You know a game has a grip on you when you say something like, "I'd have bought a Nintendo DS just to play it". The World Ends With You (TWEWY) was just such a game for me, and knowing that I'd get to play it again on the iOS platform immediately dredged up a host of happy memories spent lazily enjoying its Beat'em-up RPG-like gameplay. The reason I'm gushing from the outset is to establish a base-level of 'rose-tinted glasses' for our readers/viewers and perhaps to soften the blow of the following statement: TWEWY for iPhone and iPad is not perfect.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it doesn't live up to the original Nintendo DS game just because it removes an entire screen - in fact the game's solution to this issue is quite elegant - or because it somehow messes with the original in a fundamental way (it doesn't), but rather that the port is so faithful that despite the vast improvements made to the game, it retains many of the basic flaws of the original such as the dated use of text bubbles to tell the story.

When you take this in to consideration you can focus on the game's many successes, including a revamping of the visuals to a glorious Retina-quality resolution and retooled social systems such as the Tin Pin Slammers side-game; Twitter integration; and easy to use trading. Despite already existing on the Nintendo DS, this feels like a game designed from the ground-up for the iOS platform.

You play the game (ostensibly) as Neku, a smart-alec loner-type who finds himself lost in the UG, or 'Underground', and forced to play a game run by The Reapers or face being erased. Along his journey he bumps in to other 'players', forming pacts of friendship in order to defeat the 'Noise'- creatures controlled by The Reapers. It's a game with distinctly Japanese themes (aside from the fact that it's set in the trendy Shibuya District of Tokyo).

TWEWY's central gameplay revolves around 'pins' - collectable items that can be used to unlock various powers in combat including active abilities and passive boosts. They can be leveled up to increase their potency and potentially even 'evolve' in to powerful new pins if they earn enough of the right experience, and to get them all you'll need to invest in trading with other players.

Of course their best use comes in the form of direct combat with Noise, with each pin activating based on a specific gesture used on screen, from swiping to tapping or even moving Neku around the screen. Your partner can also get in on the act too, making it easy to dish out huge amounts of damage, especially if you alternate attacks to 'sync' up and activate a super-power.

Things get even more complicated when fashion trends start to influence the strength of your equipped clothes and pins, while eating food (up to 24 'bytes' a day) can also give you a permanent stat boost, and turning off your game to go do something else can earn you experience for your pins (up to a set limit).

If there's any downside to playing The World Ends With You, it's that iPhone users are unlikely to be using a stylus, resulting in a fair share of misclicks, but it's hard to complain at all on the iPad, especially when it proves to be so responsive.

A final note of mention goes to the price of the game - something I'm sure will become a hot topic of discussion. If you own the original, then you know whether or not you want to invest in this game; if you loved it, then you're being afforded a chance to play it again in a readily accessible form. If you didn't own the original, you'd be mad not to get it, especially if it goes on sale; even if you can get the original at the same price, this version features improved visuals and gameplay features, making it worth making your primary choice.