The World Ends With You

Features

• Modern art style created by a team of artists led by Tetsuya Nomura, world-renowned character designer of the upcoming Fabula Nova Crystallis project
• Innovative Stride-Cross Battle System allows players to control two characters simultaneously, unleashing special attacks with the stylus
• Collect a vast array of custom-designed pins, each with a powerful psychic ability that can be activated with the right touch or sound command
• Customize characters with Shibuya's coolest fashions and exchange items with other players via Mingle Mode while experiencing an amazing soundtrack combining a fusion of musical influences from hip-hop to rock and electronica
• Battle with up to three friends in Tin Pin Slammer, an exciting and fast-paced mini-game, via local wireless connection

Customer Reviews

The World Starts With You!
I was like the many who were not too sure about this game but heard enough good things to give a shot. BEST MOVE EVER! I am over 50 hours into a DS game and i'm not bored after the main game is over! Everything about this game is unique and refreshing. After you beat the game there is still much to do and accomplish. The combat does eventually get a little repetitive but different. This is absolutely a must buy!

Wow! Amazing game!
I have to say... this game is one of a kind. It can be extremely easy or pretty difficult, and it all depends on you.
the combat system is pretty awesome. Using pins, though, kind of reminds me of using cards (like in kingdom hearts: chain of memories.) Still, the game is a fresh take on a classic genre.
Though the plot is a little linear, you find yourself growing attached to the characters. And who could beat that music? I find myself humming it when I'm not playing!
This is great for a casual gamer, as well as serious. It's a lot of fun!

A unique game on a unique system
It's kind of difficult to be a gamer in the next-gen era since there's just so many games that it is kind of difficult to invest the kind of hours a game requires since there is so many games that interest you and with work, school etc taking up time as well, it can be tricky trying to play everything that comes down the pipe. Strange as it is, I haven't played much DS games but not for lack of games but just lack of funds. I thought I'd give The World Ends With You a shot and while I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite games on the DS, it's sure quite fun to play anyway.

Story: You play as Neku, a kid who is more comfortable being by himself and doesn't want to rely on anyone (a kid after my own heart, it seems). He awakens in the Shibuya District in Tokyo with amnesia and no clue of how we arrived. Soon, he receives a message to be somewhere in 60 minutes or face erasure. With the ability to read minds and teaming up with a young girl, Shiki, Neku has to complete various tasks and take on numerous creatures lest he face being erased.

Graphics: The game's graphics go for more a presentation rather than really going all-out in terms of the visuals. With character designs from Tetsuya Nomura who worked on various Final Fantasy games and the movie, the game takes on a comic-book feel mixed with 2D graphics to create the world which is quite inviting and certainly never boring.

Sound/Music: The voice acting is kind of scattered with voice clips and sentences now and then as well as the occasional "huh?" when a character's confused or surprised. It works well within the game though too bad it wasn't voice acting the entire game. As for the music, it's a good mix of J-Pop and Rock and even though I wouldn't really call it a buy or even download-worthy but it works quite well and I never felt like I had to put on my own music.

Gameplay: Most DS games use either screen as a map or extra gameplay features such as accessing special attacks or character stats. This game however requires both to fight as Neku and his partner have to battle the creatures on both screens in a sort-of tag team as Neku battles with the stylus on the bottom while the partner takes on the same enemy with the D-Pad or the face buttons on the top. Beat an enemy on one screen and it disappears from both screen so coordination and combos are extremely helpful. In fact they're kind of a necessity since successful attacks will pass a "puck" to the other player and keep it going long enough and better attacks will form. I will admit at first it was hard to keep track of both screens but while I still got hit quite a bit, I became a lot better and with the game's adjustable difficulty menu (the "harder" you make it, the better items and EXP you get) so it's best to start slow.

Neku uses attacks based on "pins" which are basically equippable moves that can level up the more you use them. One requires a vertical slash with the stylus to cut enemies while another can allow you to nab cars and other objects and fling them at enemies. Tap repeatedly for bullets, drag to create a fire trail or slash vertically to create ice columns are just some of the special attacks that you can utilize. If you don't have a screen protector yet, buy one since the action can get quite scratch-heavy and a protector will help. Another is that it's very easy to miss your enemy and with a usage timer that has to recharge before you can use it again, you'll probably rely on a certain set of pins for best in battle.

Other things can be used such as shops where you can buy clothing and wearing certain clothing in certain areas will give you bonuses since you're more "with it". It is isn't like say San Andreas where you can make your guy super muscular or ridiculously fat but it gives more options for strategy and gameplay changes. Other things like eating food which takes time to digest which will also give you stats help with playing the game and the customizing and new game+ features help the game feel more fresh the more you play. A word of caution though: this game can easily kick your *** if you're not careful and I often found myself being attacked from all sides on both screens because my eyes or fingers weren't fast enough but not to dissuade gamers from picking it up since it is fun and certainly different than "press X" gameplay but it took some getting used to.

There's games that are a bit more niche audience and more for a certain kind of gamer but I'd say everyone needs to at least play The World Ends With You at least once. Not just for the uniqueness of it but the possibility after all the weirdness that you just might end up loving it.

The World Ends if you don't buy this game
I'm not sure who comes to Amazon looking for advice on which games to get, but I can't say enough good things about TWEWY. It has, quite literally, the very best battle system I have ever played in an action RPG, not to mention one of the most demanding- in battle, you control characters on both screens at once, and though it may seem overwhelming (and in the beginning, it very well may be), you'll soon be chaining combos and earning pins at an astounding rate.

Don't let this end up on a "Great Games Nobody Bought" list- it deserves better.

Square Hits a Home Run
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 was never 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.