Nintendo DS – RPG

Making the most of the DS, for those with two sets of eyes.

I had first picked up The World Ends With You (TWEWY) as a simple game to play while traveling to and from the office. Little did I know that it would both elate and frustrate me to no end.

After a surprisingly television-like introduction cutscene, I was thrown into the world (or, should I say, district) of Shibuya, in Japan.  My character awoke, as is stereotypical of a lead character, without a memory of where he is and what he is doing. Then I was thrust, suddenly, into a combat situation for which I have had no preparations. After this jarring start I was slowly taught how to use “pins” (literally, badges) which give me powers activated using the DS' touch-screen. These gave me some ability to fight off the enemies in the game. It was only after I teamed up with another in-game character that the original combat system of TWEWY becomes apparent.

While fighting on the touch-screen, I was asked to use the D-Pad to control the attacks of a partner character in the top screen. If this sounds a bit complex, it's alright, you get used to it, or if not you can get most of the damage done by simply tapping in one direction with the pad constantly. Or you can develop a set of eye-stalks atop your head in order to watch both screens at once, it might be easier than focusing on both at the same time.

As is expected from RPGs, there is a strong story of personal discovery, friendship, positive self-image, teddies and hugs on top of all this. Well, apart from the hugs, there is a stuffed animal involved in this game. Also, there is mystery that slowly unfolds regarding how the main character got involved in this game which turns out surprisingly interesting.

On top of all of that it can get even more complex, with even what you wear or eat being important to help you. For example, if I wear one shirt in one area of Shibuya I would get bonuses to combat, whereas in other places they would be a hindrance. Then you can get bonuses from eating food, but you only get the bonus after “digesting” it by fighting the Noise (the enemies in this game), and you can only eat a certain amount every real life day. Although, in actuality, I hardly noticed a difference after changing clothes or eating food. It may have simply been too subtle.

Finally, and my favourite, is that the game rewards you for simply not playing. Seeing as you can level up not only your character, but your pins too, you can turn off your DS and put it away for an amount of time, and your pins will gain experience in the time you leave it turned off. This means that if something is frustratingly difficult then you can put the DS away, come back later, and you will have both a clearer head and more powerful abilities.

Overall, I would recommend this game to players who are looking for an interesting story and a challenge. TWEWY's complex nature could easily be too much for the casual crowd.