World's End Club

 It ends with us

One reason I never find myself missing a Nintendo gaming event, whereas I skip a Playstation and Xbox event so I can see the highlights, (or skip a PC one altogether) is because the range of games that'll grace their line-up is never boring. You won't be looking at a collection of identical looking action shooter from a Sony event or endless multiplayer snore-fests like from a Microsoft event; you'll get a range of interesting titles, the likes of which wouldn't even qualify for stage time under the other's stipulations. In fact, I often wonder what rules actually dictate which new project makes it to Nintendo's special events; it feels as random as pulling names out of a hat sometimes. Perhaps it's just the company recognising that their machines can't keep up with the rest of the industry and thus they must embrace some of the more 'out there' titles that don't rely on the tip-top of processing ability. Maybe it's just reverence of their culture and the types of games it spawns. Maybe it's just plain JRPG fatigue. (There's a lot of those buggers.) Whatever the invisible rule set may be; it's given us World's End Club.

Now to be clear, World's End Club isn't exactly a new game despite getting big billing at Nintendo's Direct event. In fact, the game actually launched back in September of 2020; but now its been marked for Switch release coming sometime in the summer. Curiously this actually marks the first home console that this title is coming to, having been exclusive to mobile and PC up until now. (And Apple smart TV, for some reason) I find it funny, in a way, that in this instance Nintendo appear to be the most accessible of the gaming platforms when previously nothing could be further from that truth. Nintendo have almost always been renowned for their iron-like grasp on the third part content which enters their storefronts, but the Switch really has been a turning point for them in many ways. Of course, at the end of the day we're not talking about some super bloody controversial game, so Nintendo still works within some confines. But at least they're willing to embrace the third party a little more.

If we look at the sort of games that populated the recent Nintendo Direct there's a rather impressive number of non-standard titles which, bizarrely, should be an example to the rest of industry. (Nintendo setting examples? Being the cutting edge of trends?  No- that can't be right) I mean, the biggest Indie game to show off wasn't anything to really blow up about, in Outer Wilds, purely because it had won a slew of awards and thus was obviously destined for the Direct spotlight. But then you have the revival of Famicom Detective Club, which I spoke about previously; that one-man-team game Neon White, which I found to be cool-looking; a remaster of freakin' Stubbs the zombie, of all things; and even that horrifying DC Superhero Girls game, which still gives me nightmares to this day. It may be a belaboured point, but the more audiences that these gaming shows cater for, the more communities they'll bring together in the common love of gaming. Maybe someday we'll get to the point where strategy games will share screentime with the next blockbuster Activision title and those fans might start cross pollinating! But for right now we have an experience aimed right at those malnourished Daganrompa-style fans out there. 

And what will immediately get most of those fans interested in a game such as this would actually be the pedigree of the team involved. You see, we're talking about a title from Kotaro Uchikoshi and Kazutaka Kodaka, who boast a pedigree from Zero Escape and Daganrompa, go figure, respectively. That's something you can kind of see that in the very face of the game we're looking at. Afterall; this is a game about kids being trapped in a theme park and subjected to a "Game of fate" which will have them facing all kinds of strange and intimidating challenges. The only difference really being the fact that the cast of this title, 'The Go-Getters Club', are actual children instead of adults who act like children. (No shade, Daganrompa.) Yet the cast still has the aura of personality and interesting characterisation that you can pick up on instantly. It's just an innate talent of those who specialise in these sorts of ensemble cast stories, I suppose, but that's not to diminish the role of the art.

As I've mentioned before, when it comes to art and character designs these are the sorts of titles that tend to go all in and bring out lavish personalities in the faces and clothing of their protagonists. It's a trait shared to some degree amidst most RPGs and party-based games, but I only really see it accentuated to such importance in Japanese games. And, to be fair I do understand why; when you have a cast this big it helps to be able to look at one person and not only recognise them but know who they are as people to some degree, creating that instant relatability. Of course, with World's End Clubs distinctly more cute visual style compared to Zero Escape or Daganrompa the designer went with generally more expressive and child-like features. It all works really well in the comic-book aesthetic and actually makes me surprised that this game didn't start out as a Switch game- it seems to slide into that library effortlessly. The only let down is the resolution of assets which look to be lower than this artstyle really demands.

But if I'm talking about this game and summoning it's spiritual predecessor in Daganrompa, than there's obviously got to be something more than a pretty looking screen getting my attention: and yes, that's because this is a puzzle game. I don't know what it is about me that has just drawn me to puzzle titles recently; perhaps it's a subconscious desire for intelligent but comprehensive solutions to complex dilemmas, or maybe just the old ego-boost they supply upon figuring things out; but I've really been obsessive for them recently. World's End Club features bouts of adventure gameplay moments where players are asked to explore the environment and figure out their way through tasks. (With a rather ominous timer hanging over your head, I notice.) And there's even some elaborate puzzle-boss moments to accentuate the exploration gameplay. It looks like a well rounded and even charming little experience.

Perhaps in my blog you might have picked up on something, that whilst the game does look interesting to me by some degree, I more support what this title represents over what it actually is. (Besides, if I do end up picking it up I'll do that on PC. My Switch is running out of harddrive space anyway...) This here is proof that even the less prominent divisions of video game fandom can have their day and be worthy of a spot in the advertising blog. Of course, it's a little cynical to call something 'worthy' because they made the advertising slate, there's plenty of brilliant games out there that would never get a look in from the main three console developers; but it's a step towards general recognition and maybe even acceptance. 

World's End Club looks to be a fulfilling romp where children are forced to undergo a potentially deathly game of cat and mouse with a floating doll thing. In itself a very simple premise that I'm sure will become twisted and memorable in the manner that these writer's tales often do, one that'll certainly find a solid home with the Switch. Now with the death of the PSV and the shelving of the 3DS, The Nintendo Switch is the sole home for dedicated handheld gaming, so maybe for a while we'll start to see more and more ports make their way this neck of the woods. I can only hope this leads to a uptick of cool smaller games like this one, over the deluge of other kinds of game that usually frequent the phone storefront. (I may support gaming cross-pollination, but even I have limits.)