NEO: The World Ends with You Reviews
Overall, NEO: The World Ends with You is a fantastic followup to 2007’s The World Ends with You, and both expands the universe and introduces different gameplay styles to keep even the most veteren of JRPG fans engaged. The exceptional visual style and musical flair work together to create a vibrant and stylish game that I just couldn’t get enough of. The narrative is satisfying and fits firmly in the hyper-stylised world of JRPGs, and will delight fans of Kingdom Hearts, Ni No Kuni, and Persona. Despite some minor critiques, NEO: The World Ends with You is a surprise hit, and has the potential to pave the way for another successful Square Enix franchise.
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.
Coming back to the reaper’s game with this scope and grand vision has proven to be a risk for Square Enix that sadly has not paid off. Sales may not have met expectations for the venerable publisher and this would mean that Neo: The World Ends with You could be the last reaper’s game ever. It is a shame because this bold title has proven to be one of the best action RPGs that Square Enix has ever made and is highly recommended.
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.
There are enough changes and improvements to make this a worthy, modern follow up to an overlooked classic. A bustling world with great and unique gameplay and surprisingly good writing and plot. The perfect sequel.
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Everything else about NEO is sublime, though. Once the introductory ten hours are pushed through and the game starts proper, it’s an efficient burst of energy and excitement, with one of the best soundtracks you’ll ever find in a game, one of the most explosive, dynamic combat systems you’ve played in a JRPG, and a colourful, energetic, and exciting celebration of Japanese youth culture and Shibuya itself. No doubt this will be the final roll of the dice for TWEWY as a franchise, and hopefully, it has done enough here to graduate from cult status.
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.
When I played The World Ends with You on my Nintendo DS back in 2008, I was struck by how vibrant and wonderfully unique the game is. I’d hoped for more for years, especially after teases found in the ports. Now we’re back in Shibuya for NEO TWEWY, and it is the sequel the original deserved. Yet, at the same time, it stands tall on its own merits and is a welcoming experience for people completely unfamiliar with the series.
NEO: The World Ends With You does absolutely everything right and although the story loses its steam in some parts, the bombastic combat, lovable characters and the stylish visuals present one of the most unique experiences you can dive into.
Review in Persian | Read full review
NEO: The World Ends With You feels as slick and stylish as the original, with the enjoyable combat and fantastic narrative pulling everything together. There’s plenty to love about the world, its characters, and the challenging situation they find themselves in, whilst the many twists of the story will keep players enthralled until the end. Add to that the intuitive pin system, the variety of tasks to complete, and the gorgeous visuals, and it’s clear that NEO: The World Ends With You is a very impressive RPG. It took fourteen-years for a sequel to The World Ends With You to release, but you know what? The wait was worth it. Hopefully we won’t have to wait quite as long to play the Reaper’s Game again next time around…
Square Enix elevates the Reapers' Game even further with NEO: The World Ends With You! A stellar combat system, engaging story, relatable characters and rich content offering make this the perfect sequel to the cult classic The World Ends With You. This is a must-buy and play for fans of the original game and JRPG fans alike.
a love letter of some sorts but its unique attributes – from its translation to 3D, a new cast of quirky characters, absolutely gorgeous overlay and incredible sound design – makes this entry a must play in its own right. Sure, without “The World End with You” attached to its title, it may have been somewhat questionable, but NEO’s clear delivery in Story, Gameplay, Presentation and Sound, which is what we base our reviews on, makes this an extraordinary feat for both h.a.n.d. and Square Enix. Definitely in our favourites for Game of the Year.
NEO: The World Ends with You manages to hit its streets running by maintaining everything interesting, unique, and enjoyable about the first game. The changes in hardware and playable characters have tweaked things slightly, but it feels like positive growth that improves the series or at least puts a fresh, wicked twist on it. Following up on a cult favorite game over a decade later is no easy feat, but Square Enix have done it as well as I could imagine.
We fight together against those who consider life to just be a game, we look after each other when we need it most. Long as it may be, I don’t regret any second I spent in Shibuya. The world is a big place, but NEO knows it doesn’t end with just you.
NEO: The World Ends With You combines its fascinating storyline and characters with solid and chaotic combat to create an RPG sequel that more than lives up to expectations.
Neo: The World Ends With you is one of the coolest RPGs you will play and not just this year. While the story doesn’t bring anything new to the table when compared to the original, this isn’t always a bad thing. The strongest points with both stories, which lies with the characters deliver in a way that few games do and make becoming invested in their journey easy.
Decent story, phenomenal music, and great gameplay make up for a slow middle segment.
Neo: The World Ends With You is the widely anticipated sequel of a cult Nintendo DS title and one of the best Action RPGs available on current platforms. Building on its predecessor formula, this sequel introduces a wide variety of content that while being faithful to the original game exceeds it in every aspect. Fans should rejoice: Shibuya is back to stay!
Review in Italian | Read full review
NEO: The World Ends With You retains the freshness, uniqueness and stylish nature of the original game, but at the same time reinvents itself without forgetting the complexity and tons of content usually found in the JRPG genre. We're once again before a true gem.
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