Did you appreciate previous JRPGs like Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor where you were trapped in Tokyo fighting for survival? If you did, you might appreciate The World Ends With You: Final Remix from the minds behind the Kingdom Hearts series. Nintendo has brought The World Ends With You: Final Remix from the minds of Square Enix to a Nintendo Switch near you! If you are looking for a new JRPG experience that’s plot driven and has to deal with a death game, read on to find out more about Square Enix’s The World Ends With You: Final Remix!

The World Ends With You: Final Remix is a remastered version of the 2008 Nintendo DS game, The World Ends With You, which scored high ratings at the time. The game was later ported to the iOS and Android as The World Ends With You: Solo Remix. Now, The World Ends With You graces us on the Nintendo Switch as The World Ends With You: Final Remix. Following similar gameplay to the original Nintendo DS version as well as changes from the iOS and Android port, The World Ends With You: Final Remix provides us with great JRPG fun and a story that truly draws you in once more.

Neku wakes up in the middle of Shibuya Crossing with absolutely no memories of anything but his name. However, that’s not the only thing strange in Tokyo. Strange creatures called “Noise” are showing up and erasing people everywhere. Of course, only Neku seems to notice until he runs into a girl named Shiki who asks him to be her partner. Shiki tells Neku that they are now part of the Reapers’ Game, which includes daily missions and the possibility of being erased. Together, Neku and Shiki will use the powers of their pins to rid Tokyo of Noise and survive until the end of the life-or-death game that they have been thrown into.

The World Ends With You: Final Remix has been a title that we’ve greatly anticipated here at Honey’s Anime, so when we heard that it was being ported to the Nintendo Switch, you can bet your butt that we wanted to play this game as soon as possible. Starting the game, we were greeted with a rather familiar soundtrack that piqued our ears and filled us with nostalgia all around, but of course, it’s a remixed album with different tones that kept the soundtrack fresh and different. Despite the decade that has passed, the soundtrack is still one of our favorites.

Moving onto the gameplay, we first tried The World Ends With You: Final Remix in handheld mode. It was a bit awkward to use solely touchscreen when you have to use your fingers—which can be quite cumbersome for those with bigger hands—but once you get used to it, it’s not so bad. It feels a lot more like the iOS and Android port than a Nintendo DS port considering the way the touchscreen feels, especially without the ease of a stylus. However, it makes for a relatively easy battle mode as we found ourselves swiping away.

In tabletop mode and docked mode was where we really had to change the way we played. You play with one joycon and it operates similarly to a Wii remote, however, the joycon is much more sensitive making small movements much more exaggerated. This was pretty simple for when you want to move around, especially if you prefer to use the C stick to move your characters and not randomly touch different spots on the background and battleground. However, this makes battling a bit difficult as you have to figure out how swiping and other motions will work. It takes a bit of adapting to do, so we don’t suggest you switch right before a big battle. However, we don’t think the tabletop mode and docked mode are as frustrating as everyone thinks they are.

Battling is just as we remember it being. You use different types of motions to activate pins to erase the Noise. However, we aren’t big fans of the way you activate your partner’s moves as they can intertwine with other pin activation moves making battling messy. It’s easier when you play co-op as your friend can control your partner, but honestly, this isn’t really a game for co-op considering how much of it is story based.

There’s a feature in which you can choose your fashions, so be on the lookout for fashion trends. These can help you in battle, but beware, your choice of fashion can negatively impact your battles, too. It’s not easy to worry about fashion in the beginning of the game, but you’ll soon find it adds a bit of a fresher touch to the gameplay.

Overall, The World Ends With You: Final Remix is as we remember it being and more. The new features that add a fresh touch to the game keep it from being too stale, but it still hits all of the good notes. Don’t spend all of your time comparing to the original Nintendo DS game because you might find yourself dumping on it even though it does its best as a Nintendo Switch game. In the end, we’d give it a thumbs up and would recommend it as one of the better games for the Nintendo Switch.

The World Ends With You: Final Remix has been on our radar forever, and we can’t say we’re even a little disappointed. Sure, it’s different, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth checking out. What about you readers out there? What are your thoughts on this Nintendo DS classic? Are you anticipating it? Have you purchased your copy yet? Do you absolutely hate it? Share your thoughts all in the comments below!