If my organs don't randomly decide to leap out my mouth and run down the street before I finish my Top Ten Games for 2008, you'll come to notice that I have a lot of Nintendo DS games put down as personal favourites. Could it be that I ride the subway often enough to feel like the kin of the Morlock? Mmmmmaybe.
The World Ends With You was probably the nicest surprise of the year for me. I cared very little for the game when it was in its development stages: one gaggle of Kingdom Hearts fangirls is all it takes to forever spoil your appetite for Tetsuya Nomura.
So when I accidentally found myself with the game for review purposes, I threw a sulk in the style of The World Ends With You's orange-haired protagonist. He even started the adventure with an inner monologue about how the world in general could descend into Hell for all he cared, waah waah, Linkin Park.
I'm a sullen bitch who bites people on the ankle when they prove me wrong, but it was a joy to discover just how wrong I was about The World Ends With You. It's true Nomura slapped buckles on every character with the fixation of a mental patient, but for once, he was justified. The game takes place in Shibuya, Japan, the birthplace of outlandish buckles, chains and glittery shit according to educated travelers.
Most JRPGs are about sprawling worlds, but few can seem to offer much beyond castles, swamps, forests and brothels. The World Ends With You spans a handful of Shibuya landmarks linked by a few streets--and yet the confines of this real-life neighbourhood feels interesting and fresh. The battle system is a new experience too, with stylus controls and power-packed "Pins" being the key to unleashing devastating attacks against the tribal-style enemies.
It'll be interesting to see how The World Ends With You's art style ages (no doubt the fashions of its main characters are already dated by Shibuya standards), but the gameplay should have no problem holding up. The beauty part is that the game can be as difficult or as easy as you like, and said difficulty can be adjusted on the fly. The battle system calls for attacks to be volleyed between two characters, which is intimidating at first. "No worries," says the game. "You just handle your end and we'll control the other character, probably without killing him. You can try taking over when you're ready."
It's the same tactic a caregiver would use on a young kid who's too scared to try advancing from training wheels to a two-wheeled bike. The old ways are comforting, but once he sees his friends tearing around and having a great time, he can't resist trying. After some initial spills, he takes to the change and going back to the slow crawl offered by the training wheels is unthinkable. Passing the "Light Puck" in The World Ends With You seems like a scary tactic you're better off avoiding--but once you try it, it quickly becomes apparent that you can fight well versus the computer's tendency to just fight competently.
The soundtrack is the most impressive feature of the game. Considering the quality of the entire package, yes, that's pretty damn incredible. The beats tend towards the Pop side. Regardless of your feelings about the genre, everything fits perfectly. This is high-quality J-Pop, not the shrill ten-cent idols that clutter bargain bin anime. You will enjoy it.
Even dirty numb angel boy Neku gets his shit together in record time. His change of heart is admirable. "I want to be left alone. Oh wait, I'm alone and this sucks. I don't want to be alone."
You're not alone, Neku. You have me. Want to read this fanfic I wrote about us?
Related Links:
10 Games Nadia Played In 2008 Instead of Working: Super Smash Bros Brawl
What I Missed: A Look At What I Didn't Play in 2008
Joe's Top Ten Games Of 2008--Special Jury Prizes