The World Ends With You: Final Remix Reviews
On paper, The World Ends With You would have been perfect for a Switch adaptation, and it still could be. There hasn't been any indication of post-launch updates to fix the controls, but in a less cynical view we can be glad they're not selling Another 7 Days as a separate expansion. But Final Remix is something rare: the Switch port of a classic game that would have been better served happening on 3DS if they wanted to replicate the original experience.
One of the most unique and refreshing JRPG of all time. The controls are far from perfect (in both modes), but this is the best chance to experience this fantastic story... Or rediscover it once again.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The World Ends with You -Final Remix- is a game full of charm and attention to detail. In the face of a combat system never 100% accurate remains a solid and exciting experience. Definitely recommended for those who have never had the opportunity to try the original, the title has something to say even to those who want to dive back into the world of Neku.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The World Ends With You Final Remix is fantastic. A unique ARPG packed with a brilliant story, fun gameplay, and a fascinating premise, everything about it screams instant classic. Don't sit out on this one, especially if you can get around the initially jarring control options.
The World Ends With You: Final Remix is a solid port overall. Still, unless you're an absolute diehard fan of the game who has to see the new story content, I have a hard time recommending this to anyone who's already played it on the DS. And for newcomers, if you can push past the awful touch controls, The World Ends With You provides a gripping tale that will consume you from start to finish.
The World Ends With You: Final Remix isn't just a long title. It is one of the best DS games reborn on a modern console. The music, the visuals, and the gameplay are all incredible, and having this cult classic come back to life is a blessing. This is an incredibly stylish RPG that demands your attention.
The World Ends with You is a little less fresh and exciting than it was a decade ago. But, despite a few shortcomings and the loss of dual-screen play, it's still an incredible game and worthwhile for those who've yet to play it. There's not quite enough that's new here for returning fans though.
Through those Joy-Con controls, the Switch version also offers a surprisingly refreshing and altogether more interesting mode of playing through the game: co-op. Instead of your partner being relegated to pin duty, a second player with a second Joy-Con can command them, using a small assortment of base pins to do different moves. This way of playing is not only intuitive and easy to pick up, but it adds a new layer to the game. Now, you have to coordinate your pin assaults with your roommate, significant other, or random stranger on the plane sitting next to you. Instead of splitting your brain in twain, you're now coordinating with someone else, only getting a good cross combo if you can figure out how to make your pin attacks work in unison. It's a fun way to replay The World Ends With You, and even feels a bit more thematic to the game's message.
My opinion of The World Ends With You: Final Remix is one of indifference. All the consideration that went into making the original a compound piece of craftsmanship, inseparable from the device on which you played it, is absent.
The Nintendo DS masterpiece is squeezed onto a single screen, with the improvements just about outweighing the compromises.
Since it’s been a while since the original title made its debut, chances are you are like Neku and don’t remember everything at this stage. If that’s the case, the Switch version can provide you with another round of entertainment that can be played on the go and in the comfort of your own home. For newcomers, picking up The World Ends with You: Final Remix should be a no-brainer as it’s definitely the definitive version of the Nintendo DS gem.
A mediocre remaster of a great game, it is critically important to recognise that Final Remix is in no way whatsoever the definitive release of The World Ends with You. Presentation wise, the Switch remaster both looks and sounds great, improving upon the original mobile remaster wherever it can, but the gameplay is severely neutered when compared to the original Nintendo DS release. Combat will never be as smooth with the Joy-Con setup as it is with touch controls, and the modifications made to the partner system in order to make gameplay work on one single screen remove a great deal of the original battle system's charm. Final Remix is a good game as it is still, at its core, The World Ends with You, but it is a deeply flawed, deeply disappointing reimagining of the DS classic.
There's reason for existing fans to play the game again, because it has an all-new chapter to work through, and there's certainly a reason for people who haven't previously played it to give it a go, because to this day, nothing else has quite managed to offer what The World Ends With You offers.
Final Remix is a fun game which has great depth in the fights and primarily how you fight in different areas. The option for the use of the touch-screen or a single Joy-Con. Add amazing audio-visual elements and the Final Remix is the perfect Final edition of the game.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Though it still suffers from some familiar issues, The World Ends with You remains an easy recommendation for new and returning players alike with its excellent character development and very appealing sense of style.
Simple updates – like the ability to use Joy-Con controls in handheld mode, or more new additions besides re-skinned areas – could have easily made this the definitive version of the game. But as it stands, Final Remix feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.
The World Ends With You Remix is always surprising, always challenging and always willing to ask the player to think outside of JRPG conventions they might have grown accustomed to. Granted, the art direction, once considered groundbreaking in 2007, now feels cliched, but the human voice added to the writing pushed aside any doubts I had about getting stuck in.
Despite the subtitle Final Remix, it's hard to call this version of the game definitive.
There's plenty of you with 3DSes collecting dust somewhere in a drawer, like mine is. If that's you, go figure out where to grab a copy of the DS version of this game. It really is worth it, and if you're at the same place where I was when I first played this game, it might just change your life.