World's End Club Review - Danganronpa meets Zero Escape? (Nintendo Switch)

Review copy provided by publisher. In this video I review World's End Club on the Nintendo Switch. The latest game from Kazutaka Kodaka & Kotaro Uchikoshi, the creative minds behind the Danganronpa & Zero Escape games.
Originally released in early access on the Apple Arcade, World's End Club finally sees a full game release on the Nintendo Switch. Kazutaka Kodaka & Kotaro Uchikoshi are no strangers to writing great characters and engaging stories, but they're often set in a dark and grim world where people are stuck playing death games. And yes, while the game initially starts you off in one, there is much more to it than meets the eye. Join me as I talk about the story, gameplay, boss fights and more in this video review of World's End Club on the Nintendo Switch!
The gameplay shown was recorded on the original Nintendo Switch in dock mode and I've played the game for 18 hours before writing this review.
Follow me on Twitter: / swrinny
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Game Description:
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About World's End club:
The latest title from Kotaro Uchikoshi and Kazutaka Kodaka abandons the darkness of their past works and offers alighterand more hopeful tale that anyone can pick up!The “Go-Getters Club,” a group of misfit students from all over Japan, find themselves trapped in a strange theme parkduring a class trip. In order to unravel the mystery of their circumstances and find an escape, they must take part in a“game of fate” that will test their bonds of friendship! With colorful visuals, charming characters, accessible gameplay,and a compelling story, this is an experience you will never forget!Key Features:Friendship 101: Step into the shoes of a quirky and colorful cast of characters, and put their bonds to the test as they unravel the mysteries that surround them!Charm and Mystery: Immerse yourself in a vibrant world where playful scenery meets strange phenomena, making for an unforgettable visual journey.From Page to Platform: Switch between visual novel and platforming in this unique adventure, elevating your story experience to new heights.
#WorldsEndClub #Danganronpa #ZeroEscape

[@Swrinny]

The game is finally out doods! Although it's definitely a lot different than what I expected. What do you think of the game after watching this? 😮

[@douglascarter2078]

I'm about 5 hours in and I'm really enjoying it. The emotional rollercoaster of the story and the amazing soundtrack are highlights in my opinion. The humor is well done also. I don't think it's a game for everyone, but I do believe it will attain a strong cult following.

[@Swrinny]

Glad to hear you're enjoying it too! The soundtrack is also surprisingly big, there's almost 50 different tracks on it :D

[@rpgnut5897]

I'm glad to find a positive review since I'm enjoying the game so far and most reviews say the game is pretty middling.

[@Swrinny]

Glad to hear you're enjoying the game too! Haven't had the chance to check out other reviews yet - what are the biggest complaints you've heard?

[@rpgnut5897]

@@Swrinny Basically that the platforming is really clunky and just not a whole lot of fun.

[@Swrinny]

@@rpgnut5897 Yeah I've watched/read a few now it tends to boil down to that

[@vix4here]

Yeah I view this more as a visual novel not really a challenging game that requires complicated inputs. There are games for all players and I think games like these are fun for people that like a nice narrative and want to have a fun time playing.

[@grantz2336]

The song in the ending is really great! I was tear up when everything end TwT. Nice review!

[@Swrinny]

Right! I didn't think of it much at first but it really grows on ya and becomes so emotional and iconic over time :D

[@johnnymind4151]

I bought the game on release date, but still didn't have the time to play it. I'm glad to hear from your review that it's what I expected it to be, can't wait to actually try it!

[@Swrinny]

Nice, let me know what you think once you find the time! :)

[@mweeee]

5:56 Yes, the marketing for this game is awful, which is disappointing, since the actual game is really good I've seen a lot of people either being confused about the game or expecting a killing game and that's not gonna help the game sell well

[@Swrinny]

Yup! At least the demo showed the end of the tutorial bit, but even that raised more questions than answers

[@yugiwinninglex]

Good review! Sadly the demo only has the theme park part so doesn't rly help as well as super linear and barely any platforming.

[@Swrinny]

Thank you! Yeah I wish the demo would've shown a bit more or at least some other part of the game - it really doesn't represent it well imo

[@yugiwinninglex]

@@Swrinny yea I played the demo and at the end I still don't know what the game is about. And the price for the game isn't cheap.

[@RP-mp4ow]

I enjoyed the game more than I expected to. The gameplay wasn't bad given their lack of established experience in platforming(though it helped that I approached this game, midway through, as another visual novel game with more exciting interaction with it) comparing the mini-games of Danganronpa(up to 2 at this point) this is a massive success from those games. Comparing to Danganronpa, the camp scenes felt less attached to the overall game than the aforementioned series. At the beginning of the game I felt more inclined to skip these scenes until I was given a reason to care about the characters. That's my biggest complaint about the game- that they couldn't harmoniously fit every element of their expertise into the game. The camp levels felt unnecessary to the overall game- less so than Danganronpa(which was already quite loose in its approach) Also, just to be pretty, I wish the timeline had a more AI: TSF complexity- but understand the reason for the more simplified approach. Here's hoping for the next game!

[@Swrinny]

Good to hear you enjoyed it too! Yeah, actually comparing this game to Danganronpa (or Zero Escape / AI:TSF for that matter) is something that I think should be avoided because it doesn't live up to its darkness or complexity. Have to agree that the camp stages, or at least the talking bits, weren't mandatory for the story. But I thought it was a nice way of getting to know the characters more and seeing hints towards some future developments. The free time in Danganronpa was great but it mainly served an actual bonding/affinity system if I recall correctly :o And yeah the story branches merging together again later kind of surprised me too. I wasn't expecting a lot of timelines like in zero escape/AI:TSF or anything, but more than 2 at least!

[@ThePorkchopExpress975]

excellent review!!! i will definitely pick this up now!!! sounds like fun

[@Swrinny]

Thanks!! Hope you enjoy the game as much as I did :D

[@CreeperShorts]

Good video, I liked it!

[@MemoirOfWar]

Nice.