Review of Neo: The World Ends With You: try to escape from the streets of Shibuya

After 13 years since the release of The World Ends With You in Europe, an action RPG developed by Square Enix for Nintendo DS, the same studio, together with h.a.n.d., gives us the incredible sequel set in the streets of Shibuya. In this journey, we will have to try to escape from one of the most famous regions of Tokyo in the Reapers game, where to win we will have to climb steps and get a better position among our competitors ... will we be able to get out of its distressing streets crowded with people and their thoughts?

Surrounded by intrusive thoughts

In reality, we are not in the same streets, but we are transported to a parallel universe where all the people we meet do not see us, because we do not exist. For this reason, if we want to get out of the game and return to life, we will have to face different creatures and bosses to climb the ranks in the game and be rewarded with a return to reality. To do this we will play with different characters throughout the story, all of them with various psychic powers, which we will have to use to solve all the pieces of the puzzle that we are putting in the way.

One of the funniest dynamics of this game, full of mockery and memories of the banal lives that humans lead in the real world, is the ability to read minds. Our characters will be able to read the thoughts of everyone they meet, and sometimes we will have to play with them to achieve the goals they set for us. The good thing is that not all our characters have the same powers, but we will have to use each other's, apart from different technologies, to complete the missions, giving us endless varieties to survive this chaotic experience.

A punk-rock visual experience

Undoubtedly one of the added values of the game is the punk aesthetics of the characters and the interface of the game itself. Not only the character design, but also the whole environment, the graffiti, the clothes themselves... is a visual treat for punk, rock and urban art lovers. It is an explosion of mixtures that remind, on the one hand, the pure Japanese urban art style, along with the memory of what was the first edition of The World Ends With You

Not only this, but especially the whole interface, the dialogues between the characters, how the mobile conversations are presented... It is an immersive experience that makes you live even more intensely all that it means to be in this universe: allying to fight the Noise, attracted by your own thoughts.

All this content also has the added value of resonating with a soundtrack that perfectly accompanies all the visual part, where it also makes a lot of sense in, perhaps, the most important part of the game. From nowhere, you are involved in the fight against the Noise based on Rhythm, and from there you can not escape.

Increase the rhythm with a multitude of combinations

In relation to this, we can already talk about one of the jewels: its combat mode. If this video game already surprised by its fighting style, this edition does not fall short either. Although at first it seems simple, as you play you realize the amount of content, the infinite number of combinations available and the sum of possibilities to enjoy the game only from its combat.

The basis of the fight are the pins that you can collect, which give you different skills, which you can combine with the available characters (which rotate). These pins allow you to change the skills of each character, which will mean the possibility of changing the style of play whenever you want and adapt to different situations and bosses. In the end, what seems like mindless button-mashing combat turns out to be much more complicated and tactical.

All these pins have a number of brutal variations, we have from close range attacks, from long distance, charged attacks, support skills such as creating shields, life per hit ... And the best: this does not stop here.

We are also offered the possibility of increasing the stats of the characters with a catalog of clothes. We can go shopping in the streets of Shibuya, seeing the large inventory of clothing that you offer to equip it to the characters you carry and thus have more power to fight our enemies and achieve our goal.

The uniqueness of the protagonists as a main element

What seems at first a very simple and limited combat, as they are presenting characters, skills and accessories, opens the range of possibilities of combinations to enjoy the game as you want to play it.

All characters have a character, a story and a particularity. We will have to use their respective powers according to the mission while we learn more about them and the relationship they have. Although at first the dialogues become heavy, the stories of these characters end up captivating you.

You will spend hours not only getting to know them, but also customizing their abilities, thinking up combinations for each other, buying and selling accessories, defeating everything that gets in your way... All in this incredible alternate world where psychic strength is the most important thing

In short, Neo: The World Ends With You is an incredible visual experience, almost like reading a Japanese manga in full color while you are in Shibuya itself. It offers you a lot of different content and experiences worth trying, especially if you love the punk-rock theme.

Highlights

• Character and interface design.
• Combat style with endless mechanics and combinations.
• The atmosphere and the world: it's like being in Shibuya itself.

The worst

• Sometimes the game becomes too easy because of the amount of guides, tips and hints that you are offered.
• It can be unoriginal for those who have already played The World Ends With You.

We have made this analysis thanks to a download code provided by Koch Media.