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A game about fashion... that rocks! Are we trippin'?

Imagine waking up standing alone in the middle of a crowded city. You have no idea who you are, where you are, or how you even got there. Suddenly a text message appears on your cellphone that reads "Reach 104. You have 60 minutes. Fail, and face Erasure – The Reapers." "Is this a joke?" You ask yourself. "What's 104? Who are The Reapers? What does Erasure mean?" These questions and more you're tasked with answering in The World Ends With You. Brought to you by the same team behind Kingdom Hearts, this trippy Square-Enix RPG is one of the most fun, creative and bizarre videogames you will ever play.

On the surface The World Ends With You (formally known as It's a Wonderful World) embodies everything that turns gamers off to Japanese RPGs: Playing as whiny teenagers wearing outlandish clothing employing a battle system and stat tracking so chaotic and complex, it'll make you cry. The main character, Neku, is a spiky-haired, teenage emo who's lost his memory and wears an outfit that most guys wouldn't be caught wearing stoned. A culmination of the most annoyingly-prevalent RPG cliches rolled into a single character. And yet despite all of this, not only does this game work, it amazes.

Not since Earthbound has a game dared to break down all the walls of the traditional RPG and present the gamer with something he or she has never experienced before. Rather than Medieval Times or a futuristic dystopia, The World Ends With You takes place in the very real Shibuya district of modern-day Japan.

This bustling, hyper-trendy mini city (think Japan's equivalent of LA) is where our hero, Neku, and a sunny-eyed mystery cutie named Shiki must battle otherworldy creatures in an attempt to escape The Game. As you navigate the congested streets of Shibuya, you'll encounter an array of other tech-savvy hipsters - some friend, some foe - and even stop to do a little shopping every now and then.

From the moment one beholds The World Ends With You's highly-stylized visuals and avant-garde soundtrack (a unique fusion of licensed J-pop, J-rock and hip-hop), it's clear that this game is different. The graphics and music mesh brilliantly, complete with highly-expressive manga-style cut scenes that breathe life into the eccentric characters and story.

The story revolving around The Game, a seven-day otherworldly competition where two people must partner up and each day travel to different wards of Shibuya to complete certain objectives. Fail to complete each objective within the designated time limit and face Erasure. All the while your duo must fight against The Noise, the physical manifestation of the negative energy surrounding Shibuyans.