The long-awaited sequel to The World Ends With You is finally coming out on July 27, 2021, and it's a game that many fans never thought would come into existence. NEO: The World Ends With You is a stylish, unique JRPG with sharply-dressed characters and a killer soundtrack. There's also a demo available for anyone who wants to try the game before they buy it, with the ability to transfer your save data from the demo to the full game when it releases.
The story behind NEO: The World Ends With You, as well as the history of The World Ends With You, is a long and interesting one. Therefore, it can help to know some background about the 2021 game and the previous title before jumping into NEO. Here are ten things you should know about NEO before diving headfirst into it.
10 The Original Game Was On The DS
While The World Ends With You has received many remasters and rereleases, most recently on the Nintendo Switch with enhanced content, this game was first released on the Nintendo DS in 2007.
Thanks to its setting and soundtrack, the game quickly gained a following. The gameplay was also unique because it had players use both screens of the DS at the same time in combat. You would control one character with the D-Pad and the other using the stylus on the touch screen. It had a learning curve, but there was nothing else like it.
9 Nomura Helped Design The Characters
Both The World Ends With You and NEO feature stylish, modern designs for each of their characters. That's part of what made the original game so appealing and unique. Perhaps you won't be surprised to find out that the creative producer and main character designer is none other than the legendary Tetsuya Nomura.
Nomura is known by fans of the Final Fantasy series as well as Kingdom Hearts. He's designed unique and iconic characters such as Cloud Strife and Sora, where his expertise in making designs that stand out truly shines. This really shows in the character designs for NEO.
8 A Sequel Wasn't Originally Planned
Developed as a standalone game, The World Ends With You has an incredibly enduring legacy. When Tetsuya Nomura would visit video game events, he was often asked about the future of The World Ends With You. That helped get the sequel into its conceptualization stage.
Another reason NEO took so long to come to fruition is that Nomura was busy with other projects at the time, such as Kingdom Hearts 3. When Square noticed the interest in The World Ends With You through the sales of the mobile and Switch ports, they realized how high the demand was.
7 There's An Anime Adaptation Of The First Game
Announced alongside NEO, Square also announced that there would be an anime adaptation of the first game. This helped old fans of the series relive the game's story and would help new players catch up on the story of the original game without having to play the game if they're unable to.
The anime ran for 12 episodes, and combines 2D anime art with 3D modeling, bringing the game's unique and stylish art to life. It also offers plenty of references to the game, as well as remixes of the iconic soundtrack.
6 NEO Takes Place In The Same Universe As The First Game
The original game takes place in modern day Tokyo and features iconic locations such as the Shibuya crossing. That's part of why The World Ends With You's characters reflect modern styles in their designs.
NEO is confirmed to take place not just in the same setting, but in the same universe. This means that all the world-building from the original game is present in this entry's world, which makes sense, since the premise of NEO is that the players are involved in another Reaper's Game, just like the characters were in the original game.
5 Combat Uses Items Called "Pins"
The first game in the series stood out because of its unique combat. However, there was more to the combat than just using the touch screen and d-pad of the DS. In The World Ends With You, combat involves collecting, using, and evolving circular pins that would fit in the palm of your hand.
Pins are a key gameplay mechanic and they're significant in the game's world, too. Each pin has its own stats, a brand name for its manufacturer, and abilities. Your characters' moves depend on the pins you bring into battle. Some even have elemental effects, and most pins can be evolved after some amount of use. It's a fascinating and complex system with the added fun of trying to complete your pin collection.
4 NEO Takes Place Sometime After The Events Of The First Game
The story of NEO is a lot more closely tied to the original The World Ends With You than you might think. The second game is pretty much a direct sequel to the first in terms of continuity, as it supposedly takes place not long after the ending of the original game.
Eagle-eyed fans of the series have noticed hints and references to the first game in trailers and the game's demo, though as of now it's uncertain just how much the original game will influence NEO. It's likely that the events that transpired in the first game will affect our new cast of characters in some big ways.
3 Returning Characters Are Expected
It's also fully expected that fans will see some key characters returning from the original game showing up in NEO. Besides the most obvious one, Minamimoto, who was a character in the original and is now a playable party member in NEO, there are some other clues hidden throughout.
For example, in NEO's demo, you can catch a glimpse of the famous celebrity from the first game, Prince. Plus, it looks like some other supporting characters will be back, such as Mr. Hanekoma. It is not clear how much these characters will directly reference the original game, but it's a fun callback for fans of the first title.
2 NEO Presents An Accurate Depiction Of Modern Shibuya
The World Ends With You takes place in modern day Shibuya, which is part of its unique and exciting aesthetic. However, it's been about fourteen years since the original game was released, which means that Shibuya itself has also evolved.
The developers of NEO reflect this change in the game itself, updating the look of Shibuya for the sequel. Key buildings in the Shibuya area reflect their current day counterparts, keeping the game in the present day. Perhaps this suggests that NEO takes place about fifteen years after the first game, but that's just a wild guess.
1 Rindo's Face Mask Was A Fashion Forward Coincidence
The main character of NEO, Rindo, dresses in a unique and trendy way. One of the first things you'd notice about his design is that he wears a black face mask. However, this face mask wasn't added to reflect the Covid-19 pandemic.
In fact, Nomura says that the mask was intended to reflect the fashion and culture of wearing face masks in Japan, as well as to show Rindo's isolation, similar to how Neku from the first game had headphones that showed how he was closed off from the world. Rindo was designed before the pandemic, so his face mask just happened to be a coincidence.