| The World Ends with You | |
|---|---|
 North American Nintendo DS cover art. From left to right: Joshua, Neku, Beat (above), Shiki, and Rhyme. | |
| Developer(s) | |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix[b] |
| Director(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Designer(s) |
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| Artist(s) |
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| Writer(s) | Sachie Hirano |
| Composer(s) | Takeharu Ishimoto |
| Series | The World Ends with You |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer (Final Remix) |
The World Ends with You[c] is an action role-playing game co-developed by Square Enix and Jupiter for the Nintendo DS. Set in the modern-day Shibuya shopping district of Tokyo, The World Ends with You features a distinctive art style and urban fantasy elements inspired by Shibuya and its youth culture. Development was inspired by elements of Jupiter's previous handheld game, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. It was released in Japan in July 2007, and in PAL regions and North America in April 2008. Later, an enhanced port by h.a.n.d. for mobile devices was released in 2012 under the title The World Ends with You: Solo Remix, while another enhanced port for the Nintendo Switch was released worldwide in 2018 under the title The World Ends with You: Final Remix.
In the story, protagonist Neku Sakuraba and his allies are forced to participate in a game that will determine their fate. The battle system uses many of the unique features of the Nintendo DS, including combat that takes place on both screens, and attacks performed by certain motions on the touchscreen or by shouting into the microphone. Elements of Japanese youth culture, such as fashion, food, and cell phones, are key aspects of the missions and character progression.
The World Ends with You received critical acclaim upon release, with critics praising the graphics, soundtrack, and integration of gameplay into the Shibuya setting. The few common complaints were related to the steep learning curve of the battle system as well as the sometimes imprecise touch-screen controls. In the first week of its release, the game was the second best-selling DS title in Japan, and the top-selling DS title in North America. Shiro Amano, writer and artist of the Kingdom Hearts manga, later created a manga based on the video game. An anime adaptation by Square Enix, DOMERICA, and Shin-Ei Animation aired from April 10 to June 26, 2021.
The iPhone, iPad and Android versions were removed in July 2023.[2]
A sequel, Neo: The World Ends with You, was released worldwide on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on July 27, 2021, and on Windows on September 28.
- ^ Capone, Anthony (April 21, 2008). "This Week's Releases – 21/4/08". PALGN. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- ^ "Important Notice Regarding End of Service". July 27, 2023.
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