However, this post is about The World Ends With You.
So let's dive into the first gameplay details.
As I said, this is a session-based game, modeled after no existing game on BYOND. It's all an entirely original idea based solely on representing The Reaper's Game here on BYOND.
You join a server and wait for the game to start, roughly i'm thinking 16 players maximum per session, but that's something i'm playing with.
Players who join the session are divided into two teams: The Reapers, and the Players. The Reapers team will be very small at the start of the game (only about 4 members).
The Players: People sorted into the Players team then choose one of four characters and a costume for that character. (More costumes are unlockable over time). The goal of the players is simple: Make it to Day 7, find, and defeat the Game Master. The session starts at Day 1, the Game Master will give you a goal for each day. For example: "Get to this location", "Defeat this boss", etc. The missions will get harder the closer you get to Day 7. Enemies called "Noise" litter the city as well, these will be more numerous and more difficult to deal with as you get closer to Day 7. If a player is erased, they join the Reaper's team and are turned against their allies.
The Reapers: People sorted into the Reapers team will look similar, however you can change your pinsets (attacks you can execute in battle). However, one person in the Reapers team will be chosen to be the Game Master. More on that in a moment. The goal of the Reapers is simple: Erase the players by following the rules of the game. As the Players are trying to complete their mission for the day, Reapers are actively trying to stop them. You can set up barricades around the city and hinder their progress, and even give the players mini-sidequests in order to clear some more difficult barricades. All the while, Reapers are earning "Reaper Points", points that the Game Master can use to make the next day even more difficult for the Players.
The Game Master: The game master is the head honcho of the reapers for the session. The game master can choose which character they want to be, and each character has their own GM benefits. The goal of the GM is the same as the reapers: To erase the Players by following the rules of the game. However, the GM has a more leadership role in the level. He can set up advanced barricades to hinder the progress of the players, give Reapers upgrades to various stats, and promote reapers as well. As his/her team earns Reaper Points by erasing noise/players, the GM can use these points to make the next day even more difficult for the players. Options for using Reaper points include: Increasing Noise Difficulty, Tougher Missions, Promoting Reapers, Barricades/Advanced Barricades, and a special ability unique to the character the GM chose.
The Game: The game is simple. When the game starts, depending on which mission is selected by the game master, the structure of the city will change. Some sections of the large city are inaccessible, and the others will have barricades for the Players to get across. Basically, the Players Quest, The Reapers Reap. The Game Master is to be hunted and killed by the players on Day 7. At that point, the players win. If the players are erased beforehand, than the reapers win.
Pacts: The players are not working alone. They are working as a team, but the more important aspect of The Reaper's Game are the pacts. Each player can find a friend to pact with, basically a 2-man team. If you pact, you're a team until the end. If your partner gets erased, so will you in time. Each character has a unique "Pact Bonus", something unique they can offer to the other player that other characters can't, so who you pact with is important, and your experience will change every session.
Rewards: Depending on how well you do per session, you get Unlock Points. Unlock points can be used to get new costumes, unlock harder difficulties, unlock new characters (For the GM only), new pinsets, and you can raise a character's maximum level. Unlocking everything will certainly take some considerable effort.
Characters: (Players)
Neku Sakuraba: "At fifteen, Neku is an ardent fan of graffiti, but far less enthusiastic about forging relationships with other people. When the Reapers' Game throws him into contact with other Players, he has two choices: open up...or get picked off."
Shiki Misaki: "Fashionable and fabulous at fifteen, Shiki knows clothes. While she puts on a cheerful face to lend Neku some much-needed moral support, deep down she harbors a secret... She never parts with her homemade stuffed animal, Mr. Mew; to survive, Neku can never part with her."
Beat:"Hot-blooded and hard-headed, Beat is the polar opposite of Neku, even if they are the same age. Still, despite his emotional outbursts, he has a big heart. He's always ready to throw down and ollie into combat on his board, with Rhyme right there beside him."
Joshua: "It's quickly evident Joshua is clever beyond his fifteen years, he is as sly as they come. Unfortunately, his insufferably snotty attitude only serves to widen the gulf between him and Neku...but his knowledge, especially about the Game, does earn him some points."And that wraps up the first details. More details in the coming weeks.