We've Had Enough Fun, Thanks.
Finally picked up and finished my replay of NEO: The World Ends with You from a couple of years ago!
It's a nice moment when Shoka thanks Nagi for her help with Ayano! This game could have done with more exploration of some of the dynamics within the party, I think.
Also a good little interaction: when Fret is angry and afraid for Kanon's safety, and Shoka tries to calm him down. As soon as Fret realises someone's spotted that he isn't feeling great, he closes his eyes for a moment to settle himself, then smiles and winks and tells her he's fine, obviously; when has he ever not been fine?
I never really noticed before, but characters reacting by changing their portraits even when they're not talking adds a lot to the conversations in this game.
'That's rough, buddy,' Shoka says to Rindo. I'd forgotten this game made an Avatar reference!
This is the only work of fiction I've ever seen depict the common real-life experience of accidentally sending a text message mid-word.
'This is the queerest-dressed group of characters I've ever seen in a videogame,' Ginger observed, watching me play. They're not wrong.
I like what we see of the dynamic between Kariya and Uzuki. Slightly Team Rocket-esque in being colleagues who care deeply about each other but tend not to show it often (and also in Uzuki's general similarity to Jessie).
Nagi trying to help when Shoka's unhappy by getting her into Elegant Strategy is very cute.
'I'm tellin' you, never trust anyone over 30,' the garagara shopkeeper says. All right, Tumblr.
Good to see Nagi supporting and worrying about Fret when they have to face Noise Kanon, when she's spent so much of the game pointedly ignoring him. ('I always figured you kinda... hated me or something.' Oh, Fret.)
Nagi, I struggle to believe your claim that you strive to make everyone feel welcome, given your treatment of Fret for the past two weeks!
I love that, after this bonding moment with Nagi, Fret decides he might try out the mobile game she's obsessed with. He wants to understand her interests!
I'm delighted by the girl who discovers the secret to studying: Hang on... If I just imagine all these concepts as hot guys... Oh, wow, that's way easier to remember now! I've got a whole narrative and favourite characters and everything!
'Not gonna stop you from leavin'... but come back soon, all right?' the Tigre Punks shopkeeper says when I leave without buying anything.
On the Final Day, Rindo and his friends can't defeat the temporal Noise, and turning back time only makes it stronger. If they face the Noise, Rindo's friends will inevitably die. So what if Rindo just decides to live in the time before the Noise is summoned? Constantly turning back time to the start of the day, so he can keep existing in this brief span of time in which his friends are still alive. Could be an interesting fic concept, although unfortunately I abandoned my playthrough for too long; I don't think I could write these characters with confidence!
Rhyme talking directly to Neku to reassure him, even though she can't see him herself or hear his responses, is really sweet.
Fret: I started playing EleStra. There's this guy - the one who looks like Mr Minami. He keeps smiling at me.
Rindo: Heh. Lucky you.
Fret: Heh. But, like, I kinda wanna see where it goes, y'know?
Huh, I had no recollection of this little exchange! Fret has always come across to me as extremely bisexual (he really seems to have a crush on everyone!), but this is something concrete enough for me to feel he's canonically intended to be bisexual.
I haven't seen a lot of fictional depictions of how online friendships can be very real and meaningful connections; it's nice to see that here. We don't see that much of Rindo's online dynamic with Swallow, but it's clear that their relationship means a lot to both of them.
On a replay, I think my overall feelings on this game remain much the same. It tries to be a new story and a direct sequel simultaneously, with the result that it doesn't quite succeed in being either of those things; the returning characters ultimately just overshadow the new characters, and the two story threads distract from each other until they both end up feeling incomplete.
That said, I had a great time playing it! It's a very fun, playful, stylish game. I love how lively and entertaining the dialogue is, and Fret is a delight.
I'd love to see another World Ends with You game at some point. There's nothing else quite like this series.
It's a nice moment when Shoka thanks Nagi for her help with Ayano! This game could have done with more exploration of some of the dynamics within the party, I think.
Also a good little interaction: when Fret is angry and afraid for Kanon's safety, and Shoka tries to calm him down. As soon as Fret realises someone's spotted that he isn't feeling great, he closes his eyes for a moment to settle himself, then smiles and winks and tells her he's fine, obviously; when has he ever not been fine?
I never really noticed before, but characters reacting by changing their portraits even when they're not talking adds a lot to the conversations in this game.
'That's rough, buddy,' Shoka says to Rindo. I'd forgotten this game made an Avatar reference!
This is the only work of fiction I've ever seen depict the common real-life experience of accidentally sending a text message mid-word.
'This is the queerest-dressed group of characters I've ever seen in a videogame,' Ginger observed, watching me play. They're not wrong.
I like what we see of the dynamic between Kariya and Uzuki. Slightly Team Rocket-esque in being colleagues who care deeply about each other but tend not to show it often (and also in Uzuki's general similarity to Jessie).
Nagi trying to help when Shoka's unhappy by getting her into Elegant Strategy is very cute.
'I'm tellin' you, never trust anyone over 30,' the garagara shopkeeper says. All right, Tumblr.
Good to see Nagi supporting and worrying about Fret when they have to face Noise Kanon, when she's spent so much of the game pointedly ignoring him. ('I always figured you kinda... hated me or something.' Oh, Fret.)
Nagi, I struggle to believe your claim that you strive to make everyone feel welcome, given your treatment of Fret for the past two weeks!
I love that, after this bonding moment with Nagi, Fret decides he might try out the mobile game she's obsessed with. He wants to understand her interests!
I'm delighted by the girl who discovers the secret to studying: Hang on... If I just imagine all these concepts as hot guys... Oh, wow, that's way easier to remember now! I've got a whole narrative and favourite characters and everything!
'Not gonna stop you from leavin'... but come back soon, all right?' the Tigre Punks shopkeeper says when I leave without buying anything.
On the Final Day, Rindo and his friends can't defeat the temporal Noise, and turning back time only makes it stronger. If they face the Noise, Rindo's friends will inevitably die. So what if Rindo just decides to live in the time before the Noise is summoned? Constantly turning back time to the start of the day, so he can keep existing in this brief span of time in which his friends are still alive. Could be an interesting fic concept, although unfortunately I abandoned my playthrough for too long; I don't think I could write these characters with confidence!
Rhyme talking directly to Neku to reassure him, even though she can't see him herself or hear his responses, is really sweet.
Fret: I started playing EleStra. There's this guy - the one who looks like Mr Minami. He keeps smiling at me.
Rindo: Heh. Lucky you.
Fret: Heh. But, like, I kinda wanna see where it goes, y'know?
Huh, I had no recollection of this little exchange! Fret has always come across to me as extremely bisexual (he really seems to have a crush on everyone!), but this is something concrete enough for me to feel he's canonically intended to be bisexual.
I haven't seen a lot of fictional depictions of how online friendships can be very real and meaningful connections; it's nice to see that here. We don't see that much of Rindo's online dynamic with Swallow, but it's clear that their relationship means a lot to both of them.
On a replay, I think my overall feelings on this game remain much the same. It tries to be a new story and a direct sequel simultaneously, with the result that it doesn't quite succeed in being either of those things; the returning characters ultimately just overshadow the new characters, and the two story threads distract from each other until they both end up feeling incomplete.
That said, I had a great time playing it! It's a very fun, playful, stylish game. I love how lively and entertaining the dialogue is, and Fret is a delight.
I'd love to see another World Ends with You game at some point. There's nothing else quite like this series.