The World Ends with You is a role-playing game developed by Jupiter Corporation, released in 2007 for the Nintendo DS. The story follows Neku Sakuraba and his allies, who are compelled to take part in a mysterious game with life-or-death stakes. Combat unfolds simultaneously across both DS screens and makes extensive use of the hardware's capabilities, with attacks triggered through touchscreen gestures and microphone input. Japanese youth culture is woven throughout the experience, with fashion, food, and cell phones playing significant roles in the game's missions rather than serving as mere backdrop. The design reflects the arcade sensibility of its genre classification, keeping moment-to-moment play active and input-driven. The dual-screen battle system, in particular, distinguishes it from conventional handheld RPGs of its era by demanding engagement with the DS's distinct physical features.
A boy named Neku wakes up in a crowded intersection of Shibuya in the heart of Tokyo – alone and unaware of how he got there. Then, he receives a text message: “Clear this mission...or face erasure.” With that, Neku is thrust into a life-or-death game that sends him scrambling down streets paved with one riddle after another.
