NEO: The World Ends with You Reviews
In conclusion, Neo: The World Ends With You was a wonderful experience to play, and while it has a lot going on within the game, it teaches these different mechanics slowly and expertly. With the combination of a good story, great dialogue, complex puzzles, and flashy combat, Neo was a welcomed surprise and is a truly unique game. Comparisons would not be worthwhile for the most part. The closest comparison that could be made would be to Kingdom Hearts, but that might be an insult to Neo. It is an action RPG with many complex mechanics going on, but it won’t leave players confused and the combat isn’t as finicky. There are a lot of things that are packed into this long game, but they are done very well and are able to work in tandem with one another smoothly. This game is truly unique and would be worthwhile to buy to experience how this sticker bomb of a game manages to keep its punk aesthetic and be a game that is difficult to describe but not hard to recommend in any capacity.
"The world ends again and it wasn't that exciting this time."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
NEO: The World Ends with You is everything a fan of the series could ever ask for in a sequel. It feels modern and contemporary without losing what made the original unique.
NEO: The World Ends with You is way too cool, way too fun, and way too good. For fans of the series, this is a sequel that goes above and beyond 14 years of hopes and expectations. For newcomers who have never even heard of the Reaper's Game, this is one of the most genuine, polished, and stylish games I've ever played. Personality and style ooze out of it constantly, and in a post-Persona 5 world where society is starting to clamour for more immersive and all-encompassing JRPG masterpieces, this might just be the next big thing.
NEO: The World Ends with You is the perfect combination of all style, all substance. It’s gorgeous to look, it’s one hell of a feast for your ears, but above all, it’s a fantastic JRPG-beat ’em up hybrid. It has a fantastic story, intriguing characters, and an excellent combat system that is easy to learn but very hard to master.
NEO: The World Ends With You impresses in all the categories we were terrified it could fail in. The game boasts an energetic soundtrack that feeds off the energy of the original, a deep and rewarding combat system that makes a successful leap to 3D, an inspiring cast of characters that stand tall on their own, and importantly, a world that begs you to come back even after you've finished the 40+ hour campaign. After 13 long years, many fans lost hope we'd ever see a sequel to that first Reapers Game, but we're so pleased to see these talented developers never lost their calling.
NEO: The World Ends With You can be described as a sequel that respects and surpasses the original in many ways. The new title simplifies and improves some aspects coming from its predecessor, but it also brings new systems and expands them incredibly to create its own identity. This is not a title I recommend only for those who loved the original, but also for any RPG fan due to the quality present in each of its aspects. I consider NEO to be one of the essential RPGs in the PS4 library and I can only hope that we'll see more titles from this excellent series soon.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Come for the virtual tourism and stay for a deliriously satisfying battle system.
Neo: The World Ends with You is the sequel that fans have been awaiting. Despite the move to 3D it feels, looks, and sounds just like the original game. If anything, its flaws are almost the same, with a messy (but fun) combat system and an even messier plot. Despite those flaws, I enjoyed the game almost from start to finish. Newcomers should play the original first, but for those who've been waiting to see where the universe of The World Ends with You goes after the first game, Neo finally provides what you've been waiting for.
Those looking for a very different kind of JRPG experience will like what they see with NEO: The World Ends With You. The modern setting, the interesting creatures, and the character abilities make it unlike almost anything out there and is worth rolling the dice on.
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.
NEO: The World Ends With You is an excellent RPG that satisfies fans wanting more, or newcomers who want a unique experience from their games. However, there are some annoying points where it could worsen your experience.
NEO: The World Ends With You is the excellent sequel of one of the most unique JRPG ever released, featuring a stylish setting, charming characters, engaging story, masterfully crafted action combat, and tons of content that are on par (if not better) with the original. While some of the novelty is lost, as the game does not innovate the series' mechanics in any significant way, NEO: The World Ends With You is truly the sequel that all fans of the franchise were waiting for.
If you're a fan of the franchise, there's a lot here for you specifically. If you're coming in fresh, the game is going to throw a lot of jargon at you in a very short amount of time, and then it's going to hit you with references to prior events with which you won't be familiar. You don't need to play the previous game or watch its anime adaptation, but doing so might help with context. If none of the narrative stuff interests you, there's plenty of in-game stuff to collect: I'm currently working on completing my pin collection, whittling down my Noisepedia and hunting down graffiti (the game's version of achievements). When this game shines, it really shines, even if maybe too much of that shine is refracted by its past.
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.
Neo: The World Ends With You exudes style and sophistication, its presentation is modern and its gameplay is gripping with a pace that never lets up. Elements of action, adventure, RPG, visual novel and puzzle genres collide with gusto to create an epic experience that will keep you hooked until the credits roll. If you like games with plenty of variety in their gameplay, or games that tell a compelling story, look no further; this is an outstanding RPG unlike any other.
2021 is quickly turning into an argument for the Switch being a top 3 RPG console ever, and we're only at the end of #JRPGJuly. NEO: The World Ends With You is living up to the hype I was feeling when it was announced and then some as it took everything I already loved about the original and made it work on a single screen in the modern day. Don't miss it.
NEO: The World Ends With You is brimming with excitement. The combat is so good, and the various mechanics all work well together. The soundtrack is superb as well, with visuals that never grow old.
All gripes aside, if you're a fan of JRPGs in general, particularly the urban sprawl and social checklists of Persona, you will absolutely love NEO: The World Ends With You. This property deserves a series as expansive as its Disney-sponsored big brother, and hopefully, this sequel and the connected anime series will justify a true current-gen instalment at some point in the future.