The World Ends With You (DS) Review

Expand your world.

 Part of Square Enix's lesser known offerings of the past decade, The World Ends With You was easily among the best action-RPGs on the Nintendo DS. Released back in 2007, The World Ends With You graced the system with its stylish looks and clever use of the DS hardware. Centering on a group of teens, they are forced to participate in a game spanning seven days which will determine the fate of their existence. I remember buying the game a long time ago after reading many reviews praising it though I never gotten around to playing it until now as The World Ends With You is getting a long-awaited remaster on the Nintendo Switch next month. So in anticipation, I decided to finally dive into the original release to find out if the game holds up well today.


 Taking place in a fictionalized Shibuya district of Japan, we follow amnesiac protagonist Neku as he's forced into playing a game where he has seven days to live. As a "player", he must complete a series of bizarre tasks sent to him through his phone by an unknown group called "The Reapers", or else he'll have his existence erased. He's not alone in his mission as he soon meets and teams up with other players early on. It might be a bit overwhelming to digest the premise at first since you're immediately thrown in on the action but the story does a good job of hooking you nonetheless. The story was great as there's a huge sense of mystery to the players and whole game. It'll also keep you hooked with some unexpected plot-twists along the way too. I liked the cast of characters such as Neku, who evolves from angsty loner to a likable lead, the same also goes for the supporting cast such as Shiki, Beat, and Joshua, who are all interesting partners and get their chance at the spotlight. While the story itself is engaging, the inability to skip cutscene was annoying since you'll have to watch the scene again in case you lose in a boss fight.

Despite its dark premise, the 

story has its fun moments.

 The World Ends With You makes use of the DS hardware by having you tapping and swiping at the screen to defeat enemies known as the "noise". The game utilizes both of the DS' screens as Neku controlled on the bottom screen using the stylus while his partner takes the upper one and is controlled via the D-pad. You'll have to alternate between the two screens many times to defeat the noise but if that's a little overwhelming, you can thankfully adjust the game so that your partner can fully take over. Neku and his partner can perform a special Fusion Attack that will deal bonus damage to enemies. In order to activate it, you'll have to collect as much starts as possible by playing a card game. Trust me, it will take a bit to get used but it come sin handy when fighting against harder waves of enemies.

The gameplay is super entertaining, 

once you get used to it.

The only way to even touch the noise is by using special powered-up pins. When equipped, they grant Neku a range of abilities such as creating flame attacks by dragging the stylus across the screen, hurling objects at enemies by flicking the stylus, and amusingly, blowing into the microphone to immobilize them. Pins also level up after battles, getting more powerful each time. You won't be sticking with the same set-up every time as the game encourages you to experiment by giving you various pins at certain parts of the story. Pins can even be sold for money after you're done with them as well.

 I never thought that I would wrap my head around the controls as they were very intimidating at first, but thankfully, one can easily grasp it with enough practice. That being said, I did found some problems with the controls. While the controls are fast and streamlined for the most part, there were times where the touchscreen was unresponsive during moments in battles as I wanted to do a quick maneuver from an oncoming enemy, only to find that Neku wouldn't move. What also didn't help is that at times, there were some delays in movements after using some skills as well, which costed me a chunk of my health. They're not game-breaking by any means, but I did found them to be annoyances at certain points in battles.

Battles are far from boring as you 

experiment with different pins.

 Fighting aside, there's a lot to explore in Shibuya. For starters, you'll need to buy clothes in order to increase your defenses and attacks, however, you'll have to be brave enough (yes, I'm serious). Since wearing flashy clothes tend to make a statement, some clothes require a set amount of bravery for you to wear them. Fortunately, it's rather easy to increase the bravery stat as the various food you can consume often pack stats boosts such as increased health and bravery. This in turn, encourages you to look for high-end shops and restaurants in the game's rather small but dense areas. Speaking of the game's areas, each area has its own popular trends and wearing the right set of clothes and pins will net you stat boosts in battles. It's also worth noting that there's no random encounters in the game. Instead, Neku can scan any area using a special pin and tap into noise symbols in order to initiate a battle.

Shop till you drop.

 The game is high on replay value as there are still things to do in Shibuya once you're done with the story. There are more enemy types to scan, more pins to collect, and clothes to buy. A mini-game is included called "Tin Pin Slammer" where you use your pins to knock down your opponent in order to win. It serves as a nice distraction, albeit a pretty bare-bones one. One thing that I felt like adding was that the battle system made grinding feel less of a chore more fun as the battles are faced-paced and involving since you're playing with all sorts of pins. Also, you'll want to replay the game again if you plan on collecting the secret reports that provide you with some crucial insight to the story. Thankfully, you get to keep everything you own from the previous playthrough and this time you can finally fast-forward through story scenes.

 The World Ends With You boasts a stunning art-style from veteran Square Enix artist Tetsuya Nomura (Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts) and I simply adore it. To be honest, I was very surprised when I read that the game is over 10 years old as doesn't look like it, which is a testament to the game's art direction. Character sprites and backgrounds are flashy and detailed though some the sprites do look blocky in close-ups. The pin designs are also neat with many eye-catching designs. Voicework for the game is minimal so you'll be doing some reading, but the performances are nonetheless good. However, the soundtrack does make it up with an infectiously catchy upbeat tracks that blends well with the game's contemporary premise. Tracks such as "Calling", "O-Parts", "Deja Vu", and "Amnesia" were catchy, memorable tracks that I couldn't stop listening to.

The World Ends With You oozes with style.

 With an engaging story that's filled with mystery surrounding its cast, fun and addictive gameplay, and a stylish presentation, The World Ends With You has held up amazingly well by today's standards. Despite some shortcomings I had with the controls, The World Ends With You was a fun experience despite its brief length, taking me around 20-25 hours to beat. Thankfully, there's replay value to increase the longevity of the experience. If you fancy cleaned-up visuals and streamlined controls, then I'd recommend the upcoming Switch remaster, but other than that, The World Ends With You remains one of the best action-packed RPGs you can play on the DS.