The World Ends With You is a game that was developed by the same crew that released Kingdom Hearts, and in much the same way, it breaks the barriers of what was previously thought possible both in terms of the Nintendo DS and of the RPG genre in general. The style of art that is present throughout the game has been tremendously influenced by the youth culture of Shibuya, which is known to be one of the most haute couture places in Tokyo. Aside from the fashion trends that are present in Shibuya, a number of vocal artists lend their talents to the game.
This means that The World Ends With You has efforts by Leah, SAWA, Jyongri, Mai Matsuda, and Cameron Strother. The game was originally released in Japan in the middle of 2007, and was brought over to American shores in the middle of April. The World Ends With You focuses on the main character, Neku Sakuraba, and eir struggle to stay alive. This is done through playing a game that has been set up by a mysterious group called the Reapers, who give Neku a number of different missions to complete. The game itself is set up into three different chapters and an additional, “bonus†chapter; Neku has to go through different parts of the city, of which some parts are opened up only through the completion of certain missions. Neku’s struggles are modified by the type of fashions that ey wears, which allow Neku to either gain or lose efficacy in attacks.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of The World Ends With You has to be the game’s innovative attack mode. The battle is split up into both screens, with Neku and eir ally attacking the enemy at the same time. To attack enemies, individuals may have to actually use the DS’s stylus to slash, shoot, or to oppress an enemy down. To ensure that the battle is more realistic, even if the player’s use of Neku shows skill, the battle can be lost if Neku’s ally is particularly poor or ill-equipped for the battle at hand. The story present during The World Ends With You is compelling, the game play is something that hasn’t been really broached before, and this results in the game being one of the best put forth during the Nintendo DS’s short time out. If you like your RPGs to be cutting-edge, make sure to pick this up.
Rating: 9.0/10
The World Ends With You (DS) / 2008 Square Enix / http://www.square-enix.com /