The World Ends with You

If you’ve played RPG’s for any length of time you are sure to know who Square Enix are. Think Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy and you’ll have a pretty good idea of their basic gaming formula and style: lush fantasy worlds, massive swords, crazy looking characters (chocobo’s optional), and so on. In one sense, Square Enix are quite stuck in their ways. They experiment occasionally, throw in a new feature or two, put a bit of shine on a few things, but in the end they rarely stray from their traditional format. But why not? They are, after all, extremely good at what they do and their stuff sells like hot cakes. Why change a good thing? It might be surprising to hear then that, although they continue to churn out a huge amount of the older style stuff, they are also not afraid to shake things up a bit from time to time and try something new.

The World Ends With You is definitely not the Square Enix norm. There are no enchanted forests, magic wielding sorcerers and cuddly Moogle’s here; instead the setting is modern day Tokyo’s Shibuya district, Japan’s fashion and youth-culture centre. You follow the story of Neku Sakabara, a graffiti loving 15 year old loner, as he is thrust kicking and screaming into the Reapers Game, a twisted week long battle for his very existence. Before too long Neku finds himself faced with strange monsters called Noise, all baying for his blood, in an alternate version of Shibuya where the general public don’t seem to be aware of his tricky predicament. Thankfully help is at hand when another “player” named Shiki, a cheerful yet mysterious girl, turns up to form a pact with our hero which will allow both of them to defend themselves. This “defence” takes the form of pins that grant the user special abilities, such as lighting Noise on fire or catching them in a tornado, each very destructive and satisfying in their own way. Along the way Neku reluctantly teams up with other players who not only help him to fight off the various enemies but also show him that not everyone is out to get him and that he doesn’t have to spend the rest of his life allow. Needless to say, Neku finds the whole thing rather bewildering.

The first thing that really strikes you from the very moment the game starts is the look and feel of the world. It’s simply gorgeous! The colourful anime graphics really lends itself well to the stylish and fashion obsessed setting of Shibuya’s shopping districts giving the whole place a unique and absorbing atmosphere. The same thing applies to the battle scenes which are extremely engaging and exciting. With all of the lights and bodies of vanquished Noise flying across the screen it never feels dull, but it can, at times, get a bit too much. There’s just so much to take in, it can result in major sensory overload (which is actually quite exhilarating in a way). The characters too are also a product of this style and, like most Square Enix creations, are pretty wacky and over-the-top (Square hasn’t completely abandoned its roots). It’s all amazing though and is a real treat for the senses.

The other aspect that is immediately apparent is the gameplay. Unlike most DS games TWEWY is almost completely stylus controlled, with minimal input needed with the D-pad. You control everything from movement, battles and the menu screen from here without the need (or even the option as far as I can tell) of using the arrows. Stuff like that has been done before but the big difference here is that it actually works. One of the real triumphs with this game is the way that it so effortlessly works with the technology that makes the DS such a unique console in the first place. It feels natural, quick and intuitive, as well as a being an almost criminal amount of fun. A quick word of warning though: the learning curve surrounding the battle system is pretty steep, because although the D-pad is not used much in the conventional sense it does have a purpose. During battle, when Neku is partnered with Shiki, you must control them both individually (Shiki on the top screen and Neku on the bottom). This in effect meaning you are fighting two battles at once, which at first is pretty daunting and will take a lot of getting used to. Persistence reaps rewards however and with a little practice you realise the genius behind it. Like so many things in this game it feels unique and perfectly balanced between difficultly and awesomeness. Even if you don’t like it though, fear not! If you are finding it difficult to comprehend following two screens at once (which is completely understandable) you can let the AI take over Shiki so you focus on kicking the snot out of the Noise with Neku. It really is very adaptable.

All of this technique wizardry would be meaningless without a decent story however but, once again, TWEWY delivers in spades. Don’t let the anime graphics fool you; this is no childish Saturday morning cartoon. The story is wonderfully compelling with enough plot twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end. There are several scenes where everything seems to be resolved and sorted only to be catapulted into a totally different direction in the blink of an eye. It really is edge of your seat stuff. The character development is skilfully handled as well with some genuinely heartfelt and hard-hitting moments. Neku’s journey from angsty, sullen teen to a caring and functioning member of society is wonderfully portrayed and the plots surrounding the co-stars, such as Shiki, are no less rewarding. That sort of emotional clout isn’t particularly common in the gaming world, especially on the DS, but having them here is fantastic and it’s those moments really drive this game along. It really is the cherry on this delicious and fattening cake!

The World Ends With You is flawlessly presented and just oozes style and cool from start to finish. Its innovative handling sets a new benchmark for RPG’s and shows that new and unique features can still be added to keep the genre fresh. This is not just the best DS games I’ve played this year but one of the best games of any kind to be released over recent months. A true Square Enix classic and a must have for any DS owner!