Far more hip than any thug sim out there.

Waking up in the fad fashion spawning pit of Japan, Shibuya-ku, and not remembering anything but your name sounds scary enough, but this game goes further than that. You've been tossed into the 'Reaper's Game', in which you are dead to the world and forced to complete various missions while trying to survive the 'noise' or monsters of this phantom world that exists parallel to the real world. The Reapers seem to be the ones stirring up the trouble for all the players, who if they win, get to live again.

I admit I was thrown off this game at first. I love the music and visuals, outstanding as usual for a Square-Enix DS title. The stylus and dpad gameplay is what irked me. However, I overcame this obstacle by completely ignoring your partner in the top screen, which is controlled by dpad movement, and left it on auto. I certainly do not have the reflexes to manage both screens at once, since the bottom requires more attention due to the different stylus movements required for your attacks. The battle system will grow on you, I can guarantee that.

As for the RPG-elements, you equip 'tin pins' that give you various psych powers that are your attacks and support in battle. You can also eat various foods and equip clothing to adjust your stats. One thing of note, FASHION IS KING. There are 13 different brands of fashion in TWEWY, and their ranking changes constantly. Make sure you wear what is hot into battle for extra damage. My only complaints about the game, as minor as they may be, are in regard to the multiplayer and pin evolution. The multiplayer is quirky and fun for a bit, but do not expect much from it. As for the pins, they can evolve into stronger versions of themselves, but require the right kind of points to do so.

Bottom line, a solid DS title with more than the typical 5 hours of enjoyment to it, pick it up.