The characters are absolutely one of the best parts of the experience.
Much like the original game, this semi-standalone adventure is a hyper-stylish love letter to Japanese street culture and underground music that anyone can dive into and appreciate.
While plenty of important narrative threads and characters return in this direct sequel and diehard fans will appreciate all of it, there’s no need to catch up on anything to enjoy it. NEO: The World Ends with You is told from the perspective of a brand new set of characters who are just as oblivious to the events of the previous game as you are, if you’re a fresh face to the series. If you’re fuzzy on story details or, more likely, if you’ve never even played or heard of the original game, don’t stress. Think about everything you’ve ever wanted from a sequel to that incredible Nintendo DS RPG – NEO: The World Ends with You delivers on all of that and more.
Thankfully, once the opening to NEO: The World Ends with You kicked in, I knew this was exactly what I’d been waiting for. 14 years is a long time between sequels, and if video game history has taught us anything, a long wait like this can very easily lead to disappointment.
