The World Ends With You
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The World Ends With You
Overview

The World Ends with You, known in Japan as It's a Wonderful World (すばらしきこのせかい Subarashiki Kono Sekai), is an action-RPG for the Nintendo DS and the first installment in The World Ends with You series. The game was released in Japan in July 2007, and in PAL regions and North America on April 22, 2008.

The game was developed by the Kingdom Hearts team, Square Enix, and Jupiter. The character designs were made by Tetsuya Nomura and Gen Kobayashi. The distinctive art style is inspired by the aesthetics of Shibuya’s youth culture. The development of the game was inspired by elements of Jupiter's previously released game, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

The story is focused on a asocial teenager named Neku Sakuraba and his new allies who are forced to participate in a mysterious deadly game called the Reapers' Game in which they will die by being erased from existence if they do not complete daily missions. The battle system uses many of the unique features of the Nintendo DS, including combat taking place on both screens, and attacks performed by certain motions on the touchscreen or by shouting into the microphone. Elements of Japanese youth culture, such as fashion, food, and cell phones, are key aspects of the missions.

A port titled The World Ends with You -Solo Remix- was released on iOS and Android mobile phones on August 27, 2012.

The Nintendo Switch remaster titled The World Ends with You: Final Remix released September 27th, 2018 in Japan, and elsewhere on October 12th, 2018.

The anime adaptation, titled The World Ends with You The Animation, was released in 2021.

A sequel, titled NEO: The World Ends with You, was released on July 27th, 2021 for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, and September 28, 2021 for PC.

Gameplay[]

The World Ends with You is an action-RPG for the Nintendo DS, and uses many intricate gameplay elements.

Combat[]

See Also: Combat

LevelUpDS

Shiki (top) and Neku (bottom) fighting Noise.

The combat system in The World Ends with You, called the Stride Battle Cross System, utilizes both DS screens to function. The top screen is occupied by Neku's current partner, and the bottom screen is used by Neku himself. The two places are called "Zones", and in each Zone, there are the same Noise, the enemies in the game. The enemies inside the Zones share an HP bar between them, meaning that attacking an enemy in one Zone will damage it in the other Zone as well. Neku and his partner are synchronized as well, and therefore also share a HP bar. Being synchronized also allows their access to powerful Fusion attacks which attack all enemies for large damage. During battle, a Light Puck will pass from Neku to his partner as attacks are used. The more the Puck is passed around, the higher the combo built up and therefore the higher the damage.

The bottom screen is used to control Neku. Various touches of the bottom screen make Neku perform specific actions and move, depending on what pins he has equipped. These can range from short slides on the enemy to tapping at the air to shoot projectiles, but only 6 pins at maximum can be equipped at once. The top screen, containing Neku's current partner, is controlled by pressing the directional buttons, or the control pad, in specific directions to select a pathway of arrows. What lies at the end of each arrow varies by partner, however. If the right set of commands are met, the player gets a star, which contributes towards a Fusion attack.

For example, Shiki has arrows leading to cards, based on Zener Cards, and matching them with the cards on top gives a star. The partner cannot directly move, but can dodge, block, or in Joshua's case, float. Once a Fusion command has been acquired, it can be tapped on the touch screen to use it, and special cards can be used to upgrade these to a higher level.

Pins[]

Neku energy rounds

Neku using an Energy Rounds-type pin.

"Psych pins", equipped out of battle, are decorative pins which possess powers that usually only Neku can activate while wearing them. Psych pins are used for combat, used for "Tin Pin Slammer/Marble Slash", or scrapped as trade value for money or equipment. All pins can be traded, but many of them have low trade values to deter the player from selling the valuable ones.

Most pins, particularly those used in combat, can become more powerful as the player accumulates "Pin Points" (PP) which may lead to evolution of the pins into more powerful and valuable versions. Pin Points are commonly earned through battle, but can also be earned through a period of inactivity with the game, seven days maximum, or by interacting with other DS players or randomly if none are found. Each of these methods influences the growth of pins within the game, but battling increases it the most.

For a full list of pins see:

Tin Pin Slammer[]

Tin Pin Slammer Poster

A poster for Tin Pin.

The mini-game Tin Pin Slammer, also known as Marble Slash, consists of the player, NPCs or up to 3 friends who also have the game, selecting Pins and choosing to play with them. However, Multiplayer mode is only enabled when both players have acquired the "(S) Tin Pin Versus" Sticker, available from the Shibuya Department store. Any Pins can be used to play the game, but there are several which are specialized specifically for Tin Pin.

The game basically consists of both players shooting their pins towards the opponent's pins, and attempting to knock them off the stage. There are also special abilities which can be used to aid the player while playing. These include jumping up in the air and crashing down, and turning the pin into a spiky ball. If the other player's pin is affected by these abilities, it suffers a Stun Period in which it cannot move.

Daily missions and exploration[]

Phone

Players are required to complete daily missions sent via Reapers.

The story is arranged into three chapters, or "weeks", in each of which he has different partners while participating in the Reapers' Game. Each chapter is further divided by each day of the week. The player controls Neku while walking around Shibuya, and his partner automatically follows while they attempt to complete the mission set for the day. Although most missions require completion within a certain time period for Neku, his partner, and all the Players, this timer is not connected to the passage of time for the player. Missions are often riddle-like in nature, and require careful exploration and interrogating other characters. There are also various unmentioned sidequests with rewards on each day.

ShinyMap

A map of Shibuya.

Shibuya is divided into many districts, some of which may be inaccessible on certain days or blocked by a wall. These walls, guarded by Support Reapers, can be removed by satisfying the request of this Reaper, such as erasing Noise symbols, putting on a certain brand of clothing, or bringing an item. The first wall in the game is even cleared by simply forming a pact. Each district has fashion trends that affect gameplay. By wearing pins or clothing from the more popular brands in that district, positive effects will come to the player, but conversely, wearing the least fashionable items will do the opposite, and no effects, or even negative effects happen. However, the player can increase a brand's popularity in one district by repeatedly fighting battles in that district while wearing items of that brand, explained in Week 1, Day 6 when the Red Skull Pin must be promoted as a mission. Though players are invisible, the player can enter shops with red marks outside which make them visible. There, the player can buy new pins, clothes, and food items that are gradually consumed during battles to improve the characters' basic attributes.

Imprinting

The player imprinting on Futoshi.

Neku can scan the area by activating his Player Pin in the bottom right corner of the touch screen. This scan reveals the thoughts of the non-player characters in the Realground (Players cannot be scanned) and Memes, which may help to progress the plot via Imprinting. The scan also reveals the Noise symbols that drift about the area, or float around a specific character experiencing negative emotions.

The aforementioned Noise come in different shapes and colors, signifying what they are and their difficulty. For example, green symbols are always Pig Noise, which always drop pins upon defeat. The player initiates a battle by touching these Noise symbols; each symbol constitutes one round of battle. Selecting more than one Noise symbol at a time results in a multi-round battle "Combo" that gradually increases in difficulty with each round, but conversely leads to greater rewards upon success. The overall difficulty of battles can also be changed in the menu to also lead to better rewards. This can be changed at any time while walking around Shibuya.

After completing the game, the player can return to any day in the story and play those events again, keeping the characters' current statistics and inventory. "Secret Reports", written segments that reveal background elements of the story, can be unlocked through doing this by completing specific missions during each day. Completing the game allows the player to access "Another Day" from the game's menus, an additional day of missions that explains certain events related to the main storyline.

Plot[]

Setting[]

The setting of The World Ends with You, set in Shibuya, is heavily based on aspects of the Japanese city which exists in reality, including major landmarks like the Scramble Crossing. It even has the same currency, Yen (¥), which is used in shops. Many elements of the game are also based on Japanese culture, including the food, fashion and artwork in the game.

Themes[]

One of the major themes of the game are life and death, and what it means to live life, especially when trapped under dire circumstances or in an oppressive environment. While the story heavily focuses on death, it also explores the idea of living life to the fullest; this is what the title "the world ends with you" means: life is often simply what someone makes out of it, including how much someone enjoys their time being alive. Another theme of the game involves learning how to reach out, trust and forge connections with other people.

SoNotBabyBoomEnough

Neku and Shiki unable to buy anything from a store because they are not baby-boom enough.

The story explores themes and issues many teenagers have had to deal with; adults discriminating them because of their age, strained relationships with parents, the stress of being popular among peers, the stress of trying to get good grades in school and failing, being jealous of friends who seem to have more talent and better lives, having low self-esteem, having body image and feeling not pretty or unattractive, as well connecting to people and making friends. The story also occasionally focuses on issues adults have to deal with, such as Ken Doi trying to salvage his failing ramen business among competition.

From its original namesake as It's A Wonderful World, The World Ends With You draws upon its inspiration's story in many ways, from the spiritual, to the worldly, and the everyday. Some aspects the story focuses on are the idea of seeing the world from another angle, especially when one has left the world, to realize how important one's place is in the world, and to really appreciate what is truly important to one when they were alive. This is importantly, shown akin to what can be called a near death experience, or being in between life and death, in liminality, or in limbo, as while the Players are known to have died, they have the opportunity to come back to life upon winning the Game.

To its more fantastical themes, the idea of the Underground is rooted in the beliefs of a spiritual dimension, plane, or more historically, underworld, where spirits and ethereal entities are believed to dwell hidden from reality. Rather than using strictly defined mythologies and lore found from specific cultures and faiths, the Underground takes on a more all encompassing set of elements and themes that are generally found globally within human spirituality and religion, from shamanism, vitalism, the idea of a hierarchy and organization of those who manage over the affairs of the afterlife, and to its popular culture themes, makes the use of celebrity and high culture related nomenclature to help describe its workings and affairs. This includes how Noise acts as an amalgated manifestation of mental disturbance, "bad vibes", and demonic activity, and the closeness of great talent and fame with the aspects of the upper and ruling class, and its ages long relations with divine providence and godhood.

One more subtle theme is implied to be trauma, as it is heavily implied the protagonist Neku became the way he was due to the loss of a friend, but the game never explicitly confirms this, much like real life and how people don't always know other people's histories and why people act the way they do.

Synopsis[]

Speech Bubble - Exclamation Question SR Spoiler warning: Plot and/or character details follow.
Neku and Shiki fight

Neku and Shiki fighting Noise.

The game's story follows Neku Sakuraba over the course of the three weeks in which he plays the Reapers' Game, paired with three partners, Shiki, Joshua, and Beat, for each week. The game's first week begins with a confused Neku waking up in the Shibuya Scramble Crossing. He lacks knowledge of where he is, what he is doing there, or any of his memories. He is immediately forced into a "pact" with a stranger called Shiki Misaki, as he tries to destroy some enemies called Noise which attacked him.

Throughout the week, he learns of his purpose in the UG (short for Underground) as a dead person, that the Reapers' Game is a ploy for dead people, the "Players", for the opportunity to return back to the living after proving themselves throughout a week. Neku also learns, while accompanying Shiki on the journey, that he should listen to other people more, and to try to live life to the fullest.

During the week, they meet a variety of characters, including: Beat and Rhyme, whom Neku is rude to at first, but eventually accepts them as friends; the two Harrier Reapers, Uzuki Yashiro and Koki Kariya, who appear to be the main antagonists at first, as they end up erasing Rhyme; and Sanae Hanekoma, a strange man who runs a coffee shop on Cat Street and gives advice to Neku and Shiki.

Characters[]

Main Article: TWEWY/Characters

Protagonists (Players)[]

Twewy06

(Clockwise from bottom-most) Neku, Joshua, Shiki, Rhyme, and Beat.

The World Ends with You features five major main characters, all of whom are players, but only four of them are playable. Each Player has an entry fee, the most important thing to them, so that they can enter the game, explained below. These are:

  • Neku Sakuraba — Neku is an asocial fifteen year old boy who prefers to avoid people. Throughout the course of the story, Neku learns the importance of having friends in his life and becomes very close to Beat, Joshua, Rhyme, and Shiki, as well as Sanae Hanekoma. Neku is very good at utilizing psychs, and can use every pin he is confronted with. His first entry fee was his memory, his second was Shiki, and his third was all of the other players, showing how he progresses from being distant to forming bonds with the other survivors of the game.
  • Shiki Misaki — Shiki, Neku's partner for the first week, is friendly, but she harbors jealousy for her best friend, Eri. She makes her own clothes and toys, including her attire and Mr. Mew, but (as she claims) only due to Eri's inspiration. Because of her jealousy, her entry fee for the Reapers' Game was her identity/appearance, causing her to look like Eri. Shiki's true appearance is only ever seen properly at the end of the game, and her face is not shown. Shiki is one of Neku's best friends by the game's end. She uses Mr. Mew to battle, and the mini-game involves cards. In the DS version, selecting the correct card from the bottom menu to the ones flipped over at the top earns the player a star.
  • Joshua (real name: Yoshiya Kiryu) — Joshua is Neku's partner for the second week and is sly and clever, finding enjoyment from teasing others, and harboring dark secrets. Neku believes that he has finally found someone who he understands in Joshua, but it is apparent near the end that he is not the person who he is thought to be. He is not actually dead, and therefore not from the Underground, making him an illegal player, and leading to him not having an entry fee. As the game progresses, the player finds out that he is Shibuya's Composer and Neku's killer. He uses psychic powers to battle, using nearby objects as projectiles and is able to float, allowing him to use powerful beam attacks. In the DS version, his mini-game is a number-matching game, in which the player must select a card which is lower, higher, or the same as the cards above, depending on the card.
  • Beat (real name: Daisukenojo Bito) — Beat is Rhyme's older brother and her partner for the first week, as well as Neku's for the third week. He says that he dreams to be the best skater in the world and can skateboard very well, using this as his battle style. While he acts tough in front of others, he is truly caring and open. After Week 1, Beat joins the Reapers to avenge Rhyme after she was erased; however, when he is asked to attack Neku and Joshua, he does not erase them as he should, and joins Neku as a player again in the third and final week. He expresses how sorrowful he is that he has no actual dreams and how he is not all that bright compared to his little sister, who is the exact opposite. His entry fee was Rhyme's memories and love for him, leading to a very traumatic experience for him when she did not recognize him. The mini-game used when battling is a matching game where the player must select cards of the same suit and match them up in a row to gain stars.
  • Rhyme (real name: Raimu Bito) — Rhyme is Beat's younger sister as well as his partner for the first week. On the fourth day of the first week, Rhyme is erased by Reapers. Mr. Hanekoma then binds Rhyme's Soul to a pin, with which Beat forms a pact to turn it back into Rhyme again. When acquired and used by Neku, it summons Rhyme's Noise form to attack the enemy. Her entry fee is unknown, although it is implied it was her ambitions and dreams.

Antagonists (Reapers)[]

  • Uzuki Yashiro (a.k.a Pinky) - Harrier Reaper and partner of Koki Kariya. She is desperate for a promotion.
  • Koki Kariya (a.k.a. Lollipop) - Harrier Reaper and partner of Uzuki Yashiro. He enjoys being laid-back.
  • Yodai Higashizawa - Game Master for the first week who highly enjoys food puns.
  • Sho Minamimoto (a.k.a. Pi-Face) - Game Master for the second week who highly enjoys math puns.
  • Mitsuki Konishi (a.k.a. Iron Maiden) - Game Master for the third week with a cold and, later, cruel personality.
  • Megumi Kitaniji (a.k.a. Shades) - The Conductor of the Reapers' Game who never takes off his sunglasses.

Others[]

  • Sanae Hanekoma - Mysterious guide to the Players and a cafe barista.
  • Eri - Shiki's best friend who dreams to become a fashion designer.
  • Sota Honjo and Nao - Two other Players who enter the Game after a tragic accident.
  • Mina and Ai - Two schoolgirls living in the RG.
  • Makoto Miki and his boss, "Shrimp" are employees trying to make red skull pins trendy.
  • 777, Tenho and BJ - Members of the band Def Märch.
  • Futoshi - Def Märch's technician.
  • Shuto Dan - An avid Tin Pin player.
  • Ken Doi - Owner of the shop, Ramen Don.
  • Itaru Yokoyamada - Tin Pin player who is jealous of Shuto's skills.
  • Eiji Oji (a.k.a. The Prince) - A well-known Shibuyan celebrity who runs a blog "F Everything"
Speech Bubble - Exclamation Question SR Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.


Music[]

Cover

The World Ends with You Original Soundtrack.

Music for The World Ends with You was composed by Takeharu Ishimoto, who has also composed other Square Enix games such as Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, Dissidia and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, and Final Fantasy Type-0. The soundtrack includes many genres of music such as rock, hip hop, electronica and orchestral pieces. Artists included on the soundtrack are SAWA, Leah, Ayuko Tanaka, Makiko Noda, Wakako, Mai Matsuda, Hanaeryca, Cameron Strother, Nulie Nurly, Andy Kinlay and Londell "Taz" Hicks.

The ending theme is Lullaby for You by J-Pop artist Jyongri who sung the song in both English and Japanese for their respective releases. In the ports, the ending theme was changed to Runaway by Stephanie Topalian.

The game's soundtrack had to be shortened to fit on the Nintendo DS cartridge, and the English and Japanese versions both contain some unique songs to their own region. Later ports of the game include full-length songs and remixes.

The game's full soundtrack was released over four albums: The World Ends with You Original Soundtrack, Subarashiki Kono Sekai + The World Ends with You, Subarashiki Kono Sekai -Crossover-, and Subarashiki Kono Sekai Crossover ~Tribute. Several songs also appeared in The Death March album. Most of the soundtrack is available on English-language iTune stores.

Development[]

Artina 2014 concept sketches

Concept art around 2005-2006 depicting various characters. Note how Neku and Shiki have outlines of melee weapons in their hands because psychs were a later idea.

Early logos

Early "Emotion Edge" logo.

Development for the game began in 2005 during the development of Kingdom Hearts II under the title "Emotion Edge". Early in development, the game was intended to be set in the whole of Japan instead of Shibuya and involved conquering territory as a city-building simulator. The players could also go back and forth between reality and the underground.[1] Tetsuya Nomura then joined the team and influenced these ideas to be scrapped.

Neku was imagined as wielding a katana as a weapon, but this was scrapped into development in favor of psychs. Originally, the game was a rhythm game featuring Dance Dance Revolution-like gameplay requiring precise button timing to attack Noise.[2]

By March 2006, the developers decided on how they would create the battle system with a heavy focus on letting the player to "play freely". In 2006, the game was re-named It's a Wonderful World, likely because they thought it captured the themes of the story more, and the game was announced to the public in late 2006. Although not much material of the game was shown, one of the early key arts revealed was the main box art of the cast.

The story was written primarily by Sachie Hirano, but it had a team analyzing the story to offer new ideas and reduce plot holes. The story was written by a committee with each director having their own writing team, which brainstormed over the general story background, plot, and other elements. When the script was almost finalized, it was discovered that there were many inconsistencies and errors with the story which the team caught before release.[3]

It was released in Japan in July 2007 to positive reviews. Western audiences had to wait another nine months for the game to be localized and come overseas, a common practice of the era. It was revealed that the title of the game would change from It's a Wonderful World to The World Ends with You to avoid copyright issues with a film released in 1939.

Near the launch of the English version in mid-2008, Square Enix initiated a contest on DeviantArt, seeking artists who could create concept art inspired by the game.[4] The 10 winners received free copies of the game.[5]

Reception[]

Twewy cosplay

The characters of The World Ends with You being cosplayed by fans.

The World Ends With You received positive reviews for its graphics, soundtrack, and integration of gameplay into the Shibuya setting. The game's replay value has also been praised, with many items and pins to collect. The game has an 8.8 Metacritic by critics. In the week of its release, the game was the second best-selling DS title in Japan, and the top selling DS title in North America. While the game's sales were decent, they were not high enough for Square Enix to pursue a sequel until over a decade later, as their Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts brands were much more popular.

The story and the themes of The World Ends with You has also been well received and found by many as engaging and emotional with various plot twists, and it is not uncommon to find fans of the game who mention the story resonated with them and impacted the way they view the world, or helped pull them out of depression.

NekuShutUp

The protagonist Neku received a polarized response from players.

The character of Neku Sakuraba has been decisive among players, and the protagonist has left both positive and negative varying impressions on its players. Neku experiences changes to his personality throughout the game and has been likened to a Holden Caulfield for the 21st century.[6] Regardless, Neku's off-putting attitude in the first few hours of the game turned many players off to the point they quit the game forever. Others feel that Neku's extreme hostility and negativity adds to the impact of his character growth when situations cause him to undergo self-reflection and change.

Neku burst rounds

Although some enjoyed the multitasking-like gameplay, others found it too overwhelmiing.

Due to its unique gameplay style and the steep learning curve of the battle system, the game has often received criticism for being difficult for newcomers, although the game has an Easy mode as well as an Auto mode for the top screen partner. However, those who stuck with the game have often praised the game for its unique take on the standard action RPG formula and taking advantage of the Nintendo DS' functionalities.

The game's depiction of many of its lanky anorexic-looking characters has been contested and pointed out in many reviews at the time of its release. It is possible the characters such as Neku and Shiki are not intended to be anorexic in the actual story and that their thin limbs and waistlines are merely part of its art style, although it is also possible they are intended to be somewhat malnourished. The game does not glamorize or promote their appearances, and in Shiki's case, the story lightly touches on the idea of her body being viewed as pretty by society, as well as girls being envious of other girls' bodies and striving to being like them.

Zero Punctuation's review of the game was mixed, saying he did not know if TWEWY is a good JRPG. He mentioned he disliked the story being primarily non-interactive, complaining the game has "too much dialog" and felt that the characters are "shallow JRPG stocks". The main campaign (excluding Another Day and A New Day) has around approximately seven hours of reading. Many interested in the game were not aware it would be part visual novel and have this much reading, leading to some negative reviews from certain players.

Videos[]

Interviews[]

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Trivia[]

  • It is suggested that the game is set around October 8th. A sign in the Shibukyu Main Store battle arena reads "10/8".
  • Shiro Amano, writer and artist of the Kingdom Hearts manga, created a very short manga based on the game around the time of the game's release.
  • The game was renamed to The World Ends With You outside of Japan because It's a Wonderful World was already copyrighted as the name of a 1939 film.
  • Neku, Joshua, Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme all make an appearance in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance.
  • The music tracks "Twister" and "Calling" were added in as paid Downloadable Content in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call.
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