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NEO : The World Ends With Youis a JRPG title with a clayey focus on style . Developed by h.a.n.d . and Square Enix , the title is asequel to 2007’sThe World Ends With You , a similarly aesthetic - laden production that received decisive acclaim alongside its commercial succeeder . As a follow - up title , NEOshines thanks to its measured navigation of previous plot threads alongside its novel form of characters . Even if it ’s a player ’s first time in the serial publication ' recreation of Shibuya , however , NEO : The World Ends With Youwill impress all the same thanks to an eclectic but appealing commixture of appealingness , cool , and splendid gameplay .
Rindo Kanade assumes the rein of protagonist from Neku Sakuraba , joined by teammate Fret , Nagi , and Minamimoto , the latter of whom will be familiar as an antagonist of the first title . NEO : The World Ends With Youthreatens to overmaster players ab initio as it enter a mountain of interesting case within its first few hours , but the process is treat well , first introducing cast phallus with a peculiarly loud personality beat before refining and elaborate on their nature as they continue to make appearances . Rindo and friendsmust engage in the Reapers ' Game and defeat colossus recognize as Noise , with the full scenario take place in an alternate Shibuya within the Underground .
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While the story does eventually begin to take on serious tones , it begin as a comparatively idle - hearted affair , with each eccentric coming to grips with the situation fairly quick to invalidate keep one’s shoulder to the wheel through protracted plot points surrounding disarray over the Reapers ' Game . Rindo , Fret , and Nagi all have peculiar power granted to them by their roles in the Reapers ' Game : Rindo is capable to rewind time to avoid negative outcomes , Fret can stab peoples ' memories to get them to remember fundamental data , and Nagi can dive into hoi polloi ' storage to help them through negative emotion . All of these techniques are interweave through both narrative and gameplay in a style that makes them exciting whenever they come in up .
Gameplay inNEO : The World Ends With Youlargely come a pattern of work puzzles in Shibuya to pull in admittance to more territory and venue , then fighting through Wave of Noise or knob to advance the team ’s advancement . There are sidequests and other elements , like Scramble Slam , which shake up the advance system further , but battles are central to the experience ofNEOand , gratefully , also one of its best elements . Combat is fluid , with snappy button comment feeling both responsive and easy to superintend . Players will control each member of their team by using the buttons set apart to each of their abilities , all the while moving whichever grapheme they used most recently to navigate the battlefield and parry incoming approach .
While it sounds hectic , NEO : The World Ends With Youcombat is remarkably easy to realise . The one - button imperativeness for ability makes using multiple onrush at once easy , and strategies begin to emerge almost immediately after distinguish how to time attack to create further opportunities and raise the political party ’s Groove cadence . Once the Groove meter is at 100 % , Rindo and friends can unleash apowerful jazz band attackthat is drug-addicted on recently used pins . The whole organization is visually and automatically square , andNEO : The World Ends With Youcombat is a empyrean mixture of customization and flair .
Pins are another central element of combat , determining which abilities each part will have approach to . Each character reference can equip one PIN number , and pins can be leveled up , with some of them evolve into more powerful versions of their event . There ’s alotof oarlock usable inNEO : The World finish With You , and that makes combat feels expansive . There ’s also very little press from the game to experiment if players do n’t really want to - while mixing and matching pins is extremely recommend , once the team finds a admixture that work for them , it stay on viable for a long period of time .
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That unceasing viability reflects something thatNEO : The World Ends With Youdoes quite well : malleability . NEOis a game that can be played the mode people desire , whether that ’s as amin - maxing JRPG veteranor someone who just wants to enjoy the story and its survey and sound . Early on , Rindo will gain access to difficulty mise en scene , which dramatically neuter the way battle with Noise go . Easy is approachable and should ease any potential frustration from those struggle with combat , while the voiceless difficultness adds an extra layer of complexness to most engagement with a wages of more pin drops and EXP in telephone exchange .
On top of conflict customization , there ’s also several systems in place to facilitate further compound whatNEO : The World Ends With Youoffers to those looking to play their way . thread are different article of wear that cater stat bonuses , with extra bonus abilities tied to either wearing them as a matching set or having a vogue evaluation that exceeds a listed necessity . When level up , Rindo and friends only gain HP initially , and they must eat at various restaurants to gain other stats like Attack , Defense , or Style . There are many eatery to choose from and they leave different stat bonuses , so building out a character to be balanced , unsavory , or tanky can be as but as finding the right food .
While many of the game ’s mechanics stand out as excellent , they might not even be the bestquality inNEO : The World terminate With You . That ’s because the game ’s visual and audio innovation is so instantly recognizable . The soundtrack that act throughout is one of innovative gaming ’s best , with a few different song threatening to get stick into a player ’s head if they ’re the last racetrack they hear before turning the biz off . Visually , NEO : The World Ends With Youdoubles down on the trademark aesthetic of the first game , and reference and environmental design are both gorgeous .
There ’s picayune to dislike aboutNEO : The World Ends With You . The game does run a little recollective - around 45 - 50 hr , include a few grinding sessions and a fair few sidequests - but the story does n’t outstay its welcome at any detail and characters are fun enough to absorb with that it ’s not to the game ’s hurt . foeman can become pretty repetitious in position , too , and the strategy needed to vote down them can palpate pretty simplistic until pretty far into the game . OnNintendo Switch , loadingcan find a bite extended , with some detectable lag while transitioning between sphere in Shibuya at times .
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NEO : The World Ends With Youis a unique , oculus - catching and hold JRPG that prioritize charm , fun , and accessibility above all . Apart from a few minor stumbles , it ’s a quiet experience with a cast of fun , visually distinguishable characters . NEO : The World Ends With Youis must - play for any JRPG lover , and is evenly up to the undertaking of providing either stylus or substance for those prepared to attempt out either .
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NEO : The World Ends With Youreleaseson July 27 , 2021 for Nintendo Switch and PS4 , with a PC release planned for after in 2021 . Screen Rant was provided with a Nintendo Switch computer code for the purpose of this review .
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