Neo: The World Ends With You Original Series Composer Returning for Sequel Soundtrack

While many undoubtedly remember Square Enix’sThe World Ends With Youfor its striking art style, fun characters, and unique action RPG gameplay, many will argue that the game’s most memorable asset was its fun J-pop inspired soundtrack. The game’s soundtrack was so memorable in fact, that the entire soundtrack was remixed for the Nintendo Switch remasterThe World Ends With You: Final Remix. Fans will be happy to hear that Takeharu Ishimoto, composer of the original game, has confirmed that he will be returning to compose the soundtrack for the upcoming sequelNeo: The World Ends With You.

Square Enixannounced the sequel toThe World Ends With Youearlier this weekvia a countdown on the game’s website, revealing the upcoming action RPG is slated for release on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in summer 2021. The announcement of the sequel comes 13 years after the release of the original game and after the announcement of an upcoming anime adaptation, slated to air April 2021. It also comes after years of the game’s producer and character designer,Kingdom Heartscreator Tetsuya Nomura, publicly rallying fans to request a sequel from Square Enix.

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The original game’s composer, Takeharu Ishimoto, who has also composed for other titles such asKingdom Hearts 3andFinal Fantasy Type-0, confirmed via Twitter that he will be returning to compose new tracks for the sequel. The original game’s soundtrack has been praised by fans and critics as one of the game’s most stylistically defining traits, drawing comparisons to the likes ofJet Set RadioandPersona. Ishimoto will also be returning tocompose the soundtrack forThe World Ends With You’s anime.

The World Ends With Youwas originally released for the Nintendo DS in 2007, with a western release following in 2008. The game is an action RPG set in Shibuya, Tokyo, andfollows a group of characters who are trappedin a week-long Reapers' Game. Characters fromThe World Ends With Youwere later featured in the 2012 Nintendo 3DS titleKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

The game was ported to iOS and Android in 2012 and 2014, respectively, asThe World Ends With You: Solo Remix, and later to Nintendo Switch in 2018 asThe World Ends With You: Final Remix. While each new version updated the controls and remastered the game’s visuals, the Nintendo Switch version featured a new storyline set after the events of the main game,similar toPersona 5 Royal.

Neo: The World Ends With Youreleases for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in summer 2021.

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