Square Enix Has Released A Demo For NEO: The World Ends With You

I don't think I'm going to bother, since I'm definitely buying the game. But having demos is always a good thing for those who are unsure.

More demos! Glad this is becoming more commonplace.

Great, nothing wrong with a good demo.

I'm glad the game's getting a demo! I've been worried about the Switch version since Square hasn't showed any footage of it running on the system, I'm a bit concerned it's because the performance is bad and they're trying to hide it. This will be the perfect chance to make sure it still holds up well! I can get it on PS4 if I need to, but I'd definitely prefer Switch as this is a series at home with Nintendo in my mind.

The demo lands on June 25th, not July 25th, so that's about a month before the full game launches...

So another demo on the 25th. Guess I have two game demos to look forwards to!

I'll definitely get the demo. I love these pre release demos because they are similar to early access, only free. Also, this week I pulled out my DS to start paying through twewt again! To think such a great game came from the people behind Picross.

Same day as the Monster Hunter Stories 2 demo! Nice!

@DrWadsy thank you, just two days away is much better than waiting a month for the demo! If Mario Golf is good too, Friday will be a lot of fun.

I never end up playing the demos I download, but this one I might. TWEWY is one of my all-time favourite games, but I’m a little worried about how this sequel will control after Square made some slightly weird choices with the Switch port of the original. Neo could well be my game of the year - but it could also be my biggest disappointment. Fingers crossed!

Nice! I'll download both demos together, then. I love when they do that.
The demo of Ys IX convinced me to buy the game day one (I LOVED Ys VIII, one of my favourite games on Switch), let's see if I'm buying three games within a month, which hasn't happened in ages.
Well, I'm afraid it will happen nevertheless... The Great Ace Attorney and Cris Tales are also coming out. Gee, what a month!

@iuli But this is the exact reason why they don't. I remember watching a video about it a couple of years back, probably Extra Credits, and in that it concludes that the subset of people that switch from a not buy to a buy, form playing a demo, is just so small.

The biggest thing a demo does is switch people who were definitely going to buy into people that won't buy it. See Balan Wonderworld as an extreme example of this.

I can absolutely understand why developers don't bother putting the time and effort into them anymore.

@VIIIAxel
I believe they showed gameplay of this at E3 but for the Japan direct only.
Looked slick.

I feel I should know this but I can no longer recall, Is this a direct sequel to the first game or is it it's own thing/story?

@Rosona Did they? I know that the preview Nintendo Life got to play was just the PS4 version, so I was worried about it. I'll have to check the Direct footage!

This is a direct sequel to the original. It takes place 3 years later, and while most of the main characters are new, we've seen some returning ones and other ties to the first game in the trailers so far.

@VIIIAxel
That's good to know, thanks for clarifying, I totally want it but am yet to play the first one, looks like I need to.

Does the protagonist have a facial mask protecting just his chin? Is he a negationist?? xD

Hmm. Demo drops in a month, I have TWEWY on DS somewhere in storage, but somehow never played it. Should I dig it out first and give it a go...?

@CivilMadman I would say yes. TWEWY on DS is a great game. This looks like it may have similar enemies and location, but gameplay will be different. The dual screens were used very well for combat (which is why it was awkward on the switch.)

Cautiously optimistic about this one, but I think it'll turn out well!

I've already got the game preordered, I don't need any convincing.

Gonna give this one a look. How do you think the combat on this one will play out? I only tried the first game for a while using an emulator cause I wanted to get it on the Switch. The price for that one seems a bit steep for me and I don't remember ever seeing it on a sale? Anyway this one looks real promising!

I'm cautiously optimistic about this game, so a demo is certainly welcome. I'm currently playing the Final Remix version of the first game (Haven't played the original or Solo Remix). While I'm enjoying it from a plot, mechanical, and uniqueness perspective, the control schemes available betray the fact that the game was originally designed for a different platform.

@JasmineDragon Same. I already have it preordered. I'm willing to experience it all fresh from the get-go

@riggah Coolio, thanks. Will give it a go.

Nice. A demo might be just what I needed to reassure me that this game is going to deliver the goods. I will hopefully be giving the demo a go soon.

Miss the days of old ps1 when there were an abundance of decent demos available each month via bundled magazine CD's. Now they appear once in a while, even on ps4.
I remember playing the Tomb Raider demo over and over.... and over again.

Oh look at that and I have a shiny new microsd card.....download time!

Again Square Enix and Capcom did what many others don't with their demos. Good job Square Enix, I will try this.

Might give this a shot, the original’s one of my favourite games ever. Well, the DS version anyway.

I love the original, but I was a little concerned about how this one was looking in trailers. Glad to say the demo has fully turned me around.

Definite day one purchase.

This game looks like hot garbage, BUT hopefully more devs follow their footsteps to release demos. I remember when demo CDs were included with certain big games, and from magazine publishers. They are immeasurably useful for learning if you like a game or not. Definitely needs to be more commonplace, but this is a good start.

I watched a gameplay trailer for this and yeah i don't need to try a demo to know this isn't for me, I'm not a fan of the theme and im very particular about JRPGs.

Wow. Finally got my hands on the demo... I was initially unimpressed with the visual design from the trailers but I have to say it really pops on the switch's small screen. I tried TV mode but yeah, it feels like they went into this game with handheld in mind and it looks and plays fantastic.

I’ve always wanted to the series but worried I wouldn’t enjoy or be good at the gameplay, so this is a good option for me.

Right when the TWEWY anime ended,they did it intentionally to attract new players.

I gave the demo a go last night as I was also curious about performance. It was good! Literally the only thing I didn’t like was the way the map isn’t always facing the same direction as the camera. The writing, visual style, and music are all gorgeous. The combat is a bit button-mashy but I liked it still. Overall, excited to pick it up.

Loving the demo so far, this game will keep me glued.

@BloodNinja actually, the game is good and it's not hot garbage to me as it looks & plays. Maybe u're not a fan.

Tried the demo and was really impressed! This game will be lots of fun, I'm sure. Loving the art style, it's not the same in trailers, you have to see it for yourselves.
I was impressed by the battle system as well. I tried the demo mainly for that, as I wasn't sure, but I found it very enjoyable. And I bet the more pins you have, the better.

Played through it and loved it, this makes my very hyped for the full game.

@the_beaver Yeah, the battle system is so fun! It looked kinda messy in the trailers I’ve seen.

had a go with the demo and it was a blast so i'll 100% be grabbing this, i was pretty unsure about the game but after both the gameplay and dialogue being a banger i'm down

Honestly, I'm very optimistic for the games coming out in July. The demos of Ys IX, MH Stories 2 and this one totally got me, now I'd like to get them all on day one!

But Zelda SS, Cris Tales and The Great Ace Attorney are also coming... What am I going to do?

@Rpg-lover Of course I’m not a fan. Fans are always mindless group-thinkers, just shoveling down the next game regardless of its quality, just because it’s next in a series or on their favorite system.

@the_beaver Realize that you can only ever play one game at a time, and that your life will be totally fine if you miss a few releases

@BloodNinja no problem, I respect your opinion.

@BloodNinja Lol I know, I was joking XD. I have to decide which one I'll give preference, though. I guess I'll wait for the reviews of all of them.

@the_beaver

After how bad the remake was, I'm definitely demoing this first.

@BloodNinja Ha. Those are rookie numbers! I've played 3 Zeldas at once (ragequit Twilight Princess for a while after I just couldn't get the second mandatory motion control fishing done, finally started Link to the Past since NSO made that easy and liked it enough to get several dungeons in, then got Link's Remakening for more 2D Zelda goodness, beat that, and then went back to beat TP, still need to finish up LttP sometime), and another time 3 Final Fantasies at once (VI was my first but I hit a point where I needed to grind, picked up IX on sale after recommendations and got absolutely hooked, XIV the MMO is far more game than I could possibly finish and I'm still well in the bits under the free trial.)

Anyway, been enjoying the demo so far, as someone who never played the original.

Already finished the demo. I definitely warmed up to the gameplay style. I will say, the brief loading time between battles (at least on PS4) definitely rubbed me the wrong way, and I hope that it changes.

If you plan on getting the game, I definitely recommend playing through the demo. Progress saves on it so you can just go through to the next in story event. SO less tutorial stuff.

@CoastersPaul Hahah, I love it! Yeah I must admit, in terms of Zelda games I stopped halfway through Ocarina of Time after losing interest. Love the first 3, and Links Awakening, but the series just hasn’t done it for me with stuff post-Ocarina.

Just me or releasing the demo a whole month before the game seems like a bad idea?

I tried this demo with pretty low expectations, and was really surprised! The game looks nice, runs really well, combat feels good, and it seems to have an interesting story. I'm not sure how it holds up to the original as I haven't played it in ages, but I have to say I'm almost sold on it. (Oh and the loading before and after battles is a little long, but it's not too bad since you've got some decent music to listen to while waiting.)

@RodSD64
No? It's a great idea because everyone will be talking about it for the month leading up to release. For a Square RPG that isn't Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, or Kingdom Hearts, it's a great way to make sure it's marketed.

I had the original on DS and it just didn't click with me. Will likely pass here unless it gets some amazing reviews upon release.

I did hear that the framerate can drop when doing a certain activity (into the teens) which while disappointing it depends how much you do said thing, whether its frequent or done for a long time (going by comments mentioning they were pleased with the overall performance i assume its not too frequent or long of an occurance)

As a big fan of the original in DS, I did love this but there were still a few conflicts with me. I’m glad they did stick with the art style, but with some things, like Fret’s hair, it seems the art style and the graphics clash a bit. I understand this has to be done to stay cohesive with the style from the first. The art does shine in other places in tandem with the graphics though.
I also understand the controls were optimized with console/controller in mind, but I wish there was something unique to the controls because, like someone else said, the controls have now become a little button-mashy. However that will make is easy to 5-chain grind to level up/evolve pins. I’ve already preordered and got like $10 off, and I don’t plan to cancel the preorder. I’m ready for the release!