8/7/2020: TWEWY animation and Mr. Driller

First of all, the animization of The World Ends With You is something I have never dreamed of. The switch game certainly failed to reach the same height as the DS version did, both operation-wise and story-wise (on top of the original 3 weeks), but the main story, character/art design and the music design is absolutely top notch. They are basically all you need for a great animation.

Their decision to modernize Shibuya as well as the phones is a bit sad to me, because these characters really live in Shibuya in the late 2000s. The only uncertainly is how much should be shown in 12 episodes -- given that Neku grew in the span of three weeks, it would be weird if they only do the first week or two. Some extra daily interactions will be welcomed, but only if they have enough time to display the whole main story. It would be nice if the animation gives extra answer to what was not fully explained both in the DS and the switch sequel.

Here is the trailer, in case you haven't watched:



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I have been playing ring fit during the lockdown everyday, but I do not plan to give a review on the game. I also bought touhou mahjong but there is not much to say either.

Instead I want to talk about Mr. Driller Drillland. Unlike the DS version this is a complete remake of the 2002 version. I haven't played the 2002 version but I definitely enjoyed the DS version so I bought the switch one once I saw that on the store.

I cleared all Lv2 and finished the Lv3 Drindy adventure. I realized the technique to clear other Lv3's but lacked the time and temper for it, so I will stop here for now.

Before commenting on the game, I have a concern when others comment on games -- why are remakes valued less?

One shall not value remakes lower just because it is a "low effort" production. The pricing of a game depends on the development cost (of course), but the rest depending on marketing consideration on how the team think the game is worth.

You can say that a remake "probably" worth less because the game cannot keep up with the recent standard, or that the change in console alters the feeling of gameplay. The World Ends with You is a good example: the heavily stylus based control of the DS game feels off when it comes to switch. The extra content is nice but also left a gap between the main story and the extra story. This is why fans are not feeling as happy as in 2008.

> My review on The World Ends With You Final Remix < 

Nintendo and Sega made their old games ported onto switch at a really low price. This is not necessarily solely about effort (actually, getting the game mechanics right for these really old games are not super easy, although Nintendo already did it once for Wii). This is also a way for them to promote their IPs, which is worth more than selling the games itself. That never justify why remakes should be sold cheap.

After some research on the original one, I would say this switch version is basically the 2002 one moved to another console, just like how it did for the PC version. It completely copied the merits and weaknesses of the original game. The weaknesses meanwhile is relatively easy to fix and these are less tolerable in 2020, so the game got a mixed review (still beating TLOU2 by a huge margin, OF COURSE!)

On the good side they preserved all the game modes in the original version, which is well rounded comparing with the DS version which is pretty much just an extension of the world drill tour. The gameplay is pretty much the same because all you need is really a D-pad and the AB buttons. I always prefer D-pad over stick when you only need four directions -- the same happens for Tetris99.

On the bad side...the game lacks any tutorial or instructions. Lv 1 is quite hard for beginners to start with even with the beginner friendly mode. It would be nice if there is a really short and easy stage like 200m or 300m (which the DS version has).

Having 3 levels are the classic setup, but the gap is pretty huge between the three. There is no in-game instruction on how you can unlock the next one either.

I also wish to see more interaction among the characters, instead of just one or two vocal lines when the level is unlocked for the first time. I also wish to use Ataru on every single level on every mode. I know they assign characters to their suitable mode...but I just like Ataru more.

So...it is really a classic 2002 game, which some parts of it can be improved to fit the 2020 taste. I still like it, but how much should it be priced? I don't know because I don't buy games every day. At least for me I would happily take the $29.99 offer.