Turning The Spigot - Year 2: Week 2 - The World Ends With You (TWEWY)

Spigot · 05-31-2009, 08:40 PM

It's E3 week and that means another round of FFXIII screenshots and a slew of other announcements from the hallowed halls of Square Enix. It's a shame that the publisher has spent the majority of its time and money pursuing the twin cash cows of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest as it has meant that gems like this week's selection are very few and far between.

The World Ends With You

Year: 2008
Platform: DS
Rating: Scratchy
# of Players: 1

In a move that hearkened back to the Square of the late 1990s, SquareEnix released The World Ends With You last April and while it did well, it deserves to have its praises sung at least one more time.

Are you sick of wandering through yet another generic fantasy village or sci-fi dystopia in your quest to save the world? A lot of people are, yet very few companies want to take a chance outside of those well worn settings. Thankfully Square took the plunge and gave us one of the most unique, yet mundane, settings for a JRPG so far.

The entire world of The World Ends With You is the Shibuya shopping district of modern day Tokyo. You will be sending your character running from block to block and into a variety of restaurants, shops and other hang-outs as they try to unravel the twisting plot. The game's visuals are very influenced by manga and graffiti and most of the main characters are representative of the tech and fashion savvy teens of modern Tokyo. The soundtrack is also fantastic. TWEWY has a very modern J-Pop and techno influenced sound and you'll be humming along to most of the songs within minutes of starting the game.

While playing as teenagers is nothing new in a JRPG, TWEWY has the protagonists actually act like real teens. You can even influence fashion trends which in turn gives you bonuses depending on what you're wearing and whether or not it's in fashion in that particular part of town.

The high point of the game, in my opinion, was the plot. I have been playing JRPGs since the days of the original Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior games on the NES and you can usually spot the plot twists and overall outcome of the story of most JRPGs long before they happen. In a refreshing change of pace, TWEWY had me guessing at what was going to happen next from the start of the game right up until the incredible ending. Unfortunately, I can't say much more about the story without ruining one of the multitude of shocking twists that you'll bump into over the course of the game. In a nutshell you play as Neku, a self-centered jerk of a teenager who finds himself alone in the mad scramble at the heart of Shinjuku with most of his memories gone and a strange timer imprinted on his hand. According to the timer, Neku has 7 days to play the 'Game' and if he fails, the world will end. And that's all I can say about the story. To say any more than that would ruin things, though I will state that Neku does change from an emo-jerk to someone you'll care about after the first few hours go by. Watching his progression out of his shell is one of the many neat characterizations portrayed throughout the course of the game.

Another stand-out aspect of the game is its unique dual-screen, real-time combat system. Using a variety of pins that you purchase, find or evolve during the game, you can pull off a multitude of different attacks. Some require you to scratch the screen, others have tossing cars and other objects around the screen using the stylus and there are even a few that use the microphone on the DS to trigger cyclones and other earthshattering attacks. You will always be partnered up with another character that you can either have direct control over via the D-pad or controlled by the AI or a combination of both styles of control. It can be rather overwhelming at first, but once you master the combat system and start building up power to pull off screen-clearing combos and special attacks, it becomes second nature.

That's about all I have to say about the game. It has a tonne of content in the game itself and once you finish the game, it still has a pile of post-game content to unlock that helps unravel many of the mysteries posed over the course of the game. Add all of that to a presentation that stands out from all of the usual sword & sorcery & laserguns that comprise the genre and you have a game that everyone should try. It's also different enough that I think a lot of people who don't like JRPGs on principle would probably enjoy it because of how far it tries to distance itself from the conventions of the genre.

Here's the trailer and this is what I consider the best song on the soundtrack.

You can still find TWEWY fairly easily at most game retailers.

Purple Santa · 05-31-2009, 09:04 PM

What is this strange game you speak of? I might have to go seek this out

I'm really hoping SE announces a sequel. Or a spin off. Something. I don't care. I just want more games like this from SE. If you own a DS, you need to own this game.

Awesome write up Mr. Spig. Now go finish the game for real

MagGnome · 05-31-2009, 09:37 PM

How can this be an obscure game? I remember a certain group of COGers (you know who you are) talking about this game until they were all blue in the face.

Spigot · 05-31-2009, 09:52 PM

WE all know about it (At least Purple Santa and I sure do) but I think a large chunk of the gaming public are completely unaware of TWEWY's existence.

Stoke · 05-31-2009, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spigot

WE all know about it (At least Purple Santa and I sure do) but I think a large chunk of the gaming public are completely unaware of TWEWY's existence.

Probably. And it's a damn shame. This was one of my favorite games last year, and I really enjoyed the soundtrack.

Shrinn · 06-01-2009, 06:11 AM

This game was absolutely incredible. My all time favorite JRPG and my favorite DS game, hands down.

It takes a free sign-up, but you can stream the soundtrack here.

Evil Avnovice · 06-01-2009, 03:42 PM

Loved this game. Best played in "Manual" mode to really tear it up.

KJAX · 06-02-2009, 11:34 AM

I just picked up this game today on clearance at Best Buy for $10. My jaw dropped when I saw it on the clearance rack.

Spigot · 06-02-2009, 01:33 PM

Hey, whatever you have to do to get your hands on a copy is fine by me. Just make sure you get it!

05-31-2009, 08:40 PM	#1
Spigot Turn Me Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Acton, Ontario Posts: 18,670 Blog Entries: 112	Turning The Spigot - Year 2: Week 2 - The World Ends With You (TWEWY) It's E3 week and that means another round of FFXIII screenshots and a slew of other announcements from the hallowed halls of Square Enix. It's a shame that the publisher has spent the majority of its time and money pursuing the twin cash cows of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest as it has meant that gems like this week's selection are very few and far between. The World Ends With You Year: 2008 Platform: DS Rating: Scratchy # of Players: 1 In a move that hearkened back to the Square of the late 1990s, SquareEnix released The World Ends With You last April and while it did well, it deserves to have its praises sung at least one more time. Are you sick of wandering through yet another generic fantasy village or sci-fi dystopia in your quest to save the world? A lot of people are, yet very few companies want to take a chance outside of those well worn settings. Thankfully Square took the plunge and gave us one of the most unique, yet mundane, settings for a JRPG so far. The entire world of The World Ends With You is the Shibuya shopping district of modern day Tokyo. You will be sending your character running from block to block and into a variety of restaurants, shops and other hang-outs as they try to unravel the twisting plot. The game's visuals are very influenced by manga and graffiti and most of the main characters are representative of the tech and fashion savvy teens of modern Tokyo. The soundtrack is also fantastic. TWEWY has a very modern J-Pop and techno influenced sound and you'll be humming along to most of the songs within minutes of starting the game. While playing as teenagers is nothing new in a JRPG, TWEWY has the protagonists actually act like real teens. You can even influence fashion trends which in turn gives you bonuses depending on what you're wearing and whether or not it's in fashion in that particular part of town. The high point of the game, in my opinion, was the plot. I have been playing JRPGs since the days of the original Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior games on the NES and you can usually spot the plot twists and overall outcome of the story of most JRPGs long before they happen. In a refreshing change of pace, TWEWY had me guessing at what was going to happen next from the start of the game right up until the incredible ending. Unfortunately, I can't say much more about the story without ruining one of the multitude of shocking twists that you'll bump into over the course of the game. In a nutshell you play as Neku, a self-centered jerk of a teenager who finds himself alone in the mad scramble at the heart of Shinjuku with most of his memories gone and a strange timer imprinted on his hand. According to the timer, Neku has 7 days to play the 'Game' and if he fails, the world will end. And that's all I can say about the story. To say any more than that would ruin things, though I will state that Neku does change from an emo-jerk to someone you'll care about after the first few hours go by. Watching his progression out of his shell is one of the many neat characterizations portrayed throughout the course of the game. Another stand-out aspect of the game is its unique dual-screen, real-time combat system. Using a variety of pins that you purchase, find or evolve during the game, you can pull off a multitude of different attacks. Some require you to scratch the screen, others have tossing cars and other objects around the screen using the stylus and there are even a few that use the microphone on the DS to trigger cyclones and other earthshattering attacks. You will always be partnered up with another character that you can either have direct control over via the D-pad or controlled by the AI or a combination of both styles of control. It can be rather overwhelming at first, but once you master the combat system and start building up power to pull off screen-clearing combos and special attacks, it becomes second nature. That's about all I have to say about the game. It has a tonne of content in the game itself and once you finish the game, it still has a pile of post-game content to unlock that helps unravel many of the mysteries posed over the course of the game. Add all of that to a presentation that stands out from all of the usual sword & sorcery & laserguns that comprise the genre and you have a game that everyone should try. It's also different enough that I think a lot of people who don't like JRPGs on principle would probably enjoy it because of how far it tries to distance itself from the conventions of the genre. Here's the trailer and this is what I consider the best song on the soundtrack. You can still find TWEWY fairly easily at most game retailers.

05-31-2009, 09:04 PM	#2
Purple Santa The OTHER santa Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Mr. Gnome's Garden Posts: 18,554	What is this strange game you speak of? I might have to go seek this out I'm really hoping SE announces a sequel. Or a spin off. Something. I don't care. I just want more games like this from SE. If you own a DS, you need to own this game. Awesome write up Mr. Spig. Now go finish the game for real __________________ Gamertag/PSN/Steam ID: Purple Santa/PurpleSanta I should get achievements for watching this~ ADDGirl Rails? The DAY/END threads don't need no stinking rails, they just meander like a drunk looking for a bench to flop down on~ Gorvi Hell, 'derail'? This is like calling the surface of the sun 'warmish'. Somewhat lacking in appropriate magnitude~ Jpublic That's too applied for my tastes. Math makes the most sense to me when it's reality bending abstraction. Or when it's evil~ Frederec

05-31-2009, 09:52 PM	#4
Spigot Turn Me Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Acton, Ontario Posts: 18,670 Blog Entries: 112	WE all know about it (At least Purple Santa and I sure do) but I think a large chunk of the gaming public are completely unaware of TWEWY's existence. __________________ Like obscure games? Check out Turning The Spigot for hidden gems!

06-01-2009, 03:42 PM	#7
Evil Avnovice 3DS/WiiU Defense Force Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Wahiawa, HI Posts: 6,647	Loved this game. Best played in "Manual" mode to really tear it up. __________________ Final Fantasy Versus XIII Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

06-02-2009, 11:34 AM	#8
KJAX Educated Misfit Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: In my brain Posts: 509	I just picked up this game today on clearance at Best Buy for $10. My jaw dropped when I saw it on the clearance rack. __________________ ----------------- "That which has always been accepted by everyone, everywhere, is almost certain to be false." --Paul Valéry

06-02-2009, 01:33 PM	#9
Spigot Turn Me Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Acton, Ontario Posts: 18,670 Blog Entries: 112	Hey, whatever you have to do to get your hands on a copy is fine by me. Just make sure you get it! __________________ Like obscure games? Check out Turning The Spigot for hidden gems!

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