The gameplay, the story, the graphics, the soundtrack... this game is unstoppable.
The story of a few teens fighting for their right to exist is somewhat familiar among RPG veterans, but TWEWY takes that notion and twists it again and again, until it's been completely wrung out to dry. There are some fairly morbid and even shocking scenes, but this all adds to the game's already fantastic atmosphere.
The soundtrack is just as addictive, and as varied as the many characters you will meet along your path, ranging from R+B and Rap to Indie and Rock music. What's even better is that you can buy these (master)pieces and play them whenever you like, so even with the wide variation you can still pick out your favourites to listen to.
The graphics are beautifully created, with the all-2D artwork being more effective than what 3D would have done. The look of each character, and the feel of each environment is so engaging, you find yourself lost in a world that, even though based on a real place, is thoroughly unique. Just be sure you don't actually find yourself lost; there is a fair bit of backtracking from realising you went the wrong way, which is the only proper downside I can see. However, some people won't find that a problem.
The gameplay is the star of the show here, and boy, does it shine. While the separate controls for each character are far too simple to include in a game on its own, you begin to think "Dual-screen real-time combat? Are these people on something illegal?" Amazingly, this is far simpler than it sounds, and it's executed brilliantly, no matter how far through the game you are. The feel of each pin's activation feels just right, and eventually you'll know which pin you're using based entirely on how it feels to activate. That said, there are 300-or-so pins, so you'll never run out of new strategies to try. The fact that you can allow the CPU to take control of your partner - so you can concentrate on Neku - means that anyone can play this. There can't have been any veterans of this type of gameplay because it's so innovative, but those who've never even laid eyes on an RPG before can pick up this game and play it through to the end with little hassle. And the best bit? The variable difficulty. To begin with, you'll want to go through the game at your maximum level, just to complete it. After that, though, and you'll want to drop back to level 1 (your pins and threads keep the same power bonuses, so even early bosses can go down in about 4 hits) in order to collect all of the pins and defeat all of the Noise. While everything about this game is phenomenal, it could have sold on gameplay alone, no questions asked.
The minigame, "The Inpincible Tin Pin Slammer", is a light-hearted game compared to the main story, which sees up to 4 players fighting with their pins to knock the other pins off of the table. (and as a game complete bonus, there's an extra chapter which is based entirely on this minigame, so you'd better get good at it early). While it does have its flaws - like the fact that the computer players can bash at you relentlessly, and to fight back like that you'd have to be an inhumanly good player - it also has its upsides, like the way you use the exact deck you use in battle against the noise to do battle with the other players. That's right, that means ALL of the pins in the main game each have their own Tin Pin statistics used solely for this minigame; and that leads to a different, unpredictable battle every time. That's what a minigame should be like, and Tin Pin Slammer works on that basis very well.
The multiplayer features are pretty scarce this time, but you can play up to 3 others in the aforementioned minigame, and you can also set the game to "Mingle" mode. This works similar to the Rival Radar on Metroid Prime: Hunters, with a few differences. Anyone who also has a copy of the game nearby set to Mingle is added as a friend, and you can then buy stuff from each other's shops. If you encounter someone who has a different game working on wireless, you obtain some PP for your equipped pins, which is a nice bonus. You can then also encounter "Aliens", which I'm not entirely sure if that means non-DS wireless networking, or just complete randomness, but either way, you get even more PP for each one you come across. You can also gain PP for leaving your DS off for up to 7 days, so if you go on holiday for a week, leave your DS behind. When you return, your pins will most likely have levelled up at least twice. Nice.
Well, on the whole, The World Ends With You is already a decent game, with a few things to make it extra tasty. Get your teeth into this, and you'll be hooked from day one. Fantastic in every respect, this is truly an unforgettable experience, and you'll be playing this for well over 100 hours to milk it for all it's worth. Four simple words can sum this game up: Oi. You. Buy. NOW. That's how good this game is.
Games like this aren't programmed; they're crafted, and this one was crafted by true artisans.