they are the same enemy you fight just on different screen).
You can choose to control your partner by using the arrow pad while you control the main character with the DS stick. If you choose not to, you can set in the option to have the computer play your partner's character 100%. If you control your partner and go inactive for a few seconds, they will automatically take over for you.
The accuracy and smoothness of the DS stick is VERY VERY sharp.
Storyline:
Wow it has a really nice twist.
Things are NOT as what they appear.
The story is one of the better ones out there entirely unique and new plot not seen before in other RPG.
Conclusion:
Even though the first thing you might notice about this game are the fantastic graphics and music. The REAL revolutionizing factor is the gameplay. That's what you're looking for in the game.
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The game stars a young teenager, Neku, a kid sick and tired of the world and the people in it, who wakes up in a strange version of his hometown with all his memories gone. It turns out to be a game organized by a strange group that calls themselves "Reapers" where he has to work with this strange preppy stalker girl, Shiki, to win the game in 7 days or face "erasure"!
The game play takes a little time to get use to, but feels extremely satisfying when you do get good at it. You control Neku at the bottom screen with the stylus and control Shiki at the top with the buttons, at the same time. This sounds a little confusing, at first but you quickly do get the hang of it, the game also features many ways to adjust the difficulty to your liking. You equip pins to modify Neku's psychic powers, most pins also have brands that get enhancements depending on the trends in your location. In fact, even the clothing that your characters equip get bonuses based off of the trends.
The game even takes the ideas of trends and fashions and applies it to the art and music. It's soundtrack features a trendy mix of Hip-hop, Rock, Techno and JPop reminding some of other artistic games with trendy music such as Jet Set Radio. The art as well is hard and edgy, with many sharp edges and strange proportions, it definitely takes style and cranks it past 11.
The only thing I can say where it lacks is the lack of a multiple player battle mode or co-op, (It features multiple player in the forum of a fun mini-game) and that it has only one save file. However with the intriguing story (with it's surprising plot twists), addictive gameplay, quantity of things to explore, collect, and customize, and killer sound track and art, The World Ends With You is a game you do not want to miss! (And with the game being hard to find you should check back as often as possible to see when it is available)
A WARNING TO PARENTS: This game is rated T for Teen. Some games rated T are more okay for children than others, (with content matching what is often in children's cartoon shows despite being rated T) . This game however, is not the case, despite the kid-friendly design of the characters this game this game features a lot of STRONG LANGUAGE and ADULT CONTENT, and I strongly suggest this for ONLY AGES 13 AND UP.
