History VideoGame / TheWorldEndsWithYou

It tells the story of Neku Sakuraba, an [[LonersAreFreaks asocial]] [[EmoTeen teen]] who wakes up one day on the crossroads of Shibuya, Tokyo with [[LaserGuidedAmnesia no clue how he got there]]. He soon discovers that he has been dumped into a PhantomZone version of Shibuya called the "Underground", where he will be forced to play the week-long "Reapers' Game". Victory will allow Neku to recover his lost memories and escape from the Underground, but if he loses he'll be [[DeaderThanDead erased from existence]].

An [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS port]] of the game subtitled ''Solo Remix'' was released on August 27, 2012. The port features enhanced graphics, new music including the remixes from ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', and online Tin-Pin. While no story changes were made, iOS devices could not support the two-screen combat style used in the original, creating a new combat system in which pairs fought together on screen. On October 12, 2018, a UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch version subtitled ''Final Remix'' was released; in addition to being based on the previous ''Solo Remix'' in gameplay and design, the game [[UpdatedRerelease features]] an extra scenario that expands the game's existing story, as well as a SequelHook.

In November 2020, a follow-up known as ''VideoGame/NEOTheWorldEndsWithYou'' was announced for a July 2021 release on UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and PC. Taking place in Shibuya once more, the game follows a cast of new characters in a new version of the Reapers' Game, with appearances from classic characters like Sho Minamimoto and Koki Kariya. Graphically, the game makes the VideoGame3DLeap with {{cel shad|ing}}ed graphics vs. the original's 2D sprites.

** Joshua's name is full of possible allusions to [[spoiler:the fact that he's the Composer, God-like ruler of the Game, and "resurrects" at the end of the game]]. "Joshua" is basically another name for UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}, "Yoshiya" contains the kanji for "justice", and "Kiryu" is written with the kanji for "Paulownia tree" and "life". (The Paulownia tree has legendary ties with the Phoenix bird of rebirth... and is also called [[AmbiguouslyGay The Princess Tree]], for extra giggles.)

* AnAesop: The quote at the top of this page is the game's unifying theme.

** A {{subver|tedTrope}}ion would be [[spoiler:Shiki. She gets her right to come back to life, only to become Neku's second entry fee. You only see her again at the end of Week 3, the game's GrandFinale.]]

** The last time we see Sho Minamimoto, [[spoiler:he has been "crunched" by some unknown attacker and made a part of one of his signature [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible garbage heap "sculptures"]].]]

* MortonsFork: A pair of {{NPC}} Reapers complain about being caught in one of these during week 2 -- they've been tasked by Konishi to clean up Minamimoto's "[[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible art]]". If he sees them doing this, they're screwed. If they ignore her, they're screwed.

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: In-universe. Sho is insistent that his junk heaps are works of art.

* SneezeInterruption: Neku is challenged to "Reaper Sport 3" but can't hear what the Reaper says because his partner had a sneezing fit.

* TeensAreShort: Even Beat, by far the tallest of the 15-and-under group, is teeny in juxtaposition with any given character over 17.

** In-story, almost every mission has its time limit, and failing to fulfill tasks in time results in facing Erasure. In-game, there is no time limit of any kind, and you can grind your level and pins as long as you want to. More strangely, eating food causes a decrease in Byte capacity that can [[AntiPoopSocking only be lifted by waiting in real time]], so while the story might say, for example, Neku and Shiki must complete some objective in one hour or face Erasure, but if they have eaten to a point where they cannot consume food that is bigger than 6 Bytes, they can just rest and wait multiple real-world hours to eat the bigger meals again while the alleged mission timer never advances.

** In-story, almost every mission has its time limit, and failing to fulfill tasks in time results in facing Erasure. In-game, there is no time limit of any kind, and you can grind your level and pins as long as you want to.

** At the beginning of week 3, [[spoiler:how does the game show that having no partner renders the Reapers' Game UnwinnableByDesign? By disabling your pins so you can't do anything besides move and escape. Neku himself points out that he can simply run away from every battle, but the moment a mission forces him to fight, he's screwed because his pins won't work.]]

* CrackFic: Another Day may be [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs actually written on crack]] due to how dramatically different it is from ''everything else'', being a bizarre universe where everything revolves around Tin Pin and everything is considerably sillier.

* OffModel: A very minor example, concerning Beat. He is shown wearing a silver band on his right ring finger on the game's cover art, but it is absent from his sprites and the rest of the game's promotional art. In-game, the times he's shown wearing it can be counted on one hand.

* GameGourmet: All kinds of food have different effects on each character in terms of stat boosts and sync rate effects. They also come in different sizes, measured in [[{{Pun}} Bytes]], and their effects on each character will depend on how well they enjoy them. [[http://twewy.wikia.com/wiki/Food Full list here.]]

* SuccessSymbiosis: Shiki Misaki is this to her best friend Eri, helping to make the materials for her friend's fashion hobby and generally being a supportive, admiring friend.

* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: Most of the soundtrack's lyrics are in fluent and idiomatic English, and some of the singers actually have good-to-excellent English pronunciation. It helps that several of the artists are actually native English speakers born and raised outside of Japan; for example, the rappers for "Game Over" and "Detonation", Andy (Mac)Kinlay and Londell "Taz" Hicks respectively, are ex-pats from Britain and America.

** In the scene immediately following [[spoiler:Rhyme's erasure]] where Kariya and Uzuki summon Noise to attack the rest of the group, Kariya explains that Reapers create Noise by gathering up soul essence and binding it to a pin. [[spoiler:This later revealed to be what Hanekoma did to Rhyme to keep her from being completely lost.]]