NEO: The World Ends With You

 Switch
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 119 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 99 out of 119
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 119
  3. Negative: 12 out of 119
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. imafallguy
    Aug 4, 2021
    10
    14 years later and the sequence exceeds all expectations. The original game on DS was such a shock, such a surprise, it left the industry speechless. The original TWEWY made a lasting impression on just about everyone who played it and we’ve waited a decade and a half for the sequel we were sure would never come. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong. Somehow, this have exceeds the original14 years later and the sequence exceeds all expectations. The original game on DS was such a shock, such a surprise, it left the industry speechless. The original TWEWY made a lasting impression on just about everyone who played it and we’ve waited a decade and a half for the sequel we were sure would never come. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong. Somehow, this have exceeds the original in almost every way. The localization is hip and relevant, the aesthetic is adequately pop and just barely on the right side of “trying too hard”. The voice acting is mostly expert, the combat system is simple to pickup but challenging to master and the soundtrack…MY GOD THE SOUNDTRACK… is a nuclear mix-drop. I don’t know how Square did it, but they did it. I haven’t been this happy about a game in a long, long time. Stunned silly.… Expand
  2. Joydnoah
    Aug 2, 2021
    10
    From a game that is really niche, it thats what it does awesomely.

    I remember playing TWEWY and replaying it like 20 times with its many remakes, and there were some things i loved from it, the character design, the simple yet interesting story it presents, the music, i loved every piece of the came, and yes that includes the gameplay, in its moment the gameplay was a fresh change to    From a game that is really niche, it thats what it does awesomely.

    I remember playing TWEWY and replaying it like 20 times with its many remakes, and there were some things i loved from it, the character design, the simple yet interesting story it presents, the music, i loved every piece of the came, and yes that includes the gameplay, in its moment the gameplay was a fresh change to the rpg formula that made feel really good, so when i heard of this game i was wondering how they would manage to move the gameply of the DS and tablet to a PS4, and oh my good i was surprised when i tested it, this game is a perfect change from a JRPG in terms of how the story is implemented and how the gameplay works, everything around this game feel refreshing yet it feels like TWEWY.

    I could stay here explaining each detail that make this game wonderful, but what better way to know than playing it, the demo itself its awesome if you played it if no please give it a try to this game    … Expand
  3. Nintendopost24
    Jul 31, 2021
    10
    Neo The World Ends With You is a double success. Succeeding in adapting and transforming the very nervous and very particular gameplay of the first episode into a 3D game without stylus fights, Neo TWEWY is also a real success story. Pecking right and left in Japanese pop culture, the universe of the game is incredible and you are not at the end of your surprises ... more than a sequel toNeo The World Ends With You is a double success. Succeeding in adapting and transforming the very nervous and very particular gameplay of the first episode into a 3D game without stylus fights, Neo TWEWY is also a real success story. Pecking right and left in Japanese pop culture, the universe of the game is incredible and you are not at the end of your surprises ... more than a sequel to The World Ends With You first of the name, Neo is a new start, and a move upmarket of this license, which is now part of the games that count at Square Enix.

    Full review, in french, on my blog Nintendo Legacy. You can follow me on Twitter @NintendoLegacy1    … Expand
  4. KINGTUTT52
    Aug 1, 2021
    10
    this game is a masterpiece. it takes everything great about the first game and cranks it to 11 with better music and a better story. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
  5. Red_Meridian
    Jul 29, 2021
    10
    Truly a chef's kiss of a sequel, this long awaited return to Shibuya lives up to the first game in many ways and surpasses it in others. If you liked the first game it is a no-brainer. If you didn't... well, I can't help you with that. Definitely worth the wait, worth the price, worth the journey.
  6. Grant46
    Apr 3, 2023
    10
    What is the definition of "cool"?
    If you ask me, it's everything about this game, it's not trying to be cool, it is naturally freaking cool in all aspects
    Let's start with my favorite, the MUSIC!! Of all games I've ever played, this is the only one where I think all (or most of) the songs are a masterpiece, it is that good! I swear that like half the reason I love this game so much,    What is the definition of "cool"?
    If you ask me, it's everything about this game, it's not trying to be cool, it is naturally freaking cool in all aspects
    Let's start with my favorite, the MUSIC!!
    Of all games I've ever played, this is the only one where I think all (or most of) the songs are a masterpiece, it is that good!
    I swear that like half the reason I love this game so much, it's it's soundtrack, without it, the game would feel souless.
    When you think you found your favorite song, then another one appears, and it is an absolute BANGER!
    But, the music it's not the only reason of course
    Let's talk about the characters.
    At first we are introduced to a couple pretty normal characters (well, Rindo looks pretty awesome for being your average normal guy (Thanks to Tetsuya Nomura awesome fashion design), then after the story progresses, you find some iconic characters that look much better than before! You can feel they have grown as a person, since the last time you saw them (well, at least most of them, but they still have their cool, fun personality).
    The antagonists are pretty good too, expect some really epic battles with them, and I also prefer the Game Master from this game, but that's just me :)

    I won't talk too much about the artstyle, it is and has always been wonderful since the first game, it is unique, it is his own thing and we love it.
    The story may get a bit confusing at some point, but if you played the first one (including Another Day) and you read the secret reports from both games, you should have a better idea of everything that is happening, the Secret Reports are the deeper, untold part of both games I would say, pretty similar to Kingdom Hearts secret reports.

    In the end, this is a game everybody should play, even if it's just for the fantastic music or the fun gameplay alone, like trying to collect all the pins and items, the replay value is high as well.
    Square Enix did a great job with this sequel, making it even better than the first one in my opinion, and I cannot thank them enough, God bless everyone involved in creating such a wonderful experience.

    10/10.    … Expand
  7. Mvwgamer
    Aug 9, 2021
    10
    One of the best games I've played this year EASY. Offers its own satisfying story while wrapping up many plot threads from the first TWEWY that went unanswered until this game. I love this game so **** much, please go buy and play it.
  8. KRATS8K
    Jul 28, 2021
    10
    A literal masterpiece. 100% would recommend. However, do play the first game first. The story won't make very much sense if you haven't played the first, but if you do, this game is amazing. Worth the wait 100%!
  9. nahobino5_
    Aug 4, 2021
    10
    NOT a Persona clone, but just as great! You’ll love this! Perfect substitute for not having the series on Switch.
  10. PN8000
    Aug 15, 2021
    10
    It made me happy lol.
    Story is pretty good (even if maybe not on the original's level), gameplay is super nice, characters are likeable, music slaps, graphics and aesthetic is really appealing, overall based.
    Only thing is that it's pretty long compared to the OG but w/e.
  11. dqrx
    Jul 30, 2021
    10
    As someone who loved The World Ends with You on the Nintendo DS, I have been anxiously waiting for a sequel for numerous years.

    At first discovery of NEO TWEWY, I was very excited but at the same time a bit unsure of how the combat system would work in 3D and with more than two in-game players as this was a departure from the original game's combat. After playing through the game I    As someone who loved The World Ends with You on the Nintendo DS, I have been anxiously waiting for a sequel for numerous years.

    At first discovery of NEO TWEWY, I was very excited but at the same time a bit unsure of how the combat system would work in 3D and with more than two in-game players as this was a departure from the original game's combat.

    After playing through the game I am happy to say that the combat system is not only great, but in my opinion may even be better than the original! It is absolutely amazing to see the characters and noise (enemies) in the game come to life with the 3D cell shaded artstyle; it is absolutely breathtaking. The combat involves switching between each player who has a different pin equipped that has a specific attack style. You can use up close and personal, ranged, multi-target, and many more types of attacks. Coupling this frantic switching between pins (and button inputs) along with getting the groove meter up to 100% to unleash a strong attack is a lot of fun. Just as you start getting used to using certain pins though, the game constantly gives you access to new and more powerful ones which encourages experimentation and gives a brand new feeling to the combat as the story progresses!

    The characters are also fantastic in this game. They each have a distinct personality that comes alive with the great writing, character animation, and voice acting. The interactions between your teammates in the game is a pleasure to observe.

    The story is for the most part very good and keeps you on your toes wanting to keep playing to find out the mysteries that have been setup and why the characters are playing the reaper's game in the first place. It has a few good surprises and twists that I didn't see coming that got me very excited!

    Last but certainly not least is the music. NEO TWEWY has so many great new tracks that are varied in their style (even within one song) and will definitely have you rocking to the songs as they are played in the over-world and in combat.

    All in all, I was very excited for this sequel but at the same time cautiously optimistic for how they would handle the transition from 2D to 3D for the combat system. I am happy to say that the entire package did not only meet all of my hopes and expectations but actually blew passed them! This is one of the greatest games I have played in a while and is now in my top favourite games of all time!

    PS: A lot of the reviewers talk about combat being difficult but I think they just suck at the game. Git gud if you want to be a reviewer ffs    … Expand
  12. nxeonew
    Aug 1, 2021
    10
    A legend that he thought had been forgotten, but no. Honestly, one of the best games of this year, the quality of the scripts is quite good, so is the graphic quality. And the music is still amazing. Good job!!!! :)
  13. harambino
    Aug 8, 2021
    10
    It's a masterpiece, but you should play the first game on DS or Switch first (which is also a masterpiece).
  14. Duck01lover
    Aug 16, 2021
    10
    Just as good as the original!! Even though I thought I knew what was coming the game surprised time and time again. I had high expectations for the game and it exceeded my expectations ten fold. I would recommend you play the original before playing. Play this game if you have the chance!
  15. Fire_Knight23
    Dec 11, 2022
    10
    NEO: The World Ends With You is a great game and a great continuation of the original The World Ends With You. The combat took me by surprise, as I loved the original's battle system, but I found this one to be much, much better and more enjoyable. The story is great, and ends very well, closing off any plot holes with the reaper reports like in the original. The music blows the original'sNEO: The World Ends With You is a great game and a great continuation of the original The World Ends With You. The combat took me by surprise, as I loved the original's battle system, but I found this one to be much, much better and more enjoyable. The story is great, and ends very well, closing off any plot holes with the reaper reports like in the original. The music blows the original's out of the water. Absolutely insane. In the end, this game became one of my favorite games of all time. Please give games like these more of a spotlight, they are incredible.… Expand
  16. VenomMatthewsR
    Feb 26, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. El mejor juego exclusivo de nintendo del 2022 mejor juego mejor jugabilidad personajes pintorescos y con mucho carisma muy superior al 1 en todos los aspectos los que nunca han tocado un puto juego de la nintendo en su vida que aprendan de una vez que se dejen de tanto sony y se dejen de decir tonterias de la niebla y del horizon 2 porque esta rompiendo la consola del publico aprender a respetar antes de poner notas de mierda a los videojuegos soy alguien que ah llevado 28 años en ps4 por solo las mentiras de sony deci te ofrecemos nuestros mejores servicios y juegos mentira y dd hay me fui a xbox y de xbox me fui a nintendo y en nintendo me estan ofreciendo todo lo que ningun asqueroso hater toxico pipero jamas tendra porque sois todos unos wolololos di merda para vosotros piperos de sony los videojuegos son videojuegos y punto no es un partido atletic bilbao sevilla 2-1 son videojuegos todos disfrutables PlayStation xbox y nintendo porfavor tengamos la fiesta en paz y dejen de pensar mal… Expand
  17. AmberAnk2000
    Apr 6, 2022
    10
    This game needs more love and attention. It deserves all the love from people. Please play this.
  18. alexandermora
    Aug 19, 2021
    9
    As a sequel to one of the most Unique Jrpg on the DS almost 11 years later, TWEWY NEO success where the original failed, with a lot of style and a minimalist or a rather low budget the game manages to pull off a big hit.

    One of the biggest criticism the game seems to get is the chaotic nature of the combat, which is partially true but is nothing that the player can fix with practice and    As a sequel to one of the most Unique Jrpg on the DS almost 11 years later, TWEWY NEO success where the original failed, with a lot of style and a minimalist or a rather low budget the game manages to pull off a big hit.

    One of the biggest criticism the game seems to get is the chaotic nature of the combat, which is partially true but is nothing that the player can fix with practice and paying attention to what pins do what and how the synergy each other.

    One big str of the game that people ignore is the really catchy and almost Amazing OST, In my opinion this game flaws are so low or minimum that you will enjoy the experience and there is a lot to do once the story is over.

    However, this game is not a standalone game, is a SEQUEL to the original so I recommend at least watching a playthrough of the original The world ends with you.

    100% recommend the game    … Expand
  19. Tortor
    Jan 3, 2022
    9
    Took me around 75 hours to finish this game at near 100%.

    This was such a fantastic experience albeit the characters are a little forgettable. This really was all about plot, music and gameplay. The plot was bonkers and totally surprises you constantly. I was always entertained and interested to see what happens next or what twist is going to be thrown at me. Weirdly the villains (the    Took me around 75 hours to finish this game at near 100%.

    This was such a fantastic experience albeit the characters are a little forgettable.

    This really was all about plot, music and gameplay. The plot was bonkers and totally surprises you constantly. I was always entertained and interested to see what happens next or what twist is going to be thrown at me.

    Weirdly the villains (the reapers and other competitors) I felt had better character development then the characters you play as. You could feel growth in the world, environment and some of the minor antagonists with how their dealing with the situation in a more identifiable and drastic way that's easier to latch onto as meaningful. You get that with the characters you play with as well but to a lesser extent. I never really liked any of playable characters. They felt sorta tropey and a bit too chill about their situation. It was hard to relate to them and what they were doing. It was a high stakes situation but they really just didn't make it feel like it. I think the rewind mechanic in this games plot is maybe what sucked the life out of the character development that you'd get from tension. Being able to and having it known you can just rewind time just makes everything feel super laid back. I think that's maybe why the minor side antagonist characters felt more meaningful, you actually got a sense that the stakes were high for them and they couldn't rewind time.

    The music was fantastic and of course that's subjective to taste but I had such a good time with the variety.

    The gameplay was amazing too along with the RPG mechanics. I had a lot of fun with load outs with abilities and clothes. The collectathon stuff was fun too, i really enjoyed the wide variety of pins and the gameplay loop to collect them all. The difficulty sliders were a nice touch too. I really enjoyed being able to force underlevel yourself because it is sorta easy to out level your environment and having that option to reduce your level really gave back that challenge.

    The conclusion of this game also was fulfilling and didn't feel cliffhangery unlike the first game. You could finish this game and feel complete. I don't think they will make a 3rd game in this universe so that's a huge bonus that this ended so conclusively.    … Expand
  20. Arturos
    Jul 29, 2021
    9
    A very good game even better than the first one the story is good the environment is nice for the switch the graphics are good it has no fps drop there is nothing bad to say about neo.
  21. TruthfulGamer67
    Nov 22, 2021
    9
    Im not 2 far in this game (and i took a break bc im busy with other games) but from the 15 hours i've played
    This game **** Slaps like really **** slaps
    Play it its just pure modern JRPG Fun (i would say get the PS4 version since the Switch Version has some Frame Rate problems and the PC version is stuck in the EGS store but if portability is something you really want then this game    Im not 2 far in this game (and i took a break bc im busy with other games) but from the 15 hours i've played
    This game **** Slaps like really **** slaps
    Play it its just pure modern JRPG Fun
    (i would say get the PS4 version since the Switch Version has some Frame Rate problems and the PC version is stuck in the EGS store but if portability is something you really want then this game works well for Switch)    … Expand
  22. Ventu
    Feb 6, 2022
    9
    Gran juego, si te gustan los RPGs, y en especial si jugaste a la primera parte, es una compra obligada. Mejora en ciertos aspectos al original, como por ejemplo con un End Game mas complejo. La historia tarda un poco en arrancar, pero engancha hasta el final. Dentro de los RPGs es una propuesta original, divertida y diferente. Lo mejor son su sistema de combate, personajes y propuestaGran juego, si te gustan los RPGs, y en especial si jugaste a la primera parte, es una compra obligada. Mejora en ciertos aspectos al original, como por ejemplo con un End Game mas complejo. La historia tarda un poco en arrancar, pero engancha hasta el final. Dentro de los RPGs es una propuesta original, divertida y diferente. Lo mejor son su sistema de combate, personajes y propuesta general. Su unica pega son las pantallas de carga, que aunque son breves, hay muchas durante el juego.… Expand
  23. FermiAltair
    Aug 1, 2023
    9
    It´s a good sequel of the first game, specially if you played A New Day on the TWEWY Final ReMix, i spend many hours to reach 95% of the collection, just left a few things but it´s ok, let´s hope if someday comes the TWEWY 1.5 or TWEWY 3, according to the game...
  24. KuZaiBeir
    Nov 12, 2022
    9
    One of the best title i played in the last year, it's not a simple game to play to pass time in the same way as fight club is not a simple film to watch, they are proper piece of arts that will leave something much more deep inside of you !
    Indeed the game is not perfect, the revamp of the battle system compared to the first chapter was "fine" but had still quite a lot to be improved, in    One of the best title i played in the last year, it's not a simple game to play to pass time in the same way as fight club is not a simple film to watch, they are proper piece of arts that will leave something much more deep inside of you !
    Indeed the game is not perfect, the revamp of the battle system compared to the first chapter was "fine" but had still quite a lot to be improved, in particular :

    - It could highly benefit from adding a second pin per character in order to avoid dead phase in battle while just waiting for pin recharge, this could be easily implemented by using the standard arrow keys up and down to swap among the two pins choice for each character;

    - Healing pins are much less useful compared to the first chapter, it's usually more sensed running hp drain pin rather than wasting a key for an healing pin, this could also be easily fixed by using the standard left and right arrow keys to assign two healing pin independent of the character

    - The clothes equiment are a lot but offer poor personalization depending on the bonus they grant, this can be improved by giving a socket mechanic to clothes where you can add some bonus in order to personalize better the team.

    On the plus side the story is much more dense and well presented compared to the first chapter, the art-style is beautifull and the music is the best i have ever found on a game (bought the complete soundtrack cd too) !
    Indeed i am not comparing the quality of tracks developed for this title with the ones developed for the first, but the fact that the whole soundtrack of the first title is still available in the game makes it much more complete and less boring !
    In definitive :

    -gameplay : 8/10
    -story : 9/10
    -music : 10/10
    - artstyle : 10/10

    Must play indeed !    … Expand
  25. GameCorp_Meyk
    Sep 13, 2021
    8
    NEO: The World Ends with You is a rousing and stylish action-RPG that should definitely pick up fans of the genre and children of the 2000s. The gameplay and the plot are well thought out and last around 40 hours of playing time without losing any of their freshness. Only a few frame rate drops and the sometimes confusing battles hit the game in the points here.
  26. Sunshadow87
    Dec 10, 2021
    8
    Jugué al juego original hace años, pero no soy tan fan del mismo como muchos que lo consideran una obra maestra (aunque puedo entender con él). Quede con la espinita clavada de no terminar el post-game, espinita que me he quitado resarciendome en esta segunda entrega, review de la cual escribo tras sacarme el 100% del juego esta vez.
    Voy a empezar por lo bueno, por lo que hace único a    Jugué al juego original hace años, pero no soy tan fan del mismo como muchos que lo consideran una obra maestra (aunque puedo entender con él). Quede con la espinita clavada de no terminar el post-game, espinita que me he quitado resarciendome en esta segunda entrega, review de la cual escribo tras sacarme el 100% del juego esta vez.
    Voy a empezar por lo bueno, por lo que hace único a este juego así como a su predecesor (ya adelanto que es una digna continuación), y el motivo por el que para muchos esta es una de sus sagas favoritas de JRPGs. Y no se trata de una única cosa:
    Música y estilo artístico es para darles de comer aparte, estamos ante un juego que rebosa originalidad por todos lados y que posee una personalidad propia. Lo mismo ocurre con sus sistema de combate en tiempo real, diferente del original, pero igual de bueno (o mejor para mi gusto). Y sumandole a todos los apartados dichos se encuentra la historia: esta rompe con lo que nos tienen acostumbrados muchos otros rpgs del genero (los smt: devil survivor son los unicos juegos que se le asemejan), donde no tenemos que salvar el mundo, si no sobrevivir en un juego macabro dentro de una realidad alternativa del mundo donde estamos atrapados, intentando ganarlo y escapar de vuelta al mundo real mientras desentrañamos una trama con una profundidad mucho mayor que toma temas de la transcendencia de la existencia. En este punto hay una diferencia entre el twewy original y neo: mientras en el original la historia se centraba en el personaje principal (neku) y su evolución a lo largo del juego (extremadamente bien llevada), en esta ocasión la historia se centra más en las interacciones entre los personajes, ya que nuestro protagonista apenas evoluciona a lo largo del juego casi hasta el final (y esto no es malo, ya que esta hecho a propósito y existe un motivo a nivel argumental). Creo que ambos son realmente excelentes en todos estos apartados, y ya que te guste más uno u otro depende de cada uno. Ah, si, y dentro del gameplay fuera del combate tenemos puzzles espacio temporales más otras muchas movidas muy variadas que dan frescura a todo el juego.

    Ahora bien, ¿porque no le doy más nota y porque no me parece una obra maestra? Existe un fallo bastante gordo que tenía el twewy original y que también tiene este. Si lo que voy a decir no te supone problema, ves a comprarte el juego que lo vas a gozar como un enano. El gran problema de este juego es que, por muy bueno que sea su sistema de combate, es que existe un momento en que genera cansancio. Esto suele ocurrir cuando llevamos aproximadamente un 50%-70% de avance en la historia. En este punto los combates se vuelven muy repetitivos y falla la variedad, sintiendose pesado... además a esas alturas para obtener recompensas decentes en los combates, debemos encadenar buena cantidad de ellos, significando que un error que produzca una muerte pueda suponernos repetir media hora de combate puro y duro... Cuando estamos cerca del final del juego esto desaparece, culminando de manera excelente. Siempre que no vayamos al post-game, el cual es altamente descafeinado (reutilización de assets e historia chorra). Por lo demás el juego es excelente, y si vas solo a la historia principal, seguramente no notes este gran fallo que tiene el juego.    … Expand
  27. Ewas228
    Jun 4, 2022
    8
    Perfect sequel, but Square Enix fools who can't advertise it. Music absolutely fantastic.
  28. ItsTamo
    Aug 20, 2021
    8
    I'm a newcomer to the series and have not played the predecessor.

    I felt alienated by the story due to the abundance of references to the previous game. I think I get the gist of it and it doesn't impede me from understanding the story, but it highly, highly ruins my enjoyment. I didn't even know Minamimoto was an antagonist from the previous game until I heard about it in a review. The    I'm a newcomer to the series and have not played the predecessor.

    I felt alienated by the story due to the abundance of references to the previous game. I think I get the gist of it and it doesn't impede me from understanding the story, but it highly, highly ruins my enjoyment. I didn't even know Minamimoto was an antagonist from the previous game until I heard about it in a review. The characters magically know each other and talk about things I had no idea of. I didn't connect to it.

    The battle system is quite fun at first, but it gets stale toward the second half of the game. While there are over 300 pins, the attack types are quite limited and battle becomes repetitive. I liked using skill combinations to chain them and increase the groove. The all-out attack at 300% groove is very cool, loved it. Pet peeve, (since I'm very bad at battles) is that you can easily get a game over at your 14th battle out of 15 chains because some monsters can kill you in 4-6 hits in hard modes. I wish they had an option or items to allow you to restart the last battle. I hated losing 10+min of battle with a few mismoves.

    70% of this game is fetch-quests, and I hated it. Throughout the in-game day, I run around to do some meaningless quests to make near-zero story progression. These quests are repetitive. Mostly chain battles or walking over across the map multiple times to get some dialogues. The fact that the environment is static throughout the game and that the map only has a handful of new areas doesn't help too much. By the end of week 2, I got so tired of the game and just wanted to burn through on easy difficulty. I liked how they added some replay values to the game by having exclusive collectibles or harder difficulty, etc, but I think some QoL features could have been implemented to make the process faster.

    I did enjoy the characters. Their scripts are well-written. However the character dialogues pop up when not necessary. Persay, they start talking whenever you pass by a restaurant and the stomach is empty. I have to endure through the party members' 274th time talking about the 'dining establishment' before entering one, loool. Just let me in. Similar situation when I select the wrong answer for a quiz or dating sim portion. The game forces you to view all the dialogues again and repeat the process. It was super tiring and I just looked up the guides.

    The art style is great, but I did wish there were more cutscenes and full-screen illustrations. Majority of the story progression was text and it felt more like a book but a lot weaker. The story itself wasn't too bad but the time travel mechanic was somewhat poorly executed and cumbersome.

    Music's okay. Some were nice and exciting, but overall mediocre. I can see how they give off a certain stylish ambiance which I thought was okay. I tend to enjoy J-pop and J-rock but I think they could've done better in sound/music design to strengthen the story elements. Those colourful soundtracks just randomly play at the background and don't do anything to contribute to the story or the emotions of the characters. I had a couple of songs that I did not enjoy and thought were downright irritating and wished I had an option to turn them off.

    UI needs some polishing. It's a pain to go through the pins to find the right one to equip the character with. Scroll speed on the menu is way too slow, and scrolling does not let me loop to the top. I can't see my character's stats before feeding them food. I can't change the order of my party. These little things stack up quite quickly.

    While enjoyable at first, the game has some pacing issues and is alienating to the newcomers. The battle system is fun, but some elements rely way too much on nostalgia. I originally gave it a 7, but I think it's closer to 8, like 7.5 something.    … Expand
  29. Thundra417
    Aug 4, 2021
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I recently started playing the original game, and thought that it was really good. The music and story was awesome, with a great cast of characters. Definitely one of my personal favorite DS games. I am now currently 30% into the sequel and it proves as a worthy successor to the original game. Some of the characters, like Rindo and Fret, will take some time to grow on you, while others are pretty forgettable. I also liked the returning characters like, Minimimoto and Beat, and having them in your party really made me smile. The combat in this game is also very good and brings a nice transition into a 3D format. One of the other things that I didn't really like is the music. It is pretty much your generic rock music with Japanese lyrics on some of the songs. There is also some new remixes of music from the original game that are mostly really good. I am really liking this game, but it lacks the magic that the original game had.… Expand
  30. resev
    Aug 21, 2021
    7
    Если 14 лет назад оригинальная игра для NDS произвела фурор, как своим сеттингом, так и боевой системой, но на сегодняшний день продолжение уже не производит такого эффекта, особенно разочаровывает последняя, конечно, концепция Switch не такая как у NDS, но львиная доля очарования оригинала была от боевки.Если 14 лет назад оригинальная игра для NDS произвела фурор, как своим сеттингом, так и боевой системой, но на сегодняшний день продолжение уже не производит такого эффекта, особенно разочаровывает последняя, конечно, концепция Switch не такая как у NDS, но львиная доля очарования оригинала была от боевки.
  31. Rtheom
    Sep 1, 2021
    6
    The first one on the DS was awesome because of it's unique (if awkward) control system, and its mesmerizing art, music and story. Unfortunately, I feel like a lot of what made the first game great has been lost here. The switch to 3D gameplay really minimized the art style to just the characters during cut scenes, which is too bad. The music is still pretty good, but definitely not asThe first one on the DS was awesome because of it's unique (if awkward) control system, and its mesmerizing art, music and story. Unfortunately, I feel like a lot of what made the first game great has been lost here. The switch to 3D gameplay really minimized the art style to just the characters during cut scenes, which is too bad. The music is still pretty good, but definitely not as sharp as the original. It feels like they've tried to go with a more modern style or hip hop/rap, which I think fits the gameplay and story less effectively. The story itself, pretty good, but definitely doesn't have the interesting bite the first did. Overall, an okay game, but I'd only recommend it if you've played the first one, and I'd really only recommend that you play the first one on DS.… Expand
  32. Elliegrine
    Feb 8, 2022
    6
    While the game isn't *bad*, the switch to 3D came at the cost of some polish which severely hampers the game in my opinion. Starting with combat, as it is what you'll be doing for most of the game: The beginnings of a fun combat system is there - it's fast paced action with a system that rewards you for doing combos with different moves, but it utterly lacks impact due to weak hit-soundsWhile the game isn't *bad*, the switch to 3D came at the cost of some polish which severely hampers the game in my opinion. Starting with combat, as it is what you'll be doing for most of the game: The beginnings of a fun combat system is there - it's fast paced action with a system that rewards you for doing combos with different moves, but it utterly lacks impact due to weak hit-sounds and lack of hit-lag. It doesn't feel terribly responsive. Several enemies have little to no windup and the player characters barely react when hit unless the attack was designated as a "strong attack" that knocks them prone, regardless of how much damage it dealt (something I found incredibly frustrating versus a common early game scorpion enemy that regularly shaved of big chunks of my HP without me really noticing). Add to that how many moves have kinda flashy animations and you have a combat system that is hard to parse visually. Going in and out of combat also comes with a short loading screen that's just long enough to get really irritating when repeated over and over, at least on the switch version.
    Outside of combat it also feels meh, the polish isn't fully there with the cell shading which makes the game feel cheap. And while a fixed camera was probably the correct choice for the budget it in several areas felt really bad due to how it snaps rather than pans when perspective changes. Some areas also had wonky forced camera perspectives meant to give character to them, but it just fell flat and felt annoying to me.
    The good part was the story sections, the comic panel style looks great and ooze with the same style as the original and the story seemed interesting enough. I only got through day 6 as my interest waned due to the game's other issues though.

    Overall it feels very much like a low-budget 3D anime game like those produced by gust, and compared to other games in that niche it's fairly good. Unfortunately compared to the rest of the industry it falls very short, especially for a game co-developed by Square Enix    … Expand
  33. Vinzkill
    May 18, 2022
    5
    My first 15+ hours was great. Unique indie style. Nice art graphics unique combat.

    But man... all of these becomes boring after a while because the plot is MEH... everything about this game is nice, minus the plot and the characters. I am now 30 plus hours in the game and it feels like forcing myself to play just to move on. For the price i think there are better titles on the market.
  34. PieRiot
    Mar 31, 2022
    5
    I loved the original, but this one just seems to have missed the point in many ways. TL;DR version: a great story that is let down by almost every other system in the game.

    The music, which was one of the great strengths of the original game, is essentially just flailing around with a weak beat for a couple minutes and then a few lines of chorus that is nowhere near as catchy as the    I loved the original, but this one just seems to have missed the point in many ways. TL;DR version: a great story that is let down by almost every other system in the game.

    The music, which was one of the great strengths of the original game, is essentially just flailing around with a weak beat for a couple minutes and then a few lines of chorus that is nowhere near as catchy as the songs from the original. In fact, they even brought back one of the best songs from the original, "Three Minutes Clapping", and slaughtered it, turning it into a song that lacks the strong beats or feeling of the original. The problem with the lack of beat is that combat is so frenetic that beat is required for the music to be noticeable over the action, and for this game, it just isn't.

    Combat was fairly engaging in the original game, but essentially just devolved into button mashing once I'd figured out the systems in this game. Unfortunately, the story frequently forces you into excessive battles, and chaining 5 fights in a row is the only way to have enough money to kit your party out, so that button mashing gets old quickly.

    The story was the one place where this game really shone. The storyline here is imaginative and engaging, and made me want to see what happens next. Unfortunately, the storyline was let down by the rest of the game's systems, so after I painfully completed the first half of the game I eventually just gave up and read a story synopsis.    … Expand
  35. AllNewSuperfake
    Sep 29, 2021
    2
    +10 because every game could be a 10

    -2 after reading the reviews here, that all use the same aggressive Engrish, giving this a perfect score for no particular reason. Which on the other hand always helps lowering expectations +1 for remembering which game invented the style of animated GUI and text that comes on you from all sides with generic funky music looping, even though    +10 because every game could be a 10

    -2 after reading the reviews here, that all use the same aggressive Engrish, giving this a perfect score for no particular reason. Which on the other hand always helps lowering expectations

    +1 for remembering which game invented the style of animated GUI and text that comes on you from all sides with generic funky music looping, even though Persona 5 did this a lot better...

    -1 ... since I really don't like the artstyle. It's a little bit ugly on the 2D side while making me wonder if the MC has a neckbeard, or a mask, or a bandana strapped to his chin, and I'll never figure it out because it's so overstylized. On the 3D side I like how the faceless masses are literally faceless, but wonder who exactly thought that

    -0.5 a fixed camera would help here. It's obvious why the 3DS had it. But with it's

    -0.5 loading times while hopping between the microscopic city maps it makes them feel even more like little boxes and not like a giant metropolis. And you are trapped with

    -0.5 weird controls, especially in the menus where they change on every screen. At the very least you can rearrange them, and you'll have to so that you can access stuff like

    -1 the difficulty rating that you can't use until you have levelled up several times, which might be a problem because the

    -2 combat sucks. Just to be entirely clear, the core mechanic, which is combat, and not "riddles" because you don't have to think for the riddles, you have to go to X and click to have your character solve it, which is not how riddles work. But I wish the combat would use that mechnic, because, once again, it

    -2 sucks in every way that combat can suck. It is barely functional and repetitive, unresponsive and confusing. You are mashing buttons to attack, which makes you run towards the enemy, far, far away thanks to the **** camera, and shower him in hectical movement with flashy effects, making it impossible to see what he's doing which is bad when that's where the dodging mechanic comes in. And without timed dodging timing you will lose in the earliest tutorial stage, again and again, but you can barely see what's happening.

    It reminds me why I stopped instantly playing this when I was shown the predecessor on it's little console, thinking: Well, with a bigger monitor and controls that I'm used to this could work... But no, it really doesn't.

    -0.5 ... and even the story, the only reason why you would put up with something like this, can't help. It caught a massive case of "Fellow Kids"-Syndrome, which makes it the perfect game if you want to know what playing Pokemon Go while having ADHD is like. So, if you don't like the pricetag on this one, save the money.

    The great thing about it is that all the stuff it did right went right into every game that came out since, so you won't miss out on that. And because everyone was so enamoured with it, they
    thought that they could just serve the leftovers 8 years later without innovating one bit, which unfortunately is another thing that every game does these days, so once again: You won't miss out.    … Expand
  36. Steyraus
    Mar 24, 2022
    1
    What is wrong with people, wtf does anyone see in this awful experience. Go watch paint dry, you will get more enjoyment than playing / reading this game.

Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Best Switch Game of 2021
31
#31 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 35
  3. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Oct 7, 2021
    80
    As much as I enjoyed NEO, there were a few aspects that worked against it: the characters, the difficulty levels and the time between installments. It's a great action RPG, but it was made for the TWEWY fan in mind, so if you've never played the original, do that first and see if it's up your alley before diving into this sequel. And if you are a TWEWY fan, what are you waiting for? [Issue #55 – October 2021, p. 69]
  2. 4P.de
    Sep 17, 2021
    88
    A delightful anime RPG somewhere between Persona and DanganRonpa, that noticeably relies a little too much on the excellent predecessor.
    Read full review
  3. GameByte
    Sep 2, 2021
    90
    This is one of the most stylish and heartfelt games I’ve had the pleasure of playing in years. It gave me everything I was looking for, and so much more I didn’t even know I wanted.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »