Product ReviewsThe World Ends with You (DS, 2008)

One of my Favorites!

This game is seriously one of my favorite ds games. The graphics are smooth and well-designed, the story is compelling and deep, and the balance in the tone is impressive. The writing is stellar too; even though this game is nearing 10 years old, the jokes are still relevant and even the seemingly-outdated lingo they use is pleasantly refreshing and trendy. The gameplay is unique and addictive, and the replay value is practically endless--which is why I picked up another copy after losing mine. It's a completionist's dream. Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: razin1600

The World Ends With You Review

This is one of those games that when you first here about it you don't pay much attention to. My first exposure to it was a Square Enix press conference and it was unimportant in the way it was thrown on the list of games to be released. The only thing that caught my initial attention was the art style and it reminded me of Kingdom Hearts' aesthetic only more exaggerated in some respects and using sprites. After getting it for a Square Enix-loving friend's birthday and hearing her rave about it I was swayed and decided to get it, my first hand-held game purchase in over a year. It wasn't an easy find due to limited production but I found it (at an anime convention) and dusted off my DS.
The main character Neku, a hate-filled, self-centered teen boy, wakes up on the streets of Shibuya being attacked by mysterious creatures called "noise." He is then given a task to complete or face death and he must team up with a partner to do so. Being a mostly typical RPG he then finds more team members and learns a life lesson that is meant to evoke tears by the end. The story does have an unforeseen twist or two and if you're willing enough you can get hooked. However the story is given through text weighted cut scenes that resemble a comic book in some ways and they drag on forever and can't be skipped if one so desires. Also some scenes are completely needless because they give answers to riddles and clues gathered that could be solved by a chimp with half its brain removed. Now to critique the actual game-play.
Most of your time is spent running from area to area helping the characters get from one cut scene to another while unlocking gates and battling more "noise". Combat is the most unique thing about the game due to two facts. One is the fact that YOU almost always choose when to fight and the other is the way the combat is executed. It is split between the two screens with a character on each and each has its own control scheme. The bottom screen is controlled by selecting pins that represent attacks and then drawing on the touch screen in a designated fashion. The upper screen is controlled by bottom mashing but there is the option to let the computer take over which leads to similar results which in retrospect is sort of a needless feature. At the start switching between both screens and controls is difficult and by the end I still barely had the hang of it. Also the drawings for attacks are constantly mixed up with one another. Now there are singular points that are worth pointing out.
As an RPG you do repeat the same quests over and over and there are points where leveling up is almost mandatory. Also there are pieces of equipment and clothing that supposedly make a difference to combat depending on the area of Shibuya but to me it made no difference. At the end of the game you can replay any part of the story and try to get EVERYTHING in the game, a feature I found pointless. A feature I appreciated is that pins can level up while you leave the DS turned off. To wind things up if you like or don't like RPGs this game won't change your opinion.Read full review...

Awesome!!!

This game came quickly! It was as described. Kind of a cult classic game, and generally expensive no matter why you try to buy it because it's amazing!!!! Had to replace mine after accidentally leaving it inside of a purse I sold. Was happy and pleased to find it for such a great deal!Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: mattsgameexchange

Interesting game play

Nice game. A little challenging for the beginner, but it gets better as you play. Nice way how you use stylus and the controls for the characters. The story is pretty good, now an adapted anime based on the game is coming out. Worth being in the game library.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: kemp_collectibles

Something different, something new

This game is great! It's a whole new style of action/rpg. Controlling both screens at once is a treat and a challenge all together. The different difficulty levels and fighting style/pin combinations makes sure that this game never gets old. It's also hip and entertaining with its use of lingo from the youth generation. The one thing that outshines all others for me is that this game has a kind of New Game + (on steroids). The replayability is off the charts because you can not only replay the game from the beginning again but you can jump in at any part of the story that you want, after you beat the game of course. All of this is trumped by the feel-good message of the game.Read full review...

A must play for every gamer, the story telling is amazing and the combat is very intens but oh so satisfying, takes a few hours to ramp up though

Simply ecstatic about this awesome game

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: lootlodge

Best Game on DS

No other game comes close to pushing the DS to its fullest potential like The World Ends With You.

The story takes place in the real life districts of Tokyo with familiar landmarks like the Hachiko Dog and hits hard on themes of awareness, open mindedness, and a reminder that the world is only as big as you perceive it to be.
The music is a mix if upbeat electronic dance and hip hop. Think Samurai Champloo. Calling is my favorite track.
The gameplay takes place on both screens at once forcing the player to control two characters at the same time. It sounds a lot harder than it is and auto battle is there for those that would rather focus on the protagonist. But for those of you willing to turn off the auto battle there is a bonus for doing so.
There are RPG elements like leveling up your character and equipping clothing that grants stat bonuses.
There's also a bit of a Pokemon/Yo-kai element to the pins in this game. All your attacks are generated from pins that you collect throughout the game and level up.

Pins evolve based on what type of experience they've earned: Mingle - Shutdown - Battle
Mingle experience is earned by leaving the game in sleep mode and coming across other DS systems or waiting for "aliens" to grant you a massive boost in exp.
Shutdown experience is earned by playing other games or leaving the system off. When you load your save file you'll earn experience based on how much time has passed since you last played.
Battle experience is earned simply by defeating the never ending supply of enemies in the game.

For the achievers out there this game has plenty of collectibles and takes upwards of 50 hours to max out everything. For the more casual gamer this is still an adventure worth taking at 10-20 hours depending on how quickly you solve the games puzzles.

This game uses the microphone, the touch screen, all the face buttons, shoulder buttons, wireless mode, and even when your not playing it your earning experience. The game design is way ahead of it's time and the themes are more relevant than ever here in the states. I say it's a must buy but it's fact that this is a must play.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: kajitt_has_wares

A must-have game! If you want a piece of art you must try this game!

The World Ends with You is an action-RPG for the Nintendo DS. It was developed by the Kingdom Hearts team, Square Enix, and Jupiter. The character designs were made by Tetsuya Nomura and Gen Kobayashi. The distinctive art style is inspired by the aesthetics of Shibuya youth culture. Development was inspired by elements of Jupiter's previously released game, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. The game was released in Japan in July 2007, and in PAL regions and North America on April 22, 2008.
In the game, Neku Sakuraba and his allies are forced to participate in a game that will determine their fate. The battle system uses many of the unique features of the Nintendo DS, including combat that takes place on both screens, and attacks performed by certain motions on the touchscreen or by shouting into the microphone. Elements of Japanese youth culture, such as fashion, food, and cell phones, are key aspects of the missions.

The World Ends With You received positive reviews, praising the game for its graphics, soundtrack, and integration of gameplay into the Shibuya setting. Common complaints related to the steep learning curve of the battle system and the inaccurate touch screen controls. In the week of its release, the game was the second best-selling DS title in Japan, and the top selling DS title in North America. Shiro Amano, writer and artist of the Kingdom Hearts manga, later created a manga based on the video game.

The combat system in The World Ends with You, called the Stride Battle Cross System, utilizes both DS screens to function. The top screen is occupied by Neku's current partner, and the bottom screen is used by Neku himself. The two places are called "Zones", and in each Zone, there are the same Noise, the enemies in the game. The enemies inside the Zones share an HP bar between them, meaning that attacking an enemy in one Zone will damage it in the other Zone as well. Neku and his partner are synchronized as well, and therefore also share a HP bar. Being synchronized also allows their access to powerful Fusion attacks which attack all enemies for large damage. During battle, a Light Puck will pass from Neku to his partner as attacks are used. The more the Puck is passed around, the higher the combo built up and therefore the higher the damage.
The bottom screen is used to control Neku. Various touches of the bottom screen make Neku perform specific actions and move, depending on what pins he has equipped. These can range from short slides on the enemy to tapping at the air to shoot projectiles, but only 6 pins at maximum can be equipped at once. The top screen, containing Neku's current partner, is controlled by pressing the directional buttons, or the control pad, in specific directions to select a pathway of arrows. What lies at the end of each arrow varies by partner, however. If the right set of commands are met, the player gets a star, which contributes towards a Fusion attack.

For example, Shiki has arrows leading to cards, based on Zener Cards, and matching them with the cards on top gives a star. The partner cannot directly move, but can dodge, block, or in Joshua's case, float. Once a Fusion command has been acquired, it can be tapped on the touch screen to use it, and special cards can be used to upgrade these to a higher level.Read full review...

One of my new favorites, utilizes the DS better than most.

One of the best games for the old DS, but not as great as the hype would make it out to be. It's fun, there's no doubt, but unless your eyeballs can look at both screens at the same time, it just comes off as frustrating. I mean seriously, controlling 2 characters at the same time is not challenging--it's brutal.

Still, the characters and plot grow on you, and so does the gameplay, even if it actively seems to be TRYING to be cooler and more immersive than it actually is. I'd recommend this game really only to JRPGers and Squenix fans, but it doesn't have much appeal to anyone else.Read full review...

Almost a must-have

"The World Ends with You" is a rather unique game, though you will see elements of such RPGs as Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga. That's not to say it rips those games off-- by no means! The attack scheme, which consists of wearing pins that each have different abilities, is easy enough to learn, but difficult to master, especially is you up the difficulty (which is very easily adjusted).

The plot itself is very interesting, and the music is fairly decent. However, the battles get somewhat repetitive, although the game-play is certainly lengthened by that fact.

Overall, quite good. Replayability matters little, since you end up having to-- well, I'll let you find that out for yourself. ^_~Read full review...