The World Ends With You (2008) [Nintendo DS] critique

“Listen up, Phones. The world ends with you. If you want to enjoy life, expand your world. You gotta push your horizons out as far as they’ll go.”

– Sanae Hanekoma, The World Ends With You 

Square Enix is best known for their two flagship RPG series, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. From time to time, the company also knocks out several, one-off titles that are either huge hits (Chrono Trigger, Octopath Traveler) or huge misses (Babylon’s Fall). But every once in a while, Square Enix releases an RPG that’s so odd and quirky, that it’s hard to believe that its execution and reception would be anything less than spectacular. That title is The World Ends With You, the subject of today’s critique.

The World Ends With You was originally titled It’s A Wonderful Life for Japanese release in 2007. Its name was changed to its current form for the North American and EU releases in 2008 due to copyright issues. An enhanced port of the game titled The World Ends With You: Solo Remix was developed for mobile devices by developer h.a.n.d. in 2012. Most recently, the game was ported to the Nintendo Switch in 2018 under the title, The World Ends With You: Final Remix. Its sequel, NEO: The World Ends With You, was released in 2021 for all major consoles.

Sitting Twixt Two Planes of Existence

The World Ends With You was co-developed by Square Enix and Jupiter Software: a Kyoto-based software and hardware developer specializing in handheld devices. The game is set in modern-day Shibuya – a major shopping district in Tokyo, Japan. Fusing traditional RPG mechanics with urban fantasy elements drawn from Shibuya’s eclectic youth culture, The World Ends With You places the player in control of Neku Sakuraba.

Neku is an asocial/antisocial teen who claims that he “doesn’t get people,” and rarely interacts with others. When the game begins, he awakens in the middle of Shibuya’s famous Scramble Crossing with no idea how he got there and what happened. He soon discovers that he is an unwilling participant in the Reaper’s Game. This game takes place in the Underground (UG) – A Shibuya that rests within an alternate plane of existence separate from reality – here called the Realground (RG). Spanning the course of 27 days, Neku must find a way to win this Game and return to the RG, while at the same time learning both to trust others and to let others into his life.

The Foundational Beats

Development of the game started near the tail end of Kingdom Hearts II’s development cycle about two years prior to its Japanese release. With the imminent release of the Nintendo DS, Square Enix requested for a game to be developed specifically for that system. The responsibility lay on the shoulders of the creative team behind the Kingdom Hearts series and those of Jupiter Software, who had developed Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for the Game Boy Advance. 

Having the opportunity to test the hardware at a Nintendo event in 2004, the creative team, consisting of director Tatsuya Kando, co-director Tomohiro Hasegawa, planning director Takeshi Arakawa and character designer/creative producer Tetsuya Nomura envisioned a game that utilized Chain of Memories’ card-game mechanics across the dual screen setup. Initially, the action was primarily displayed on the top screen, but the team wanted to incorporate the touch screen into the game. The end result became a frenzied, dual-screen battle system called the Stride Cross Battle System.

Cross Stridin’

The Stride Cross Battle System is the main highlight of the game. Battles with the Noise (the enemies of the game) take place between the top and bottom screens. Neku occupies the bottom screen, while his current partner is on the top screen. The Noise, according to the game’s lore, occupies separate zones within the same plane. The dual screens represent this separation. Erasing an enemy in one zone directly affects the same enemy in the other. On the other hand, the same holds true about Neku and his partner. As the characters share a single health pool, the game ends if a character within one zone loses all health.

Battling in this system requires the use of both the Nintendo DS stylus and the D-Pad/buttons. The stylus triggers Neku’s various Psyches through various gestures, like tapping or slashing the screen. Blowing or shouting into the system’s microphone also activates some Psyches. Partners fight using a card-based system using either the D-Pad or the ABXY buttons, depending on the player’s dominant stylus hand. Each partner has three pathways leading to cards. Players select cards by pressing the buttons corresponding to the pathway leading to them. By reaching the end of the path, the character performs a combo finisher. Partners can attack both on the ground and in the air and can block or evade attacks.

What makes the system both interesting and challenging is that players have to manage both screens at the same time. You’ll have one-hand mashing buttons for the partner character to attack while using the stylus to execute Psyches with Neku. Despite the chaotic nature of the gameplay, players can enable the option to allow the computer to take control of the partner character. This helps to acclimate new players to the unique battle system. 

Psyche Out

As revealed in the story, Neku is gifted at using Psyches. Neku can use various Psyches by equipping pins. At the start, Neku can only equip four pins but can expand that to six by trading in items at certain shops. Selecting a pin on the “Pins” screen in the menu explains how to activate the Psyche.

Psyches are activated by various actions. Some require performing different stylus actions (swiping, tapping, slashing, etc.), while others utilize the system microphone or tapping the pin on the screen. The game utilizes various touch methods to good effect. However, because pin activation is dependent on which one is the left-most in the deck, one may never utilize a pin’s particular Psyche. It’s especially true if the Psyches also share similar input triggers. Sub-Slots are a way to mitigate that issue. Assigning a pin to a Sub-Slot allows players to selectively activate Psyches so long as the L or R button is pressed. 

In The World Ends With You, Psyches are divided into two categories: Positive and Negative. Positive Psyches are classified as ranged attacks, while Negative Psyches represent melee attacks. Certain enemies are weaker against one type than the other. Yellow damage numbers represent the effectiveness of the Positive or Negative Psyche. Conversely, some Noise/Reapers can absorb certain Psyches. Those are shown as green healing numbers. Players should therefore have a good mix of both Positive and Negative Psyches to avoid getting stuck in prolonged battles. 

Trust Your Partner

Neku initially comes off as standoffish and utilizes his trademark headphones to isolate himself. Unfortunately for him, The Reaper’s Game requires teams of two to play. This forces Neku to partner up with and eventually trust other people in order to escape the UG. In the story, Neku partners with three people: Shiki Misaki, Yoshida (Joshua) Kiryu and Daisukenojo Bito (Beat).

Shiki is Neku’s first partner. She is a young, fashion-aware girl and a master seamstress with dreams to open a designer label. Her entry fee upon entering The Reapers’ Game was her own appearance. She was jealous of her best friend, Eri, and wished she’d look like her instead. She carries a cat plushie named Mr. Mew with her that she controls through psychokinesis. 

Joshua is an enigmatic teen who forces Neku to partner with him during the Second Week. Joshua uses his cell phone to attack the Noise. By selecting the number cards at the end of his combo map, Joshua will summon random objects to damage all of his opponents on one side of the screen. Unlike Neku’s other partners, Joshua is alive and harbours many secrets about the Reapers, the Game and the UG.

Beat is Neku’s third partner on the Final Week. He’s a bit dim but makes up for it with his unbridled enthusiasm. It’s only matched by the love he has for his sister, Raimo (Rhyme) Bito. His entry fee in The Game was her memories of him, which left her amnesiac. Back in the first week, Rhyme (who was Beat’s partner at the time) was erased while trying to save Beat. Determined to bring her back, Beat joined the Reapers. He defects when he saw the extreme handicap put upon Neku for the Final Week. Beat attacks and defends using his skateboard.

Light Pucks

Teamwork is the linchpin holding the Cross Stride Battle System together. The World Ends With You includes a few aids to help players utilize both characters in the middle of a frantic battle. The first is an attack multiplier called the Light Puck. When Neku or his partner uses a combo finisher against an enemy, a green puck of light will shoot from one character to the other. When the character with the puck attacks, their strength increases by the affixed multiplier. The puck multiplier increases with each pass between characters, starting from 2.0x to 5.0x. The Light Puck can only be passed from a finisher and if a player takes too long, the puck dissipates and the multiplier count starts at 2.0x again.

The Sync rate stat, shared between characters, affects how long the Light Puck lasts while being held by a character and not passed. It also affects the multiplier. At 0%, characters must pass the puck immediately to get past the 2x multiplier. But at higher sync rates, the character holding the puck can hold it for longer and, when passed, the multiplier increase is better.

Certain clothing effects can either increase the starting multiplier, the speed of the puck or the time it takes for the puck to dissipate. There is even a set of pins that, when mastered and worn in order, grants invincibility so long as a character holds the Light Puck.

Fusion Attacks

The second aid is Fusion Attacks. Using a Harmonizer Pin given to Neku by Mr. Hanekoma on Week 1 Day 2, Neku and his partner can combine their powers for a Fusion Attack. Fusion Attacks harm all enemies on screen (save for those who burrow into the ground, like Mole Noise) and restore some health. To use Fusion Attacks, Neku’s current partner must gather Fusion Stars.

Fusion Stars are earned based on each partner character’s card-matching mini-game. Shiki’s minigame involves her guessing the hidden goal cards on the bottom of her screen. If the card on her combo map matches with the right-most hidden card, she earns Stars. If the card doesn’t match, another goal card in the set will flip. This helps narrow down card choices.

Joshua’s minigame involves matching the cards in his combo map with a set of goal cards on the top of the screen. By matching cards that are higher, lower, or equal in value as displayed, Joshua earns Stars.

Beat’s minigame is more complex than others. To earn stars, he must match playing cards made up of four suits. Ground attacks add two cards to the top screen, while air attacks insert one. A yellow cursor on top of the screen shows where cards will be added next. Selecting a black Skull card initiates a chain reaction with the cards. Successful suit pairs earn Stars. Multiple Stars can be earned as the chain of cards reduces down.

Once enough Stars are gathered, Neku and his partner can execute a combo technique by pressing the large Fusion Pin on the bottom screen. Each character has three Fusion levels, with each level requiring more Stars to use. Once a fusion is used, the cost for the next one goes up by one star.

Fight the Noise!

In battles, Neku and his partner will square off against many foes. The majority of which will be the Noise. Noise, as explained in the Secret Reports, are the physical manifestation of negative thoughts. They take on the shapes of various animals evocative of emotions such as fear or anger. Examples include frogs, wolves, ravens, bears, and jellyfish. Each enemy has a distinctive, decayed look to them with their skeletal structures being exposed. The structures are styled the same way as graffiti art, making them look more fearsome and intimidating. 

Fighting the Noise involves scanning your surroundings in the overworld. Tapping the Player Pin icon on the bottom right-hand corner of the bottom screen activates Scan Mode. Here, Neku can read the thoughts of the many inhabitants of Shibuya, while also engaging with the Noise by tapping on the symbols. Red Noise symbols represent normal battles. Yellow Noise symbols are story-related. Blue Noise symbols indicate boss-level fights. Last but not least are the Black Noise symbols, which are the most dangerous. These symbols actively pursue Neku while he’s scanning. Engaging with these symbols pits Neku and his partner against Taboo Noise – challenging versions of standard Noise that players can’t escape from.

At the battle’s end, players will be sent to the result screen. The bottom screen will show the number of rounds fought (more on this later), the duration of the battle, how much damage you took and how many Fusion specials were used. Each parameter is ranked between E and Star (S). The ranks determine the multipliers for the battle’s base-earned PP. The final PP tally is shown at the bottom after applying the multipliers. On the top screen, players will see several achievements accomplished in the battle, along with the pins dropped from the Noise. 

Don’t Fear The Reapers

Reapers are the primary antagonists of the game. They oversee The Reaper’s Game, which challenges Players to complete missions over the course of seven days. The Reaper organization has a distinct hierarchy. The bottom-tier Reapers are responsible for obstructing Players during the Game. They do this by erecting walls that can only be cleared by fulfilling their requests. Some of these quests are as simple as defeating a number of Noise, Some Reapers with a sense of humour put forth some unusual requests. Examples include having a partner character wear a specific outfit from a brand or bringing a specific CD. The next tier up are officers, who are allowed to directly engage Players. Two prominent members of this tier, Uzuki Yashiro and her slacker partner, Koki Kariya, make regular appearances to oppose or taunt Neku and the gang.

Next on the list are the Game Masters. Each week has a different Game Master overseeing the Reapers in Shibuya. They also issue missions and time limits to the Players. Failure to complete the mission in the allotted time results in their erasure, however, if one team manages to complete the mission, the remaining players also pass to the next day. Players can engage with the Game Masters on the seventh day of the Reapers Game. Throughout the story, there are three Game Masters to contend with. Of the three, the most dangerous (and eccentric) is Sho Minamimoto – an ambitious, math-obsessed Reaper vying for the top spot of the organization.

The Game Masters report to the Conductor, who then reports to the Composer. The Composer is the ruler of the Underground and the overseer of The Reaper’s Game in Shibuya. The Conductor, in turn, is responsible for running the game as per the Composer’s specifications.

Composers and The Game

The subjects of both the Composer and their relationship to The Game demand their own section in the write-up. The Composer created the UG version of Shibuya and established the rules within the area. They have available to them incredible powers that allow them to efficiently oversee the UG and its denizens, which extends to Reapers, Players, and regular people, respectively. The most apparent power available to them is the ability to shift Players from the UG back to the RG. In other words, bringing the Player back to life. The Composer is also able to phase into multiple alternate realities by “tuning their base vibe to the alternate plane,” without greatly sacrificing their powers. Finally, The Composer is to rewrite the rules of reality within the UG and the RG.

They create the Games and instill the various conditions required to play. The most significant of the rules is the entry fee – The Composer takes away the thing that’s most valuable to a Player upon their entry to the UG. According to the in-game lore, by losing that which they hold dear, the Game forces Players to reexamine how crucial those things really are. In essence, the entry fee forces Players to take a hard look at themselves, see the truths they’re hiding from and emerge from it with a new outlook on life.

Higher And Lower

The Underground, or UG as termed in The World Ends With You, is the overworld of the game. As explained in the Secret Reports, the UG is Shibuya but located on a higher plane of existence. The Realground or RG, is Shibuya as we know and experience it. Denizens of the UG cannot directly interact with those in the RG except for special circumstances. Nestled in between the UG and RG is the Noise Plane. Think of it as a planar sandwich, with the UG as the top bread, the RG as the bottom, and the Noise Plane as the filling. When Players scan their surroundings using their Player Pins, they inadvertently enter the Noise Plane. 

The Higher Plane is the plane above the UG. It’s the plane of existence where Angels reside. Angels oversee all of humanity, monitor their collective consciousness, and judge their worth. Based on those parameters, Angels can order a Purification for areas they find are too chaotic to continue as they are.

The Composer itself is an Angel that reports to the elites within the Higher Plane. At one point, the Composer used to be human. In fact, from analyzing the Reaper’s hierarchy structure, it’s possible that low-level grunts can elevate up to the Higher Plane by refining their Soul and Imagination through constant Games against Players.

Imagination and Soul

Tying all of the above together are the concepts of Imagination and Soul within The World Ends With You. Soul is the energy that makes up living people. To put it more succinctly, Soul represents the source code of a living thing. When the Reapers or Noise erases a person, their Soul remains. Most commonly, the leftover Soul is the primary food source of the Noise. They consume it to multiply. However, Angels and Reapers can also affix a Soul can also to a pin and use it to summon a benign Noise. Such is the case when Beat lost Rhyme during Week One. Mr. Hanekoma gave him the ability to summon her Noise form after performing the above procedure.

Imagination is an abstract power that affects people in the RG as well as the UG. The Secret Reports define it as the amount of creativity, ingenuity, and imagination that exists within a person. In the UG, Imagination is what Players use to power their pins to use in battle. Neku himself has an unusually high amount of Imagination, which explains his proficiency with Psyches. In the RG, individuals with high Imagination use it to inspire and influence others. The more one has, the more people refine their own Imagination through the Players’ creative endeavours. Players and humans with high levels of Imagination combined with negative emotions draw in Noise.

Square Enix did an impressive job of applying these abstract concepts to the overall story. However, they could have weaved clearer explanations of the concepts into the main plot rather than hide them behind Secret Reports. 

Tagging The Art Style

The World Ends With You is set within a modern-day version of Tokyo’s famous shopping district, Shibuya. However, its depiction within the game departs from its real-life counterpart. The buildings and streets look more skewed and angular, with sharper edges and corners. As explained by art director Takayuki Ohdachi, this was intentional, since he thought the modern-day setting would be too boring.

As for the character and enemy art, the art team wanted the game to look distinct from the other Square Enix titles released at the time. They went with sprite work, which does distinguish itself from titles like Final Fantasy XIII and the Kingdom Hearts series. While the pixel art can look a bit rough up close, the animations are fluid and the frame rate is stable. It’s especially impressive that the frame rate is stable during the fast and frantic battles.

The game presents its cutscenes in a comic book-like style. Animated panels and dramatic close-ups highlight the action going on with the plot. The developers likely used this style due to the DS’s limitations. The limitations do not, however, reduce the impact of crucial scenes.

Scramblin’ Through Shibuya

The World Ends With You’s version of Shibuya is the game’s main overworld and is divided into several districts, each representing one screen on the DS. Using the stylus or the D-pad/face buttons, players will direct Neku around each district. While in the overworld, players can scan the thoughts of others, engage in fights against the Noise, enter shops and restaurants, and complete missions and requests by the Reapers to progress through the story. 

Square Enix modeled the districts in The World Ends With You from the real-life version of Shibuya, playing well into the urban fantasy setting. Due to copyright, however, they had to change the names of some locations. For instance, the publisher changed the famous 109 Building in front of the Scramble Crossing to 104. Towa Records and Molco represent Tower Records and Parco, respectively. The Outback Cafe on the Scramble Crossing is the renamed version of the Starbucks Cafe.

Open Your Senses

Neku can interact with the denizens of Shibuya through scanning. Tapping the Player Pin on the bottom of the screen in the overworld enters Scan Mode. Here, Neku can read people’s thoughts and gain information about the current day’s mission. Sometimes, a person’s thoughts are blocked due to invading Noise casting a wave of negativity on them. Clearing the Noise eases the negativity and allows Neku to read their minds, usually revealing a clue to advance the plot. 

Another function of the Player Pin is imprinting. As Players are invisible to everyone in the RG (except for when they enter shops with a special emblem inscribed inside), the only way they can influence others is by imprinting words into their thoughts. Neku can gather Key Words by scanning thoughts. His phone saves the words to use for imprinting. Once he gathers enough Key Words, players can imprint them into select subjects by tapping on the Player Pin icon and selecting the words. The subject will react based on the word used and will either advance the plot or go down a different, parallel path that results in some sweet swag.

Points for Pinheads

The Pin system within The World Ends With You is an integral part of the game’s experience. Neku employs the Psyches within each pin to defeat his enemies and progress through the story. As he battles, the pins in his deck accumulate PP (Pin Points) and grow in strength. Each level-up improves the attack strength, number of uses per charge, duration of effect or cooldown time, among other things. Evolving pins also requires PP. Some evolutions result in stronger pins, others result in pins containing an upgraded version of the original pin’s Psyche.

PP for Every Occasion

Most pins require Battle PP (BPP) to evolve, but there are two other types of PP that players can obtain for evolution purposes. Players earn Shutdown PP (SDPP) by turning the system on after a period of it being off. Players earn less PP as time passes. For instance, players earn 1 SDPP for every 10 minutes the system is off on the first day. On the second day, that rate decreases to 1 SDPP per 20 minutes until the seventh day. Players can earn a max of 297PP every seven days.

The third and final type of PP earned is Mingle PP (MPP). Players earn MPP using Mingle Mode. When in Mingle Mode, the DS’s wireless communications will seek out other DS systems. If it comes into contact with a system running The World Ends With You, the player earns 50 MPP. If a system is playing another DS game, it’s 20 MPP. Even if there are no DS systems or games being played while in Mingle Mode, players can still earn MPP by randomly encountering Aliens. Each Alien gives 100 MPP. It’s a perfect example of futureproofing, given that very few people today play on the Nintendo DS.

The type of PP that dominates the experience bar on the Pins screen affects pin evolutions. SDPP and MPP have different valuations than BPP. SDPP is 9 times its actual value with regard to dominant PP. Likewise, MPP is 50 times its actual value. Pins will give an indication of if they can evolve or not. It’s up to the player to determine the evolution requirements.

Pin Diversity

It’s important to note that pins do many other things in this game beyond empowering Neku. Pins also act as currency. Players can convert them into yen to use in shops, or trade them in for unique, one-of-a-kind items. In fact, several pins in the game have no Psyches associated with them but are nonetheless essential for picking up the best gear for each character. A key example is a Scarletite pin. Trading in this valuable pin yields various upgrade stickers or powerful threads. There are also money pins that do nothing but provide cash. These are the 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000 and 10,000 yen pins.

The Tin Pin Slammer minigame involves pins. Tin Pin Slammer is a bit like marbles, where each player forces the opposing players’ pin out of the ring to win. Each pin has additional stats specifically for this minigame, including spin rate, slam power, etc. A few special pins designed for Tin Pin Slammer are available to collect, such as Tin Pin Golem, Tin Pin Ifrit, and  Tin Pin Bahamut. There are a few points in the story where playing the minigame is mandatory. Otherwise, participation in this fun distraction is voluntary.

Drop Rates & Difficulty Ends With You

The World Ends With You includes several difficulty options and an interesting level adjustment scaler. In-game, while in the main (Phone) menu, players can adjust the difficulty by tapping the lower left button on the screen. Initially, only Easy and Normal are selectable. Gathering the appropriate stickers unlocks Hard and Ultimate difficulties. The difficulty setting not only affects how strong the Noise are, they also influence what pins they drop in battle. Facing enemies in Ultimate difficulty is the only way to get the best pins in the game. However, just fighting in Ultimate isn’t enough to pick up that sweet swag.

On the bottom of the Phone Menu is a slider that adjusts Neku’s current level. Next to it is a star with a number on it that represents the current drop rate. By adjusting the slider, the drop rate increases. On the flip side though, Neku’s HP decreases relative to the level selected on the slider. It’s a balancing act that players have to manage in order to get the best equipment without being erased in the process.

The Noise panel on the Phone Menu opens a bestiary. The bestiary’s true importance lies in the normal and adjusted drop rates for each enemy encountered. The true drop rate represents the percentages at which enemies drop things at Neku’s current max level. The adjusted rate represents the percentages at Neku’s adjusted level. That means that at a low enough level, an enemy who normally drops a pin at 1% could easily jump to 10 or 20%. 

Chain battling compounds the drop rate. This process involves battling multiple rounds, or Reductions, of Noise. The more Reductions that you fight, the stronger the Noise gets, so players must be aware of the risk/reward benefits in taking on these battles. Initially, you can chain up to four battles. Purchasing a sticker post-game increases the chain to 16.

Here, Piggy, Piggy!

Pig Noise is a special type of Noise distinguished by its green colour on the overworld. Unlike other Noise, Pig Noises are benign (save for one variation) and they test out the player’s knowledge of both Pins and the Cross Stride Battle System. Most Pig Noise involves defeating it within a certain time limit. Others, however, require a certain pin or Psyche to defeat. Some you’ll have to beat in a certain order. There’s even one type that you defeat by physically closing the DS and reopening it again! It’s a very creative way of defeating your enemies.

Drop rates and difficulty settings have no effect on Pig Noises. When defeated, they will always drop an item with 100% success. The item will be the same across all difficulties. Pig Noises grant extremely rare and valuable rewards upon defeat, so it’s worth it to hunt them down. Additionally, eliminating Pig Noises is a requirement to unlock the Secret Reports post-game.

The Brand Is King

Still with me so far? Then let’s talk about brands. There are 14 brands in The World Ends With You. Twelve are based on the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, one represents the Cat in the Zodiac story (Gatito) and Unbranded items, which count as a brand in of itself. Brands dictate how powerful your pins are depending on which district in Shibuya Neku is in at the moment. The top three brands in the area grant the associated pins a power boost of 2.0x, 1.5x and 1.25x respectively. The least popular brand in the area gives associated pins halved attack power. Popularity doesn’t affect Thread stats, but they do influence how they trend in an area.

The only way to influence the popularity of a certain brand is to win battles by wearing pins or threads associated with the brand you want to promote. As you battle, the trends will change depending on what brands both characters are wearing. There are a few Reaper missions where Neku needs to get a certain brand trending to Rank 1 in order to open the wall to the next district. This is a cool way of getting players to experiment with threads and pins or raising their equipped brand to the top ranks for better power boosts.

There are a few secret districts in which brands don’t affect the pin strength. You’ll find these in the game’s final areas. Also, another unique building in Shibuya called Pork City (an alias for the actual location called Mark City), forces the player to battle using a specific brand of pins or Unbranded pins to ascend each floor.

Ya Gotta Be Brave!

Shibuya is one of the fashion capitals of the world. Every piece of clothing and every accessory is an opportunity to make your mark in this fashion-conscious district of Tokyo. In The World Ends With You, clothing and accessories (henceforth called Threads) are used to improve Neku and his partner’s stats. Not only do they improve stats though, but some Threads also confer passive bonus abilities to each character. For instance, if Neku wears a Biker’s Jacket from Tigre Punks, he gains ten extra attack points along with what he’d get from wearing the jacket.

The major downside of the Threads system is that in order to wear something, you need to be brave enough to wear it. Brave (abbreviated as BRV) is a stat signifying how daring each character is when it comes to style. If the character’s BRV stat is less than the required BRV needed to wear the piece of clothing, they can’t wear it. So, in order to wear new things, characters need a high enough BRV. Question is, how do you raise that and other stats?

Supreme Cuisine

Food. Food is the answer to the question above. 

Eating food is the key to permanently raising four character stats. The stats in question are Attack (ATT), Defense (DEF), HP, and Brave (BRV). Stat increases from food depend on the item consumed. However, the character will only get the stat upgrade once they digest the food.  Bytes measure food digestion. Players can see this on the character status screen in the Phone Menu. Each character has a maximum of 24 bytes. Characters digest one byte for each round of battle they participate in. The number of bytes in the food item determines the colour of bytes on the status screen. Green represents one to six bytes, seven to 12 are yellow and 13 onwards are red. For example, eating a bowl of Mystic Ramen from Ramen Don will grant a +4 DEF increase but requires 14 bytes to digest. 

After battles, digested bytes show up as grey squares and indicate that characters can’t eat more food until the next day. Characters will always have six bytes available to eat, so it’s advisable to eat something heavy and then top up with light foods, like sodas or snacks. Picking up the Hollow Leg sticker in the post-game removes this restriction, allowing characters to eat to their heart’s content.

Food also influences Sync. Each food item has an instant effect on Sync. Some food items, like drinks or soups, provide an additional Sync boost after digestion. Character tastes also influence how big or small a Sync boost they get. If someone really enjoys the food, they get a huge Sync increase. Conversely, they get a small increase if a character hates it.

Shop ‘Til You Drop

Players can purchase Threads and food at shops strewn around Shibuya. According to the game lore, these shops have special Reaper decals that allow Players in the UG to enter and purchase goods as though they are in the RG. There are three types of shops: Restaurants, Apparel and Music.

Each shop has a shopkeeper that you can build a relationship with by buying items. As you browse the catalogue, the sales associate will sometimes reveal hidden abilities of certain pieces of clothing/accessories. Depending on the associate, they can even reveal hidden abilities of whatever Neku or his partner is currently wearing. More items for sale and more abilities to unlock are available as you increase the Friendship Gauge (FSG).  Raising the FSG to the max unlocks some of the best items of the game. The dialogue for each shopkeeper also changes too, starting from neutral and clipped to warm and friendly as the gauge increases. 

Sounds of the City

From Neku’s trademark headphones to the musical references found with each Noise, music forms the heart and soul of The World Ends With You. At the start of the game, Shibuya is a loud, bustling place. The cacophony of the crowds blends nicely with the background music. As the game progresses, the noise from the crowd dims down and creates an eerie, disturbing atmosphere. It’s as though one cannot exist without the other and that the removal of either one at any point creates an unsettling feeling of dread or anxiety.

Despite the cringe factor in some of the lyrics, the music tracks in the game reflect the individuality and identity of Shibuya. You can purchase the music from the game in one of three shops within Shibuya. Each track has neat liner notes about the song and the feelings it should invoke while listening to it.

A Game Within A Game

*Story spoilers from this point on*

The plot introduces many mysteries about the Reaper’s Game and of certain central characters. Upon completing the first week, Neku regains his memories. However, he notices that there are gaps in them; specifically of when he died and entered the UG. During Week 2, hints about his death come to light when Neku attempts to scan Joshua. These flashes of memory imply that Sho Minamimoto murdered Neku. 

The end of the third week reveals that Joshua is the Composer and had killed Neku, sending him to the UG. He selected Neku to be his proxy for an elaborate Game spanning three weeks between himself and the Conductor, Megumi Kitaniji. The outcome of this Game determined Shibuya’s fate. Kitaniji, who loved this city, took a gamble by having the Players in the Game distribute and promote Red Skull pins, designed by CAT. These pins force its wearer to think of a single, programmed thought. According to lore, the Angels believe that when a single thought unifies the people, that city will be in harmony. Hence, Kitaniji’s strategy was to force the citizens of Shibuya to have the same thought to create the ideal society, sparing the city and the people from destruction.

Joshua selected Neku as his proxy because he represented everything that he believed was wrong about Shibuya. People had become so distant and isolated that there was no chance for the city to become the utopia the Angels wanted it to be. Joshua wants to destroy the city at the start of the story. Being around Neku for the second week and observing his progress as well as the overall Game made him have a change of heart. He defeated the Conductor via proxy. He defeated his proxy in a final showdown because Neku refused to kill his trusted partner. But Joshua stayed his hand, believing that the Shibuya today is much more optimal and ideal than it was a month ago.

It’s A Secret To Everyone

The Secret Reports, mentioned often in this critique, are post-game rewards revealing the inner workings of the events in The World Ends With You and of the Reaper’s Game. Players can revisit previous chapters in the story at the end of the game using the Chapter Select option in the menu. Fulfilling special requirements within a chapter unlocks the Secret Report. Most involve eliminating all the Pig Noise within the chapter. Some involve diverging slightly from the intended path of the story for a neat reward. And some require defeating previous bosses on Hard mode or higher.

The reports delve deep into Neku’s abilities and progress and the workings of the Game between the Composer and the Conductor. Part of the agreement was for the Composer to limit his powers and use a proxy for the course of the Game. Though limited, Joshua was still able to partner and observe his proxy’s growth, which, combined with additional factors, facilitated his change of heart at the Game’s conclusion. The reports also discussed Sho Minamimoto and his use of Taboo Noise and the introduction of a Fallen Angel. This Fallen Angel supposedly assisted Minamimoto and even aided his revival into his Taboo form in Week 3. The final Secret Report reveals the identity of the Fallen Angel.

The Mysterious Mentor Character

Sanae Hanekoma is a significant character within The World Ends With You. He is responsible for much of the growth that Neku goes through in the story. Mr. Hanekoma owns a cafe on Cat Street in Shibuya and knows a great deal about the UG and the Reaper’s Game. He and Joshua know each other well. Mr. Hanekoma tells Neku that Joshua used to come by his cafe to discuss the UG and the Reaper’s Game.

Since his introduction, Mr. Hanekoma’s role in the Game is a mystery. During the second week, he assists Joshua by creating custom phone modifications that seemingly break the rules of reality. Midway through the story, Joshua reveals to Neku that Mr. Hanekoma is, in fact, CAT – a famous Shibuya artist of which Neku is an enormous fan. 

In truth, Mr. Hanekoma is the Producer, an Angel sent from the Higher Plane. He oversees and reports on the unique Game played between the Composer and the Conductor. His alias as CAT allows him to use his art for mass imprinting, inspiring those who look upon his art to gather and enjoy the moment more.

The Secret Reports reveal even more about Mr. Hanekoma’s involvement in the game, as he authored them. The final report, received upon completing the Another Day report requirements, reveals a shocking twist to the story. He was the one who supplied Minamimoto with the knowledge to create Taboo noise, making him the Fallen Angel. This revelation not only reframes his actions during the Game but also makes him an unreliable narrator within these reports.

This Day Ends With You!

Another Day is an unlockable chapter depicting an alternate universe where Tin Pin Slammer reigns supreme within Shibuya. Within Another Day, all areas within Shibuya are open to exploration. Players can also select Neku’s current partner. Enemies within Another Day are among the strongest in the game, perfect for grinding EXP and gathering rare and strong pins.

The story features Neku vowing to win a Tin Pin Slammer contest. In Another Day, his personality is completely separate from his in-universe counterpart. During the competition, a group of pin thieves swoop in and steal the competitor’s pins, save for Neku’s. Joining Shiki, Beat, Joshua, and Shuto Dan – the legendary Tin Pin Slammer pro – Neku must uncover and defeat the thieves so that the tournament can resume. It’s a hilarious chapter that pokes fun at each character’s flaws and tropes, like Neku being emo for instance. 

On another note, Another Day also holds secrets related to the in-universe Game. At the end of Week 2, Joshua seemingly sacrifices himself to save Neku from Minamimoto’s final attack. He instead shifted to Another Day’s universe. Similarly, Mr. Hanekoma also arrives to retrieve Joshua for the Game’s finale. He does so secretly and without arousing suspicion, given his status as the Fallen Angel. 

Both characters offer the ultimate challenges to players. After climbing Pork City, Mr. Hanekoma tests Neku by fighting him as Panthera Cantus, the ultimate boss of the game. Meanwhile, by returning to the Shibuya River (the final area of the main story), Neku can meet with the Joshua from the in-game universe. Here, he challenges Neku to an 11-round boss rush.

The World Begins With You

The World Ends With You is, to me, still one of the most memorable and relatable Square Enix titles released in recent memory. Neku is shown as an unlikeable misanthrope who wants to be left alone. His headphones block out any sort of interaction between himself and the outside world. But as we watch the pains and struggles Neku goes through in those 27 days, we see him turn aside his old mentalities. He begins to listen to people instead of shutting them out. He learns to trust others, even if it gives him no benefits. To develop compassion and selflessness, he grows out of his abrasive and isolationist attitude. And he would put his life on the line for Shibuya, despite his views on people. Neku’s a complex character who covers up the pain of his own problems by keeping people away. In the end, he learns that he can’t enjoy the moment in that way. 

The final scene of the game shows Neku discarding his trademark headphones. Symbolically, it represents his decision to stop isolating himself and to expand his world, just as Mr. Hanekoma advised him to do. He becomes friends with Beat, Rhyme and Shiki – the real version of her, not the image of her best friend – and hopes that Joshua the Composer would join them for a reunion a week after the Game’s conclusion. He may not forgive Joshua for what he put him through, but Neku trusts him. That trust becomes important in the sequel, NEO: The World Ends With You.

Isn’t It Wonderful?

Despite the stereotypical teenage angst and attitude, I could relate very well to Neku. I was roughly in my early 20s when I first played this game. Crushed by school demands, a brutal night shift job that I took for the money, and relationship issues, The World Ends With You gave me an escape. My problems caused me to shut myself in and I wanted to be alone. Neku’s journey reminded me, though, that shutting myself in won’t allow me to expand my horizons and enjoy the present moment. In fact, the game was a catalyst for me to take my relationship with my girlfriend to the next level. Listening to the game’s music over and over again gave me the courage to ask her strict father if I could date her. As of November of this year, we’ll be celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary together.

Fast forward to 2022, when I decided to boot it up again in preparation to play the sequel. Though I lost my original save file (which I had some sweet game-breaking equipment for), replaying it from scratch rekindled my love for this title. It reminded me that life is a beautiful mess. It encouraged me to reevaluate what I valued in life. And it got me to appreciate the life I have right now. It truly is A Wonderful Life.

The 8-Bit Review

Visuals: 8/10

The pixel art is beautiful. The artwork isn’t sharp due to DS’s small screen. There’s still a certain charm and appeal in the pixelated sprites, compared to the sharpened, enhanced ports. To make a direct comparison, the pixel art closely resembles that of Chain of Memories for the Game Boy Advance, 

Where the game shines, however, is the graffiti-like visual effects and angular art style of the city. Player and enemy attacks are stunning, and vibrant and convey a sense of power and danger to them. The design of the city itself, with its sharp angles and corners compared to its real-life counterpart, helps showcase that this is an alternate, fantasy iteration of the legendary Tokyo district.

Audio: 9/10

Audio plays a massive part in the story. Though cheesy at times, listening to the lyrics spell out the struggle individuals feel within Shibuya. The music consists of an eclectic combination of rock, pop, hip-hop, techno and alternative tracks that fit really well within the game’s setting. The voice acting is good with Neku and Joshua having stand-out performances in the cast. 

Square Enix and Jupiter have paid close attention to sound design. The ambient noises around Shibuya feel immersive enough to make one feel like they’re actually in the city itself. 

Gameplay: 9/10

Fighting using the Cross Stride Battle System becomes highly engaging after some practice with the control system. Commands and inputs for both characters are responsive and the developers utilized the DS’s touchscreen to its fullest extent. There are some issues with gesture recognition as multiple Psyches share the same or similar inputs. On the whole, the battle system in The World Ends With You works very well, despite its chaotic nature.

In the overworld, using the stylus to control and interact with the world feels natural and snappy. In the multiple times I’ve played the game, I’ve had no issues with incorrect/inaccurate taps or gestures.

Narrative: 9/10

Neku’s story, from his trauma to his triumphs, is at the forefront of The World Ends With You. He starts off as an irascible misanthrope who wants nothing to do with anyone. His lost memories, the thing that he values the most, become the catalyst for him to open up to others. Through his interactions with his partners, his struggles against the Reapers, and the mentoring from his idol, Mr. Hanekoma, Neku emerges a transformed individual. He learns that he can trust his friends and lean on them for support when needed. He breaks free from his isolation and begins to expand his world, thus fulfilling the Angels’ desire for imaginative individuals to make an impact on society. 

While some of the dialogue can result in a bit of an eye roll, the narrative at its core is what makes this title stand out from others released in that time frame.

Themes: 8/10

The World Ends With You grapples with themes of identity, belonging, and the individual vs the collective. Neku identifies as a person who doesn’t get people. By opening up his world to others and broadening his own during those three weeks, his identity evolves. He becomes more willing to trust and be open with people, sharing in their joys and their pain. Through the Game, he finds friends that he knows he can open up to and depend on. Finally, he moves on from his previous trauma and learns to truly enjoy every moment. The World Ends With You explored and presented these themes in an accessible way through the Secret Reports. The developers could have done better to explore these more in the plot rather than shoehorn them into post-game reports.

 Replayability: 10/10

There is a cornucopia of things to do in The World Ends With You, especially post-game. Players can revisit chapters to experience the story once more, gather rare pins from Noise, or fulfill the requirements for the Secret Reports. The Cross Stride Battle System and various pin Psyches grant players opportunities to experiment and find their own style of play. Players can revisit old boss fights, gather missing Threads and abilities and take on the game’s most difficult challenges. The Another Day chapter even allows players to explore Shibuya to their heart’s content without a definitive end to it. 

 Challenge: 7/10

It takes time to get used to the Cross Stride Battle System. Thankfully, there are difficulty and accessibility options that help ease players into the game. Players can set the difficulty outside of battle and complete the game on Easy mode. Playing on higher difficulties rewards players with better, rarer pins. Fights in those two settings can be downright maddening if you don’t coordinate your pin setup properly. Add the incredibly tough Taboo Noise to the mix and you got a tough game on your hands. Thankfully, the main game doesn’t force you to use the harder difficulties. The post-game’s Secret Reports, on the other hand, do.

 Personal: 10/10

Not only is The World Ends With You one of my favourite games ever, but it was also one of the big reasons I ended up getting married to the girl of my dreams. Yes, that’s biased, but I digress. The characters, the struggle they endure and the transformations they undergo are a big reason why this game sticks with me after all these years. Even the messages, from “Enjoy the Moment” to expanding your own horizons to broaden your own world, are inspirational. I credit this game for my positive outlook on life. Plus, the frantic battle system just never gets old.

Aggregate Score: 8.8

Ryan Cheddi – our friendly, neighbourhood caffeine addict – is a man of many talents: an engineer, a gaming historian, a fiction writer and a streamer. He is also a self-avowed Sonic the Hedgehog fan. You can check out his cool beans at his site – Games with Coffee – or find him on Twitter as @GameswCoffee, and Instagram as @games_with_coffee. He streams on Twitch, also as GamesWithCoffee.