The World Ends with You (Nintendo DS) Reader Review

From the start you know that this game will be of an epic proportion. The main character Neku is plunged into the world of Shibuya, a trendy town full of fun and danger. Upon arriving in Shibuya Neku is introduced to his female lead, in the trendy outfit, Shiki. Shiki explains to Neku that he has been transferred into a game world, which in 7 days all players will be erased. To prevent yourself from being erased, certain mission and condition must be met every day to satisfy the Reaper's. This generall revolves around defeating the 'Noise' this games monsters. As you progress the ruth about the game world is revealed and trust is put to the test.

Graphics 10/10 - The cinematic cut scenes are up there with the best DS titles out there, and although the sprite figures appear clunky at first once the action start running on both screens, the characters are out shined by the awesome looking attacks.

Sound 10/10 - A hit or miss with many gamers, it follows a very Persona 3 style approach with funky new Japanese pop and rock songs in the background and throughout battles. Character emotions and tones are expressed nicely, but no voice acting per se is implemented, but in all fairness it not needed due to the impressive written dialogue presentation.

Gameplay 10/10 - This is where The World Ends With You shines through as a new RPG. The new battle screen features both screen with the player controlling characters on both screens at the same time. It sounds tricky but give it a couple of hours and you'll progressively get better. In addition to this battle system are the attack commands int his game know as pins. These pin such as slash and fire are used by slcing the enemy or tapping and the stylus in front of an enemy. As the player obtains more Pins he can customize his fighting style to best suit the situation.

Length 10/10 - Now from the get go, it seems like this game will only last you 5-6 hours since the first 4/7 days finish within a couple of hours but hang on, it is about to get wild. Clocking in at about 40 hours overall, this game is probably one of the longest DS games available.

Tilt 10/10 - For a new franchise, it firmly sets it feet onto the ground as a benchmark for following handheld RPG's

If you own a DS and are looking for a great game that will give you some light entertainment at the expense of an intense storyline this game is for you