Anyone who has listened to me on the Nintendo Entertainment Podcast I hope knows that there are certain games and franchises that I love with all my heart. Fire Emblem, Pokemon, Ace Attorney, and a little gem of a title called The World Ends With You. I found out about this game on the show X-Play and they gave it a 5-star review, and I was shocked. If they loved it, surely I would, right? Very much so. And I waited patiently for well over a decade for its sequel (not including Final Remix’s epilogue) to arrive. So after so long, I can proudly say that NEO: The World Ends with You is an amazing title that lives up to the hype. Oh, and right now? It’s my Game of the Year.
Game Name: NEO: The World Ends with You
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PS4
Publisher(s): Square Enix
Developer(s): Square Enix
Release Date: July 27th, 2021
Price:$59.99
For the record, I’m REALLY going to drop major spoilers here because it’s an important thing given the deep story here, so if you haven’t beaten the game yet…you really should just skip to my score and then just get the game, you’ve been warned!
So, to start, the game has you playing as a new character via Rindo. He and his best friend “Fret” find themselves in the mix of a deadly game, the Reaper’s Game. They have no idea how they got into it, but they have to survive in order to get back to the real world or the “RG” as it’s called. But doing that will be anything but easy.
To “replay” a little bit here, you don’t need to have played The World Ends With You to understand this game. It helps, but it’s not needed. But if you did play it, you’ll know that you’re SUPPOSED to go and die before entering the Reaper’s Game, but for Rindo, Fret, and certain others…that’s not the case.
Furthermore, both storywise and gameplay-wise, NEO: The World Ends with You plays and acts differently than its predecessor in various ways. For example, this go around, you’re not doing a “duo set” of characters to control. Rather, you’re working in a team, one that grows as you go throughout the game. You’ll start with two, then three, and by the end, you’ll be up to a 6-person squad with some surprising characters that I WILL TOTALLY SPOIL SOON! Just wanted to warn you again.
What’s more, much of the story is intertwined with certain “abilities” that each of your main characters has. Fret for example can go and help people recall things in order to get them to remember things and help clear up certain items of business. Rindo can rewind time, allowing you to literally “Change Your Fate”.
These change-ups in the gameplay might feel a bit overwhelming at first, but you’ll get the hang of it as time goes on.
In terms of combat, the game mixes what came before with a new feel. In the original, Neku Sakuraba would use special pins called “Psyches” to do attacks while his partners (Shiki, Joshua, and Beat) would have unique actions based on who they were.
With NEO: The World Ends with You, your 6-person team will each have access to a singular pin that you can use. And it’s up to you to not just get stronger pins, but work out a strategy that’ll allow you to deliver all sorts of attacks and stop the Noise, Reapers, and more. It’ll take some time for you to get used to, and you’ll find it hard at times to turn away from a strategy that you know works, but if you play it right, you’ll find yourself with a powerful team (and a lot of hand-cramping! More on that later).
Visually, the game is both stylistic, bombastic, and incredible in so many ways. They really spiced things up with the 3D visuals while not sacrificing the style and feel of the original game (that helped set it apart in many ways). From going around Shibuya to the looks of the main characters (both good and bad) to the Noise, the cutscenes that are played out before you, and more, everything is top-notch here.
In fact, the only “drawback” is that the beautiful 3D cutscenes are only left to certain key moments. But given how much effort no doubt went into them, it’s not surprising that they wanted to leave them for the key moments in the story.
And what a story it is.
Make no mistake, one of the best parts about the original title on the DS and its ports was that TWEWY had a deep story focusing on life, death, what means the most to us, and more. NEO: The World Ends with You cranks that up to another level (much like the game itself) and dares to ask how far we’ll go to save someone, whether we trust our friends with our lives, and what it means to truly love the city you’re from.
Each character in NEO from the new kids on the block to the old guard has a spice, flair, and substance to them that can’t be ignored. Rindo isn’t your typical protagonist (neither was Neku in his own way) and you’ll watch him grow throughout the game from the kid who’s just trying to understand everything to the guy who’s willing on his friends in the final battle to save Shibuya.
Fret is your best pal and someone you want to hang out with all the time, but he’s hiding things within him and even his “eternal smile” has cracks that show. He was honestly the focal point of the best chapter of the game in my opinion where he was crushing on another team leader named Kanon, and he wanted desperately to show her that he was “genuine” with her, and when she dies…and he’s there to spill it out…it’s moving.
Nagi is also great. She’s a fangirl of a certain game and the way she talks smack at Fret and others is A-level epic. She has a heart of gold though and arguably knows everyone better than you think she does.
The Reapers and team leaders also weave this into a masterful story. Shoka is the Reaper you’ll be seeing a lot of as she goes from your teasing onlooker to your ally…to your friend.
And that says nothing of some of the old guard that comes in to save your butt when the timing is right. The game heavily teases that a certain “hooded individual” is Neku from the original game, but it’s actually Beat! And having him on the team is a joy…because he hasn’t changed a bit. We missed you, Beat! Oh, and then there’s…
Yep! Neku’s back! Though to be clear, the game isn’t about him. But he comes in to play a big part, and gets a BIG reunion with a certain lady that fans have been asking for since the end of the first game!!!! I’m not crying, you’re crying!
Seriously though, the narrative of this game is intense at times. If you’re thinking it’s going to play like Neku’s run, you’re wrong. There’s a different scale and scope to things here and unlike in the original, you’re going to FEEL the losses as they come one after another. I’ve already mentioned the loss of Kanon (herself a great character) but there are others that nearly break the team. And yet, they endure, because they need to, everything is counting on them.
Even the villains are great. Shiba, Koba, and more shine as they bring both depth and villainy to the mix…and many of them aren’t what you expect. And there’s even a “surprise villain” in the midst during the middle of the game that was a perfectly handled twist.
By the time I got to the “final chapters”, I was literally glued to my Nintendo Switch because I NEEDED to know how this was going to end, and what an end it was. Everyone got the payoff they deserved, and more. Oh, and they MIGHT have teased another game in the series…
Ok…I know you’ve waited so…here are the bad parts of the game…
While NEO: The World Ends with You absolutely shines with its characters and stories, at times with the gameplay it goes too far.
For example, as mentioned earlier, you WILL get hand cramps by the time you’re up to the 5 and 6 person teams. Are they welcome members of the crew? Yes. But, when you’re fighting Noise and Reapers and you’re trying to enact strategies and get your “Groove Meter” up to 100% and beyond so you can win…? It wears on your hands.
Furthermore, certain gameplay mechanics could’ve been better handled. Fret’s “Remind” mini-game was a pain to play every single time. Period. And speaking of the Groove Meter, they give you bonuses if you make it up to 200% or 300% Groove, but it’s REALLY hard to get to that number, and it’s not worth risking it when the Noise are relentless at times.
The Noise are a dual-edged sword here. On one hand, they’re enhanced from the previous game and by that token are able to truly be something special. BUT, by the end parts of the game, some of them are a true hassle to fight on the Normal difficulty and you’ll be going to “Easy” (barring the best strategies) just to get through them. A particular Elephant Noise will forever have my ire due to that. I could beat full-on Reapers but I couldn’t beat that dang elephant without a long fight.
Even with all of that though, NEO: The World Ends with You was everything I could’ve wanted from this game and more. I’m smiling just thinking about the final cutscenes with Rindo, Shoka, Neku, Beat, and many other familiar faces. I know it’ll be a while because I have other things to play, but I’m already pumped for my return to this game because I’m sure it’ll be just as beautiful the second time around.
NEO The World Ends With You Review
Summary
NEO The World Ends With You may have taken a decade to come, but it not only pays respect to the past, but brings forth a beautiful cast of new characters to the mix to interview a story that few can match. It’s not a perfect game, but it’s a fantastic one you’ll want to play.
- NEO The World Ends With You Review
Overall
4.5
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FAQs
Is the world ends with you Neo worth it? ›
NEO: The World Ends With You tells a good story, and has exceptional gameplay. Fans of the first game will enjoy it. Newcomers will surely want to hold out over Week 2, but stay for the tunes and the fights. I know I'm certainly glad I did.
Did the world ends with you sell well? ›Square Enix has stated that Neo: The World Ends with You has so far failed to meet its internal sales projections. Despite its critical success (the game currently sits between 80-82 on Metacritic depending on format), the game hasn't sold as well as the publisher had hoped.
How many hours is NEO: The World Ends with You? ›When focusing on the main objectives, NEO: The World Ends with You is about 40 Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 104 Hours to obtain 100% completion.
Do I need to play the world ends with you 1? ›Do You Need to Play the First TWEWY? The short answer: No, you do not need to have played the original The World Ends With You to play NEO. However, you may enjoy NEO's story more if you do, or watch the anime that retells the original's story.
Is The World Ends with You worth it Reddit? ›NEO: The World Ends With You does a wonderful job recapturing what made this formula work so well on the DS, but in a more approachable way. If there's one game in this duology I'll ever find myself revisiting, it'll definitely be this one.
Is love you as the world ends worth watching? ›It's an okay movie to watch with your friends and family, not too gore and disgusting like other zombie gore fest movie, however the plot is slow which basically a drama with zombies in it. My wife still love it though, so it's just my opinion.
Was neo Twewy a flop? ›NEO: The World Ends With You failed to meet sales expectations, according to Square Enix's latest financial briefing, The sequel to the breakout 2007 Nintendo DS game, The World Ends with You, it contributed to Square Enix's overall lower game sales this year than in the same period last year.
How well did NEO: The World Ends With You sell? ›The first-week physical sales of The World Ends with You's Nintendo Switch port was 14,216 copies (4gamer.net). Although the sequel sold more than the port version of the previous game, 28,047 physical copies seems a bit low for a brand-new sequel.
How many copies did neo sell? ›...
Top 10 Software Sales.
| Title | NEO: The World Ends with You |
|---|---|
| Weekly Sales | 18,799 |
| Total Sales | New |
| System | Switch |
| Publisher | Square Enix |
While it's true that there are a handful of comparisons between the two that can be made, The World Ends with You plays very differently than Persona 5. From the brief glimpses shown in the announcement trailer, it looks like NEO: The World Ends with You won't follow a traditional, turn-based JRPG gameplay style.
What the difference between neo the world ends with you? ›
The most obvious change is Neo: The World Ends With You being rendered in 3D instead of 2D. The game is still confined to a set amount of locations inside of Shibuya. It isn't a sprawling open-world game like some other recent Square Enix RPGs. There also isn't a camera system meaning that every angle is predetermined.
What to do after beating neo the world ends with you? ›- 5/5 Unlock Ultimate Difficulty.
- 4/5 Replay The Main Story To Collect What You Missed.
- 3/5 Go Shopping.
- 2/5 Boss Rematches And Report Gathering.
- 1/5 Take On Another Day.
Some plot points and scenes have also been changed to adjust to the episodic storytelling, and all of it makes for the perfect companion piece to the game itself. I highly recommend checking it out before you dive into NEO: The World Ends with You. Watch The World Ends with You The Animation on Funimation!
How many endings does The World Ends with You have? ›There are only two endings to focus on in NEO: The World Ends With You, which makes the game a bit easier to manage. The critical aspect is that getting the endings is a linear progression, and there's no need to search for hidden items, unlock critical events, or get to a special place to get them.
Should I play final remix before Neo? ›Those who played a prior version of TWEWY and paid attention will be able to figure out what's going on in NEO fairly easily. But players who want to be completely up to speed need to complete Final Remix's A New Day episode first. The new content explicitly bridges the game's events to those of NEO.
Is Neo a sequel to The World Ends with You? ›Kando stated that while Neo is a sequel, they did not want to call it The World Ends with You 2, as there were many significantly new ideas in both gameplay and narrative, and were introducing new characters. Tetsuya Nomura stated that he had a lot of trouble with the title. He decided it just before the announcement.
Why was NEO: The World Ends With You recalled? ›Following an accidental leak of the full retail version of NEO: The World Ends With You, Square Enix is revoking licenses for the game, effectively scrubbing the game from their account until release date.
Is NEO: The World Ends With You standalone? ›Developed as a standalone game, The World Ends With You has an incredibly enduring legacy. When Tetsuya Nomura would visit video game events, he was often asked about the future of The World Ends With You.
Is it worth watching love death and robots? ›It's got cyberpunk, odd fiction, silly stories and all the sci-fi you could possibly want. What's more, each story is really well made (unlike some attempts to bring Heavy Metal to film). If you like short films, CG, sci-fi or Adult Swim, you're not going to want to miss Love, Death & Robots.
Does hibiki and Kurumi get together? ›Hibiki Mamiya (Ryoma Takeuchi) is a sincere young man with a bright personality. He works as a car mechanic and lives with his girlfriend Kurumi Ogasawara. They have dated since they were high school students.
Is A Love So Beautiful Cdrama worth watching? ›
Predictable, Silly, But Cute Series! If you're looking for something fun and light, you really can't go wrong with "A Love So Beautiful." Frankly, there have been better shows involving a girl who falls in love with a boy where the girl (for some reason) isn't very bright compared to the object of her affection.
Is Joshua in neo Twewy? ›Yoshiya Kiryu (桐生 義弥, Kiryū Yoshiya), nicknamed Joshua (ヨシュア, Yoshua), is a major character in The World Ends with You and a playable character. He is Neku Sakuraba's second partner in the Reapers' Game during its second week. Joshua also has a small role in NEO: The World Ends with You.
Will there be a third TWEWY game? ›No current plans for a third The World Ends With You game, fan support important to make it happen.
How old is Shoka neo Twewy? ›Background. About a year prior to The World Ends with You, Shoka was a 16 year old girl who died in Shinjuku. She managed to win her Reapers' Game, but felt apathetic towards returning to life and did not care if she was erased.
Does NEKU appear in neo? ›In NEO: The World Ends with You, Neku, now known as a legendary Player, returns three years later and makes his appearance in another Reapers' Game.
What game has sold the most copied? ›| Title | Sales | Series |
|---|---|---|
| Minecraft | 238,000,000 | Minecraft |
| Grand Theft Auto V | 170,000,000 | Grand Theft Auto |
| Tetris (EA) | 100,000,000 | Tetris |
| Wii Sports | 82,900,000 | Wii |
All Neo wanted in exchange for saving the machine world was peace between the machines and humans. They agreed to his terms and sent him into the Matrix. There he allowed himself to be absorbed by Smith's program. Neo destroyed it from within, and in the process both he and Agent Smith died.
Which Matrix made the most money? ›At this time, The Matrix Reloaded stands as the highest grossing movie in the Matrix franchise.
Is Enter the Matrix better than Path of Neo? ›“Path of Neo” is worlds better than 2003's “Enter the Matrix,” which was more of a slick marketing scheme than a game. In “Enter the Matrix,” players assume the roles of Niobe and Ghost, two uninteresting bit characters from the two equally uninteresting Matrix sequels.
How do I respond to Motoi Neo? ›He'll tell you he needs help responding to one of Motoi's messages. Choose the option that mentions sounding like An0ther and you'll pass this quest. Your reward is two Orichalcum, five Friendship Points, and you unlock Sumio's Social Network.
What is the true ending to p5? ›
Unlocking Persona 5 Royal's true ending is pretty straightforward once you've reached the Third Semester. You must reject both offers on January 9 and February 2, secure a route to the final Palace's treasure, and beat the boss.
Why does Rindo wear a mask? ›The mask is a parallel to the previous protagonist (Neku) wearing a symbolic item on their head to represent an aspect of their personality as a sense of distancing from other people. Specifically, Rindo prefers communicating through texting instead of speaking to other human beings face-to-face.
Is Twewy neo good Reddit? ›Neo: The World Ends With You offers up something all its own while still keeping its roots in view. Some slow pacing and long-in-tooth writing doesn't keep Neo from being a delightful RPG. If the art style and music don't take you, then the combat and its mechanics will.
Are Twewy and NEO TWEWY connected? ›When asked if NEO: TWEWY will include elements from Kingdom Hearts 3, Nomura, after a brief pause for thought, tersely and firmly replies, “No, no. Absolutely not.” At the same time, his colleagues laugh. According to him, both Shibuyas are independent worlds.
Is Sho Minamimoto a villain? ›Type of Villain
Sho Minamimoto is one of the secondary antagonists of the video game The World Ends With You and a major protagonist in NEO: The World Ends With You.
It's impossible to spare Spamton NEO, so you need to defeat him through violence. The best way to do this is to spend your TP on X-Slash, which can be found in the Acts menu and deals more damage than a regular attack. Alongside X-Slash, you'll find FriedPipis which restores 120 HP and is great for emergency heals.
Where did NEKU go? ›Search Shibuya Hikarie. Head down the street until you run into a Reaper. He'll tell you he saw Neku go to the Expressway Underpass. Use Replay to go to the Expressway Underpass to see if Neku is still there.
Does neo Twewy have a good story? ›NEO TWEWY is backloaded with some of its best moments, but the earlier fluff forces you to simply trust that it'll all pay off at some point. Side quests have some good short stories, and Eiru's struggles with being misgendered is one of them.
Is The World Ends with You anime the same as the game? ›It should also be noted that, as the anime series is an adaptation of the original Japanese version of The World Ends with You, the anime is even more different from the English localization of the game, particularly with how the characters are portrayed.
Who is the main villain of The World Ends With You? ›Yoshiya Kiryu, better known as Joshua, is the main antagonist of the video game The World Ends With You and a supporting protagonist in NEO: The World Ends With You.
Why does Joshua shoot Neku? ›
To see if the real Shibuya deserves to exist, Joshua made a deal with his second-in-command, Megumi Kantanji, and murdered Neku to enter him in the Reapers' Game and select him as his Proxy (i.e., chosen one).
How old is Shiki in The World Ends With You? ›Shiki Misaki is a fifteen year old girl who is tall and slender with reddish-brown hair.
Is Neo weaker in resurrections? ›It would appear that outside of that new ability, Neo wasn't quite as powerful as in the original Matrix trilogy, but when he and Trinity confront The Analyst at the end, Neo seems back at full strength, flying included.
How many hours of gameplay in NEO: The World Ends with You? ›When focusing on the main objectives, NEO: The World Ends with You is about 40 Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 104 Hours to obtain 100% completion.
Is Trinity The One instead of Neo? ›Is Trinity the One in The Matrix Resurrections? The fourth movie reveals that there isn't technically a One but a Two, as both Neo and Trinity combined are what has been prophesied in Matrix lore as The One. This enlightening detail comes into focus when the pair are left with no choice but to leap from a roof.
How well does neo The World Ends With You run on Switch? ›Overall, NEO: The World Ends With You runs relatively smooth on Switch in docked mode.
Is Neo the world ends with you a remaster? ›Review: 'NEO: The World Ends With You' Not a remaster or a reissue, NEO is a genuine sequel to the hit 2007 Japanese RPG that cast you and your friends as fashionable Tokyo kids battling for your lives in a strange alternate world.
Does NEO: The World Ends With You have multiple endings? ›There are only two endings to focus on in NEO: The World Ends With You, which makes the game a bit easier to manage. The critical aspect is that getting the endings is a linear progression, and there's no need to search for hidden items, unlock critical events, or get to a special place to get them.
What to do after beating NEO: The World Ends With You? ›- 5/5 Unlock Ultimate Difficulty.
- 4/5 Replay The Main Story To Collect What You Missed.
- 3/5 Go Shopping.
- 2/5 Boss Rematches And Report Gathering.
- 1/5 Take On Another Day.
- 10/10 The Original Game Was On The DS.
- 9/10 Nomura Helped Design The Characters.
- 8/10 A Sequel Wasn't Originally Planned.
- 7/10 There's An Anime Adaptation Of The First Game.
- 6/10 NEO Takes Place In The Same Universe As The First Game.
Is NEO TWEWY better on Switch or PS4? ›
NEO: The World Ends with You PS4 vs Nintendo Switch graphics
NEO: The World Ends with You looks great on Nintendo Switch for the most part. The 3D gameplay portions on Nintendo Switch, while nice looking handheld (and less so docked), lack good post-processing, so there are a lot of aliased elements.
- 8/10 Celeste.
- 7/10 Super Meat Boy.
- 6/10 Hollow Knight.
- 5/10 Dark Souls: Remastered.
- 4/10 Cuphead.
- 3/10 Darkest Dungeon.
- 2/10 Thumper.
- 1/10 Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze.