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‘$19.99’ Category Articles

'The World Ends With You: Solo Remix' Review - Square Enix's Beloved RPG Transitions Gracefully to iOS

Tuesday, August 28th, 2012

Like a lot of gamers out there, I'm tired of your standard JRPG protagonists. They're always the same, always sullen, good-looking lone wolves with tragic pasts. The headphones-wearing, purple-vested Neku Sakuraba of Square Enix's The World Ends With You: Solo Remix [$17.99 / $19.99 (HD)] is no different but that's okay because it's still a ridiculously brilliant game.

Why am I so willing to forgive its faults? There are a lot of reasons. Some of them are connected to the fact the game's an audiovisual feast for street culture enthuasists, others to the fact that the gameplay is, even now, a refreshing change from the norm. Most of all, however, it's because the emo-ness actually makes sense here. The World Ends With You: Solo Remix is a story about children transitioning from a safe environment into a darker, grimmer world. It's a game set in freakin' Shibuya, a place where high fashion and high pressure meet. If there's anyone who deserves to be a little neurotic, it's the kids in this game.

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TouchArcade Rating:

Posted in $17.99, $19.99, 5 stars, Game Center, Games, iPad Games, iPhone games, Reviews, Role-Playing | 89 Comments »

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TA Plays: 'The World Ends With You: Solo Remix' - Square Enix's Critically Acclaimed RPG Comes to iOS

Monday, August 27th, 2012

Today Brad and I get busy on a high-profile port of Square Enix’s critically acclaimed RPG The World Ends With You. It first hit the US on the Nintendo DS in 2008, and was praised for its unique art style, accurate portrayal of Japanese youth culture, and an interesting dual-screen battle system that had you controlling two characters simultaneously, one using the touch screen and one using the d-pad and buttons.

It’s this dual-combat system that received the most radical reworking bringing the game to iOS, hence the new title The World Ends With You: Solo Remix [$17.99 / $19.99 (HD)]. That second character you’d normally be controlling on the top screen of your DS has been worked into the main character’s repertoire of offensive moves, and it seems to work out just fine in my short time with the game.

The rest of the game should seem mostly how you remember it if you played the DS original. The comic book-like presentation and art style is fantastic, and the story and characters are all sharp enough that I’ve been having no trouble being engaged in what’s happening and wanting to push on. If you can look past some of our off-topic discussion about Brad cutting his hair and possibly waxing his chest, you should get a good look at what the entire first chapter of The World Ends With You: Solo Remix is like on iOS in the video below.

Posted in $17.99, $19.99, Game Center, Games, iPad Games, iPhone games, iPod touch games, News, Role-Playing, TA Plays | 81 Comments »

'Chaos Rings II' Review - A Satisfying Sequel and Visual Masterpiece

Monday, April 9th, 2012

If there's one thing that can be said about Square Enix, it's that they're excellent at the whole production values thing. Chaos Rings II [$17.99/HD] is absolutely stunning. From the gorgeous musical score to the voice acting to the vibrant landscapes, there is a lot to savor in Square Enix's latest turn-based RPG. However, that's not really surprising. We are talking about Square Enix, after all. How often have they published a new game that does not make you whistle gently under your breath? The real question is, 'Is Chaos Rings II more than a pretty face?'

The plot here works something like this: an apocalyptic force is threatening Earth with impending doom and there is only one person in the universe capable of stopping it. Can you guess who that is? Yup, that's you. Sort of. In Chaos Rings II, you'll play as Darwin, a rather effeminate-looking chap that had been unwittingly pushed into the role of the Nominator. As the Nominator, his job is to sacrifice the Pillars (a bunch of people that were forcibly drafted for the dubious honor), harvest their spiritual energies, complete something called the Rite of Resealing and seal away the Destroyer in order to save the world.

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TouchArcade Rating:

Posted in $17.99, $19.99, 4.5 stars, Action, Games, iPad Games, iPhone games, iPod touch games, Reviews, Role-Playing | 28 Comments »


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