The World Ends With Our Review

Thankfully, developers Jupiter and Square-Enix have avoided the usual
trappings associated with action RPGs- the pseudo-medieval settings, saccharine
dialog, and bland graphics. The World Ends With You stimulates players with a
techno-graffiti art style set in a modern Tokyo.  

Graphically, TWEWY pushes the 2D limits of the Nintendo DS;
hand drawn art spins, shrinks, and grows in a style that one-ups Elite Beat
Agents. As players follow the exploits to angst-laden teen Neku, they’ll
explore a colorful world that feels alive- no easy feat on the DS hardware.

Soon players will discover ‘pins’ which allow characters
different forms on combat. At first, combat mirrors Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword’s
scheme; the stylus moves the player, while drawing a slash to attack enemies.
Soon, players will discover the truly unique combat system of the game: controlling one character on the top screen with
the directional pad, while using the stylus to control Neku on the bottom screen. This
method of combat can get hectic. With the player sharing combos between the
characters; it’s a skill learned slowly, as no game in recent memory has required
players to juggle two dissimilar tasks. However, once players do get the hang of combat, it can be very fulfilling.

To further distinguish the title from the RPG crowd, and to
capitalize on the DS’s features, the game gives players experience while not
playing the game. The internal clock of the DS is used to show the current time
in the on-screen HUD. Not only is this handy for gamers on the go, but it fits
within the cultural technology of the game. Armor in the game has been contextualized to fashion; where the proper clothes in the right location for a increase to your defense stat.

Our only misgivings with TWEWY is its brutally hard
difficulty, and the nearly constant antisocial tone of Neku. Perhaps if he
were able to play a game as fun and varied as this, he’d lighten up a bit. He might even smile, just as we found ourselves doing will enjoying the depth and complexity of this game.