The World Ends With You is Square Enix’s newest endeavor into Nintendo DS RPG fun and it works. You are Neku Sakabara and are forced to play in something called the Reaper’s Game; if not you will be erased. The Reapers set up different tasks for you to perform within a certain time frame and this goes on for seven days.

No one can see Neku, but he can read peoples’ minds and this becomes useful for solving certain puzzles and finding enemies or Noise. You roam around Shibuya trying to free the world of monsters and make sure that you do not get erased in the process. There is an underlying message that this Reaper’s Game is forced on you and you are in an alternate reality world, think a cross between Lord of the Flies and the Matrix.

You find pins along the way that allow you to fight the Noise using different abilities like fire, ice, lightning, etc. Each pin has a different ability and can be used in battle via different stylus strokes. There is a very unique fighting system where Neku battles on the bottom screen via the stylus while his partner battles on the top screen which you control using the D-pad and different DDR like combos. Getting used to having two sets of battles going on at the same time does take some getting used to but is quite fun. The hardest part is watching two sets of health. Walking around the world is controlled by the stylus as well and so are the conversations; great usage of the stylus and DS screens.

Aside from the unique mechanic of having two characters on different screens, there is also a power up mechanic where the main character starts with a green bubble around him and after attacking it shifts to the top screen. This puck goes back and forth between the two characters and gives a bonus to whoever is attacking with it on at the time. This mechanic is definitely something you need to get used to but after some time you will see how the combos add up and the so does the damage of using it correctly. One big plus is that you can set your partner to automatic, which means you only need to control Neku and his stylus movements and not worry about the D-Pad.

You can carry up to 6 pins in battle, which allow you different abilities that will give you certain bonuses against certain types of Noise. Each pin has a different stylus stroke to unleash it’s power, so pay attention. If not, Neku will just sit there running around the screen. Not only do you combat Noise to clear areas, but you also view your items, use a cell phone and eat udon and change your clothes for power ups. Certain clothing styles and foods will give you better upgrades and change depending on the area you are in at the time.

At times the dialogues get verbose and you just want to fight some mobs, but for the most part, the story is interesting. Some pins that you find will never get put into battle and you can stick to a certain set that you have mastered and wreck mobs without having to switch much. Unfortunately, there is only one save per game cartridge so you have to play through and then lend it to a friend.

The music in the game is fast paced and entertaining, a mixture of dance and J-pop that will get stuck in your head. As battles begin, the music will change to let you know it is time to fight. Character voices are minimal since you are reading everything that goes on. Graphically the game is a classic Square Enix title and does not let you down while having a good anime feel to it.

There are some multiplayer modes as well, one being a mini-game called Tin Pin Slammer that you can play with 4 friends. You can also search and trade pins with other players via the Wifi modes, which is reminiscent of Pokemon.

A fun game and a must have for any RPG fan and DS owner.

Overall: 9 out of 10

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