Throughout the course of its rich, illustrious, and oftentimes bizarre history, Nintendo has had its fair share of cult classic titles that are equal parts respected, revered, and refreshing. As the years go by, these titles gain status among the community that makes them difficult to obtain for those who weren’t aware of them at the time. What many spend time hoping for is either a remake, remaster, or a sequel. Enter NEO: The World Ends with You.
Square Enix has answered calls for a sequel to the 2007 DS title of a very similar name, The World Ends with You. With the passing of time and new developments in Nintendo hardware, the sequel features all manner of changes, the most obvious of which being 3D visuals. Alongside this is the introduction of a new cast, changes to combat, and a modernisation that is in keeping with the time.
The concept of NEO, an action role-playing game, centres around students from the Shibuya district in Tokyo, Japan. They are taking part in the Reapers Game – a game in which recently deceased participants compete against each other to compete in a series of challenges to guarantee their survival. It’s a fascinating concept, and one that feels akin to a video game version of The Hunger Games.
Much like a visual novel in its design, NEO develops this excellent story through comic-book style interactions between the main cast and the characters they meet along the way. It’s slick, stylish, and full of superb story beats. The cast is sometimes voice-acted, too. There’s an undeniably impressive level of polish that has been applied, and this emanates through every element of NEO.
Once the story has been set, you’ll begin exploring the ultra-stylised district of Shibuya on foot. The streets, alleys and shops of Shibuya are very well designed, and this makes traversal to the challenges enjoyable. Challenges vary somewhat; however, they require the same game mechanics each time. The main characters have their own unique skill, and these can be accessed once R is clicked and you enter Scan mode. Here you can interact with the world in different ways, as well as see the Noise – enemies that represent negative emotions that have come to life.
Scanning the landscape reveals the Noise, but it also allows you to interact with the inhabitants of Shibuya by utilising your skills. Each unique ability offers something different: one character can change the past, another can remind people of things they’ve forgotten, and the last one can dive into people’s minds. You’ll need each of these to complete the puzzles and it feels wholly unique. Rarely does it test a player’s skill though, and it can feel as though you are just going through the motions. Coupling this with the oftentimes lengthy character interactions results in a passive gameplay experience for large periods.
Where NEO really shines is in the combat. In short, it’s outstanding. I thoroughly enjoyed every combat sequence, and it offers a reason to keep coming back. It’s an interesting formula in which you can take control of all the characters in battle by pressing the button associated with them. You can then build combos by utilising different skillsets, and it makes for some rather beautiful combat sequences. If only the occasional frame rate dip didn’t mar the experience.
Much like the original, NEO is a lengthy RPG with upwards of 30-, 40- or 50-hours’ worth of gameplay. Any game of this size would do well to keep players engaged, and the fascinating story arcs are accompanied by a couple of different complexities to attempt to do just that. The main one is pins, and these represent badges that possess powers. Unlocking, experimenting, and utilising each of the 333 pins allows for different combinations that can greatly improve your success in battle.
Unfortunately, for everything that NEO does get right, its lengthy campaign can get the better of it. There’s far too much back and forth as you move to and from a location during missions. It’s these moments that make you realise how small the streets of Shibuya are too. It may look sensational, but it hasn’t been fully realised.
The back and forth between the characters can become tiresome too. The early moments with NEO indicated that the game may be an acquired taste, and that remains my sentiment now. Each character is brimming with personality and enthusiasm, but it feels as though NEO is trying too hard to be ‘current’ and ‘hip’. I wanted to like the characters more, but the stereotyped high school tropes make that difficult. And the music! It has been very well composed, but the blend of pop and heavy metal doesn’t always hit how it should. There were times when I turned the music off altogether as it was just a distraction, or I’d heard it one too many times.
All in all, it is clear to see why The World Ends with You has garnered such a cult following, and the sequel will likely do the same. It certainly isn’t for everyone though, and, whilst that could be said for every game, NEO is a rather niche title.
NEO: The World Ends with You £49.99
Summary
Ultra-stylised visuals and creatively crafted combat are the reasons to dive into the world of Shibuya. The quirky cast, muddled music and lengthy visual novel-esque text sequences? Not so much. I liked it, but I didn’t love it.