First and foremost, a bit of background. TWEWY was a game designed by Square Enix, of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts fame. Released in America to critical acclaim in 2008, the story follows a teenaged anti-social boy who wakes up in the middle of the Shibuya shopping district in Tokyo with no memory of who is or how he got there - also, no-one else can hear or see him. He's soon joined by a girl named Shiki, and between exposition from her and several other characters, we learn:
a) They're all dead, but existent on an alternate plane of existence known as the Underground
b) They're all participants in what is known as the Reaper's Game: survive 7 days, completing various tasks and get restored to life (maybe).
c) Oh, and there's a bunch of monsters known as Noise floating around that, without a partner to fight with, will kill you off for real.
The gameplay is unique, and it's a game that could only be played on the DS. The battle controls involve controlling Neku with the DS stylus on the bottom screen and his partner on the top screen using the directional arrows. This was both a unique approach, but also by far the most frustrating part of the game - as a player, you have to keep your mind on both screens at the same time, and this gets complicated after a while. Luckily, the game gives you the option to set your partner on auto-pilot (of course, the AI isn't the best even, but it's good enough, especially if you're good with Neku) Of course, the touch screen is occasionally difficult to use, especially the controls for moving Neku around the battle field.
The graphics are very well-done: stylized, but they work with the game's flavor. However, they don't hold a candle to the game's soundtrack - which is unlike any video game soundtrack I've ever heard. It features a wide selection of songs in very modern, urban styles; and unlike most RPGs, the background music for, say, generic battles changes from battle to battle; if a song gets annoying, just finish the battle and a new one'll start playing. I highly recommend checking it out - Youtube's a great place to look.
Now, let's look into what, in my opinion, is the single most important part of a game - the narrative. Fitting with the unusual nature of the game, the plot is explained slowly, only telling the player what she needs to know at any given point - and often, important points are explained in flashbacks (one memorable example being a flashback to events of a scene that took place after the game cut away from said scene.) But, the twists and turns of the plot are like the twists and turns of a mountain road - difficult to navigate at times, but always worth it and frequently with beautiful sights (interpret that how you will).
The characters are, by far, the strongest part of the game. Neku's evolution (from an anti-social kid who claims that he "doesn't understand people" to someone who's willing to go to extreme measures at the end of the game to save his friends) is masterfully handled, never spoon-fed. In addition, every character in the game, from Neku's allies, to the various enemies, to even the random people walking around the streets have a story that progresses with time, and it's that human element that helps move the game forward - even in the clustered mess of a big, busy city, each person walking around has their own life, their own view of realty.
In short, this game is amazing - and I promise not to do any more good reviews for a while; mainly, because they feel like a gushing rant, as opposed to a more objective analysis.
On that note - expect the 3rd part of the Texas Republican 2010 Platform by the end of the week.
Until next time - my catchphrase is still missing.
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