The World Ends With You has four difficulty levels:

• Easy - Face the Noise
• Normal - Erase the Noise
• Hard - Hush the Noise
• Ultimate - Crush the Noise

You may choose the difficulty from the cellphone menu. The player begins the game with only Normal difficulty available. Easy and Hard are unlocked as you progress through the game. Ultimate may be obtained at Shibu-Q Heads after clearing the main game.

PP bonuses (but not penalties, from E rank) are disabled on Easy. EXP gain is greater at higher difficulty levels. For details on how difficulty affects the damage formula, see damage.