We’ve already seen trailers for NEO: The World Ends With You confirming that certain characters from the original game are returning, with both numbers-obsessed Minamimoto and former reaper Kariya stepping back into the Reaper’s Game for the sequel. But a new press release for the upcoming game seems to indicate that another character may be making a cameo, or at least is playing a role in the background of Shibuya in NEO.
Spoiler Warning: The following contains spoilers for the end of the original The World Ends With You. Read on past the video at your own risk (don’t worry, the video itself is safe).At the end of The World Ends With You, one of your companions, Shiki manages to escape the Reaper’s Game along with Neku and the rest of his friends. Though we never learn her fate after the crew meets up, much of her arc in the game was focused around her friendship with her friend Eri, a talented designer. Shiki is an adept seamstress and is able to make the clothes Eri designs, and even made “Mr. Mew,” a stuffed cat she carries around in Shibuya and who aids her in battle.
We’ve seen Mr. Mew reappear already in the hands of Tsugumi, a young woman who’s been teased multiple times for NEO: The World Ends With You, though it’s never been explained why she has Mr. Mew. However, a slide presentation about NEO: The World Ends With You sent out to media today reveals that Tsugumi’s Mr. Mew may hold answers to Shiki’s ultimate fate.
“The stuffed animal she carries resembles the mascot of Gatto Nero, a new brand that’s all the rage in Shibuya — but her plush pal apparently predates the establishment of said brand.”
There are two clues in this excerpt about Shiki: the first is in Gatto Nero, the brand Mr. Mew is a mascot for. This implies that Shiki and Eri possibly went into business together and started their own brand, Gatto Nero, and may make an appearance tied into that brand’s existence in Shibuya. The second is a bit more cryptic — if Tsugumi’s Mr. Mew predates Gatto Nero, then is it the original Mr. Mew? If so, it begs the question of how Tsugumi got him, as Shiki seems unlikely to have given him up easily. Either way, it lends more credence to the theory that she may reappear in NEO.
Spoilers End Here
The slideshow includes a number of other new details about NEO: The World Ends With You, such as a new type of mission in the Reaper’s Game: Scramble Slams. In Scramble Slams, you’ll have to earn points to win by either erasing Noise in an area, or by fighting rival team members to claim an area for yourself. Chaining Noise battles together can earn you even more points.
We also get a closer look at fashion and food, which mostly seem to work the same as in The World Ends With You, though with a number of new brands and styles like Gatto Nero.
And finally, the slideshow highlights the abilities of one of your party members: Fret. Fret has a psych called “Remind,” which instigates a small puzzle game to help jog the memory of whoever it is used on. Though not highlighted in the presentation, the new trailer above shows that Nagi, your third party member, also has a psych called Dive.
NEO: The World Ends With You is out on July 27 for Nintendo Switch and PS4, with an Epic Games Store release coming sometime this summer. Last month, we spoke with the game’s dev team about how with a fourteen year gap between NEO and its predecessor, NEO will reflect those years of changes to Shibuya, culture, and gaming hardware.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.Source