NEO: The World Ends with You details and screenshots – Shinjuku Reapers, missions, mechanics, battle, pins
Square Enix is back with another news blast for NEO: The World Ends with You. Today’s update covers Shinjuku Reapers, missions, mechanics, battle, and pins.
Here’s the full roundup, courtesy of Gematsu:
Shinjuku Reapers: Overseers of the Reapers’ Game
– The Reapers manage the eponymous Game and give missions to its Players
– The current Game is being run by a gang of Reapers who came to Shibuya roughly three years ago
– This iteration requires Players to group up into teams to participate
– Shiba and the rest of the Shinjuku Reapers left their home after it was destroyed three years ago, ultimately taking refuge in the neighboring city of Shibuya
– Reapers native to the Shibuya area like Kariya and Uzuki have been tasked with monitoring the Players
Ayano (Erin Yvette / Ayane Sakura)
– A Reaper managing the Reapers’ Game
– One of the elite Reapers
– Ayano is highly capable and implicitly trusted by her leader, Shiba
– Cold and ruthless toward others except her fellow Reaper, Shoka, whom she dotes upon in a near obsessive manner
Kubo (Xander Mobus / Taisuke Nakano)
– A Reaper managing the Reapers’ Game
– His obligations extend to both the micro and macro levels, monitoring individual Players as well as determining the outcome in win-lose scenarios
– In spite of these duties, he spends quite a bit of time chatting with Rindo and the gang
– His words drip with condescension, causing many to dislike him
– The only person to whom he shows any respect is his leader, Shiba
Kaie (Josey Montana McCoy / Shouya Chiba)
– One of the Reapers who runs a fortune-telling shop on Spain Hill while also managing the digital system behind the Game
– Expressionless and seemingly voiceless
– Communicates exclusively via text
– In messages, he’s extremely talkative, revealing a cheerful and caring side
Hishima (James Austin Kerr / Shunsuke Takeuchi)
– One of the Reapers who rarely gets involved in the operation of the Game, claiming that his heart isn’t really in it
– Despite his intellectual appearance, he reveals himself to be both sarcastic and stubborn when he opens his mouth
– Somewhat of an odd Reaper out, he’s a man of mystery
– Even his comrades can’t discern whether he has some sort of ulterior motive
Reapers’ Game: Missions
– Rindo and the gang will undertake a wide variety of missions throughout the Reapers’ Game
– Their objectives will differ from day to day: sometimes they might be solving mysteries going on around town, while other times they might be facing off against Boss Noise, or even taking part in a turf war against other teams
– Put your psychic powers to use in completing these missions
Game Mechanics: Mental Notes
– Game progress and mission details are all recorded in Rindo’s Mental Notes
– Available side-quests and info on where to start them are also listed in the Mental Notes
Game Mechanics: Social Network
– The Social Network menu holds information on just about everyone Rindo meets
– Fulfilling certain criteria for each character will unlock rewards, including helpful items and abilities that give Rindo and the gang a leg up in the Game
– Which rewards you unlock is all up to you
– The Social Network is like a relationship chart
– As you progress through the story, new characters and connections will appear
– Rewards are obtained in exchange for FP (Friendship Points), which are awarded as you progress through the story and complete side-quests
Game Mechanics: Dive
– Nagi uses a special psych, Dive, to enter into people’s minds
– Use it to fight and exterminate the Noise within and bring the afflicted folks back to their senses
– During Dive battles, your surroundings will be different from usual, and you may encounter Noise with special emotion-based powers
– Dive on Normal difficulty or higher to gain rewards based on your battle results
Battle Basics
– Rindo and the gang can unleash all kinds of psychs depending on the pins they have equipped
– Press the button corresponding to a given pin, and the character it’s equipped to will instantly perform an attack
– Time your button presses to attack consecutively or all at once
– String together combos or perform simultaneous attacks any which way you like
– Find your perfect fit from a wide array of psychs, which can launch enemies into the air, knock them back, bind them, draw them in, attack swaths of them at once, and more
Battle: Combos and Mashups
– Increase the party’s Groove by coordinating the team’s attacks, then unleash a Mashup and inflict huge damage on the enemy
– If you hit an enemy under the right conditions, a circular Beatdrop gauge will appear
– Striking while the gauge is shown will initiate a Beatdrop combo, and the Groove displayed at the top of the screen will increase
– Later in the game, you’ll be able to increase the Groove even further by dropping the beat at just the right moment
– If you carry out combos with perfect timing, you can quickly increase Groove and control the flow of the battle
– Once your Groove reaches 100% or more, you can unleash a Mashup
– This is a super psych with impressive range and power
– As you progress through the game, the maximum Groove will increase to 300%, and you’ll be able to unleash team attacks that are even stronger than Mashups
– Killer Remixes can only be used at 300% Groove, but they boast unrivalled power; annihilate your enemies with rapid button presses
– There are several different types of Mashups, and the skill you unleash will depend on the psychs you use in battle
Pins
– Sugar Beam: allows the wearer to use Force Rounds, a ranged psych that shoots barrages of eight bullets, the last of which is a piercing shot
– Grin Reaper: grants the psych Heavy Slugger, which uses massive fists to pummel the Noise; hit the button repeatedly for high-speed punches
– Marvelous Crash: contains the Meteor Strike psych; hold down the button to summon a giant boulder, then release to slam it down on an enemy’s head!
NEO: The World Ends with You launches for Switch on July 29.
