Role-Playing Games of the 2020s, Part 3 Codexery

Neo: The World Ends with You

A sequel set in Shibuya with 3D graphics and a new cast.

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The game received generally favorable reviews but failed to meet Square Enix's sales expectations.[1][2]

Making and release

Takeharu Ishimoto returned to compose music despite no longer being a full-time Square Enix employee.[3] After the first game came out in 2007, ideas for a follow-up were thought of but took many years to become reality.[3] Following a seven-day countdown on its website, the title was officially announced in November 2020.[4] For the main character Rindo, Nomura chose a face mask as a distinctive clothing piece, a choice made before the COVID-19 pandemic made masks widespread.[5]

The setting of the game mirrors how Shibuya has transformed over fourteen years, including the 2020 completion of renovations at Miyashita Park.[6] During its debut week in Japan, 18,799 physical copies were sold, which secured its position as the top-selling retail game.[7]

What the cited sources add

RPGamer noted the game transposes the original's distinct gameplay onto modern systems and shines brightest in its character interactions.[8] The review stated the game works hard at moving from 2D to 3D while keeping the original's graphical style.[8] RPGamer found the game provides an excellent conclusion to both games while leaving room for the franchise to grow.[8] Inverse reported that Nomura confirmed the game is a sequel to the anime, not the original video game.[9]

The Inverse article stated the game transports players to Shibuya for a life-or-death battle for survival.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Neo: The World Ends with You" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Donlan, "NEO: The World Ends With You review - a DS classic gets a charmer of a sequel", Eurogamer, 12 September 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Neo: The World Ends with You" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "NEO: The World Ends With You Failed To Meet Square Enix's Sales Expectations", PlayStation Universe, November 26, 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Neo: The World Ends with You" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "NEO: The World Ends with You launches July 27 for PS4 and Switch, this summer for PC", Gematsu, April 9, 2021; Williamson, "NEO: The World Ends With You Is Both A Sequel & A Remake", Screen Rant, November 30, 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Neo: The World Ends with You" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lee, "The World Ends With You is finally getting a second game", Polygon, November 23, 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Neo: The World Ends with You" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Andriessen, "There's a reason NEO: The World Ends with You isn't called The World End with You 2", Destructoid, April 26, 2021; Nomura, "Tweet made by producer Tetsuya Nomura on the anime's official Twitter account.", Twitter, November 23, 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Neo: The World Ends with You" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Valetine, "NEO: The World Ends With You Will Reflect 14 Years of Changes to Shibuya, Culture, and Gaming Hardware", IGN, April 26, 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Neo: The World Ends with You" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Romano, "Famitsu Sales: 7/26/21 – 8/1/21 [Update]", Gematsu, August 5, 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. "NEO: The World Ends With You Review", RPGamer, 12 September 2021. facts only, no text reused. rpgamer.com
  9. Lunning, "EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NEO: THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU", Inverse, November 23, 2020. facts only, no text reused. inverse.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Neo: The World Ends with You (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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