It’s hard to imagine a collaboration between Zero Escape and Danganronpa creators Kotaro Uchikoshi and Kazutaka Kodaka going into the spotlight, but an odd release schedule (involving halving the experience on Apple Arcade) showed interest in the partnership buried by the time the game hit PC last month. It’s a pity, as it’s a rather unique title in their respective careers, and it ranks new waters for these hit directors.
The end of the world club is the first game the pair have released since founding their own studio, Too Kyo Games, and can best be described as an odd yet intriguing blend of platforming and arcade games. Deadly play, starring kids too young to fix the world or deal with cults. Think of Danganronpa, if Danganronpa was more of a Saturday morning cartoon than a murder game rife with psychopaths.
The game may initially feel familiar to fans of Kodaka’s popular franchise as the ‘Go-Getters Club’ – a group of 10 school friends led by Reycho and including Osakaben-speaking Kansai , Air Pai and Fun Vanilla – wake up in an underwater facility and are asked to play the Game of Destiny, which requires them to complete an unknown quest in order to win. All losers, naturally, will die. However, this familiar setup is only an opening sequence, something that is quickly pushed aside through almost corny acts of friendship so that the game can evolve into an adventure. transnational throughout Japan. As they attempt to return home, the Go-Getters Club hopes to find other survivors, and understand why their coming-of-age school trip led to the end of humanity.
Putting the kids in the lead is often a blessing or a curse in the game, giving us a whole new perspective on the world but potentially forcing us to endure the whines of the kids. immature. In this case, it benefits the game, which uses Go-Getters’ innocent worldview to embellish the darker moments, but without reducing their severity. As the game subverts our expectations of a death game in favor of hijinks travel and mystery solving, it doesn’t feel unwelcome. We see the gang’s childish curiosity bring excitement to the bleak reality of mass extinction.
Even when the devastation is still present, this childishness takes on a fun, mysterious tone. The game is split between platforming, story and camping segments, then there’s reason to watch these kids act their age, making jokes and laughing in the warmth of the campfire. You still wonder how the world came to such utter ruin (especially when your journey provides more questions than answers regarding your circumstances), but Instead of giving up in despair, we get caught up in the moment.
It is almost serene. While we journeyed alone through Japan’s cities transformed by nature, these abandoned cities are like fascinating playgrounds for the kids to explore. And exploring them is possible, as the 2D platforming segments here stand out much more than the mini-puzzle segments in previous Kodaka and Uchikoshi games. The platform is simple, but the journey between cities ensures environments feel unique, blending with the personality of their real-world equivalents. Character abilities also blend into the play (for example, the small but tough Chuko spews fire when she stubbornly eats spicy Karamucho).
There are flaws found in the somewhat confusing conclusion, but all in all, World’s End Club is a gripping adventure that examines the ideas these creators are known for through an animal lens. more taste. It’s a satisfying experience, with the story and characters engaging you from start to finish.
I want to join the Go Fans Club! Why don’t you do the same?
