NEO: The World Ends With You - Devlog 003

Last week I finished NEO: The World Ends With You, the sequel to one of my most beloved Nintendo DS games, The World Ends With You.

This time around we are presented with a new set of characters, Rindo and his friend Fret, two fashionable boys from Shibuya. I was excited to  know them, see this world from their point of view but instead, the story progresses by reintroducing characters from the original game in a fan service way. NEO relies on your memories of the original cast to make you feel something, rather than earning this emotion by their actions or relations with the new cast. The reason of their return is really interesting but it's hidden behind the secret ending of the new release of the original TWEWY for the Switch . So, if we are not developing further the story of the original cast and we also don't get to know the new one, what are we left with?  

With a really fun game. 

Walking trough the streets of Shibuya is a blast. The battle system is a joy.  Each button of your controller is assigned to a pin, an attack or ability, that after using it, it cools down. When u hit the Noise(the animals you fight with), there's a chance to enter a chain groove where if u hit them again with a different pin, it'll add a % to your groove and if u get it to 300% you can unleash a special attack.  This makes the battle so fun as you try to chain your abilities, without loosing your groove in a really fun rhythm. 

NEO also makes you really want to indulge in the spending fever that is Shibuya. From going to restaurants for boosting your stats, to buying every trendy clothing for armor or evolving each pin, NEO: The World Ends With You makes you want to collect it all. That's what I did, and after 80 hours, I 100% collected every item, something I haven't done in a long time. If you are in a collecthaton mood, please check it out. In a sense, it reminds me of 1bitHeart, a game where you make friends by buying them things.

NEO: The World Ends With You made me think of how many ways there are to follow up a story. So what is the path I'm chosing for HITME 3? That's what I've been wondering. I just hope we get to spend some more cozy and messy times together.

Sending you big hugs,

Xiri 

 P.D: Did you know Ryuichi Sakamoto made the startup sound for the Dreamcast? I didn't. One of the kinder moments after a loved artist passes away is how everyone shares their favourite memories with them and makes you discover new things. Thank you for so much.