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You know a game has a grip on you when you say something like, "I'd have bought a Nintendo
DS just to play it". The World Ends With You (TWEWY) was just such a game for me, and knowing
that I'd get to play it again on the iOS platform immediately dredged up a host of happy memories
spent lazily enjoying its Beat'em-up RPG-like gameplay. The reason I'm gushing from the
outset is to establish a base-level of 'rose-tinted glasses' for our readers/viewers and perhaps
to soften the blow of the following statement: TWEWY for iPhone and iPad is not perfect.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it doesn't live up to the original Nintendo DS game just
because it removes an entire screen - in fact the game's solution to this issue is quite
elegant - or because it somehow messes with the original in a fundamental way (it doesn't),
but rather that the port is so faithful that despite the vast improvements made to the
game, it retains many of the basic flaws of the original such as the dated use of text
bubbles to tell the story.
When you take this in to consideration you can focus on the game's many successes, including
a revamping of the visuals to a glorious Retina-quality resolution and retooled social systems such
as the Tin Pin Slammers side-game; Twitter integration; and easy to use trading. Despite
already existing on the Nintendo DS, this feels like a game designed from the ground-up
for the iOS platform.
You play the game (ostensibly) as Neku, a smart-alec loner-type who finds himself lost
in the UG, or 'Underground', and forced to play a game run by The Reapers or face being
erased. Along his journey he bumps in to other 'players', forming pacts of friendship in
order to defeat the 'Noise'- creatures controlled by The Reapers. It's a game with distinctly
Japanese themes (aside from the fact that it's set in the trendy Shibuya District of
Tokyo).
TWEWY's central gameplay revolves around 'pins' - collectable items that can be used to unlock
various powers in combat including active abilities and passive boosts. They can be
leveled up to increase their potency and potentially even 'evolve' in to powerful new pins if they
earn enough of the right experience, and to get them all you'll need to invest in trading
with other players.
Of course their best use comes in the form of direct combat with Noise, with each pin
activating based on a specific gesture used on screen, from swiping to tapping or even
moving Neku around the screen. Your partner can also get in on the act too, making it
easy to dish out huge amounts of damage, especially if you alternate attacks to 'sync' up and
activate a super-power.
Things get even more complicated when fashion trends start to influence the strength of
your equipped clothes and pins, while eating food (up to 24 'bytes' a day) can also give
you a permanent stat boost, and turning off your game to go do something else can earn
you experience for your pins (up to a set limit).
If there's any downside to playing The World Ends With You, it's that iPhone users are
unlikely to be using a stylus, resulting in a fair share of misclicks, but it's hard to
complain at all on the iPad, especially when it proves to be so responsive.
A final note of mention goes to the price of the game - something I'm sure will become
a hot topic of discussion. If you own the original, then you know whether or not you
want to invest in this game; if you loved it, then you're being afforded a chance to
play it again in a readily accessible form. If you didn't own the original, you'd be mad
not to get it, especially if it goes on sale; even if you can get the original at the same
price, this version features improved visuals and gameplay features, making it worth making
your primary choice.