Fantasy Friday: The World Ends with You

[Originally written in June of 2008]

Okay, I missed Friday by a "little", so sue me...wait please don't I probably can't afford it.

Moving right along,

Some of you may never have heard of this game, which is a real shame, it's creative story, funny dialogue and interesting though sometimes challenging gameplay should get more recognition. I personally believe it to be the best DS game so far, and hope for a sequel of some kind.
I'm surprised how little I hear of it as it was made by the same development team that worked on Kingdom Hearts, a very successful little series of games, with more on the way. (More on that a few fridays from now.) For those of you who didn't enjoy KH, than don't let it stop you as though the main character has his fair share of emo, the story makes up for it well. It was originally called It's a Wonderful World, but for obvious copyright reasons they had to change that. Now onto the review.

Plot summary: The World Ends with You tells the story of Neku Sakuraba, a more than a little emo 15-year-old boy who unexpectedly wakes up in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, Japan who never is without his all too necessary headphones so he can drown out other people. While trying to piece together his rude awakening, he receives a strange text message warning him that he will cease to exist unless he accomplishes a certain mission. Although he barely has time to grasp what is happening to him, he commences his assigned task in the mysterious streets of Shibuya.

Graphics:10/10
This game s simply beautiful. It really is the current pinnacle of 2D graphics on the DS. Just take a look at some screens and you'll know what I mean. The drawings are very well detailed, without any overzealous zippers, and the backgrounds hold the same. Character expressions are also done very well, easily expressing the character without being too "Japany". Battle graphics are also fairly good though the sprites sometimes get sketchy, but it's the DS, if you want super graphics go buy a PSP. Overall, extremely well done, Square.

Sound:7/10
This is a little more opinion based, whereas the SFX are all well and good. fitting properly with the game, the soundtrack is another story. You'll either love or hate it as it is comprised mostly of J-pop, J-rock and even J-rap, though most are in english, just japanese styled. If you hate J stuff, than mute it, cause it'll loop and grind into your ears. Though if you really think about it the music is appropriate as this game is set in Japan and makes several japanese pop culture references. The music is practically a reflection of what Neku is listening to.

Gameplay:8/10
Hoo boy, this ones a doozey. It takes a lot of getting used to as you practically have to split your mind in two. In every RPG there are a set of monsters you mus fight correct? Well they're called noise here and they exist in both screens. On the top screen you control your partner by pushing left or right and following a combo map to either a symbol or number depending on your partner. If you pick the right combo ending you earn a star. Later in the game you can unleash powerful combo attacks by collecting these stars. On the bottom is neku, and you use the stylus to move and activate his pins, which act like weapons and spells. Unfortunately for beginners, both characters are fighting at the same time, and must be controlled one right after the other rapid fire. However, you can set your partner to automatic which eases the pain in the beginning. However once you get the hang of it the battles become extremely fun and you'll want to drop the AI as its stupid as all hell. Another aspect of the gameplay is the clothes you can wear. Not only do they act as armor like in most RPG's, giving you stat boosts and the like, but they also have brands. Depending on where you are in Shibuya, the trends change and your clothes can either make you weaker or stronger depending on their brand. You can always check the areas trends by opening your cell phone menu. While some found this feature annoying, I thought it was an interesting way to keep you flexible with your armor and pins.

Replay value:8/10
This mostly depends on how hardcore a gamer you are. At the end they give you a ton of stuff to collect, and not just the most powerful weapons and gear either but actual plot relevant things. I found this to be nice, especially if you didn't want the game to end just quite yet. They even give you an extra little branch off "level" which is very fun and hilarious. However if collecting and plot pieces aren't your thing, than prepare for one playthrough, though great it will be.

End thoughts:10/10
Well this game is graphically stunning and, in my eyes, a fresh new look at what an RPG and RPG battle system can be. Though clumsy at times, this game is truly a fantastic addition to Sqaure's line-up. I'm Zack, and this was Fantasy Friday, see you next week.