Thirteen years after the original The World Ends with You game released, Square Enix announces that a sequel is coming in 2021. This news comes after a mysterious countdown linked to The World Ends with You went up on the Square Enix website a week ago.
The sequel, NEO: The World Ends with You, follows a new cast of four people after they find themselves playing the ‘Reaper’s Game’. Like in the previous title, all of the main characters are dead, and are playing the Reaper’s Game for another shot at life.
The main protagonist of the game is a young man named Rindo, who seems to have the ability to see some sort of visions. He is joined by Fret, his friend from high school who is stylish and excitable; Nagi, a nerdy college student who hates the Reaper’s Game; and Minamimoto, a hooded man who fans of the series will recognize as one of the main antagonists from the original game. He seems to be a protagonist in this new story, but we currently don’t know why he changed sides. Another familiar face can be spotted in the trailer: Kariya, a minor antagonist from the first game, returns. We are also introduced to Tsugumi Matsunae, a mysterious girl who seems to know Rindo, and Shiba, the game master of this Reaper’s Game, and most likely the primary antagonist.
The game retains the highly stylized look of the original, but utilizes 3D graphics instead of sprites. Cutscenes are more similar to the 2007 game, using visual novel style character portraits arranged to look like a comic page.
The game’s combat is still based around equipping pins with different skills attached to them, but, unlike in The World Ends with You, combat takes place in a 3D space, with all four of the characters on your team participating at once. The Noise enemies, monsters with tattoo-like elements, return as well. Another element kept from the original game is the ability to read the thoughts of the masses in the city, but what you can do with this information in this new installment is still unknown.
The game is set to release in Summer 2021 for the Nintendo Switch and the PlayStation 4. This release comes following the original game’s anime adaptation releasing in April.
You can watch the trailer here:
