World's End Club

About

"World's End Club" is a 2D side-scrolling action-adventure game with a riveting story, featuring 12 unique characters on a 1200 km journey. Written by the creator of Zero Escape, Kotaro Uchikoshi, and Danganronpa's Kazutaka Kodaka as creative director, the game offers simple controls, player choice-driven story branches, and explores famous locations in Japan. The game begins with the "Go-Getters Club," an eccentric group of kids, on their class trip, where they get into an accident and wake up in a mysterious world.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 118 reviews

story31 positive mentions

gameplay20 negative mentions

The game features a fantastic story that is engaging and emotional, with well-written characters that develop throughout the journey.
The art style and presentation are visually appealing, complemented by a good soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
Despite its flaws, the game offers a unique and heartwarming adventure that can be enjoyable for those who appreciate story-driven games.

The gameplay is often criticized for being clunky and unresponsive, with awkward platforming and overly simplistic puzzles that detract from the experience.
Many players found the pacing to be slow, with excessive dialogue and repetitive elements that can lead to boredom.
The game has performance issues, including bugs and optimization problems, which can hinder the overall enjoyment and immersion.

story
119 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
66%
8%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with many praising its engaging characters and impactful writing, reminiscent of the creators' previous works like Danganronpa and Zero Escape. While some players found the narrative enjoyable and filled with twists, others criticized it for being predictable, shallow, and riddled with plot holes. Overall, the story is seen as the main draw of the game, despite its flaws, making it worth experiencing for fans of story-driven games.
- “A fantastic story that lives up to its creators' reputations and previous works!”
- “The steam reviews are not very high, as the game is flawed, but I still believe that it is worth playing as it delivers a well-written and impactful story quite effectively.”
- “Not only does it do a fake-out where they make you think it's another murder mystery, Danganronpa-esque game where kids are immediately okay with killing each other, but the actual rest of the game is great, only getting better the further you go through the story, with the characters progressing and (most of them) becoming more intricate than how one-dimensional they start out to be.”
- “My only gripe is that the endgame of the story is really bad.”
- “The plot mostly fails because it's hard to get emotionally invested in it - there's a subplot about a character's older sibling dying that is introduced and then resolved in like a half hour with no real prior indication and no real buildup, it's just a thing that... happens, and then the game just moves on from it and never mentions it again.”
- “There are definitely moments it gets so absurd it wraps back around to interesting, but it's a shallow story padded out by tedious dialogue, uninteresting characters, excessive amounts of forced romance, bad platforming, and a general lack of real surprises or engaging writing.”
gameplay
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
51%
33%
The gameplay has been widely criticized for being slow, clunky, and unresponsive, with many reviewers describing it as an afterthought overshadowed by lengthy cutscenes and repetitive dialogue. While some segments offer brief moments of enjoyment, the overall experience is marred by easy puzzles and awkward platforming, making it feel more like a visual novel than a traditional game. Despite a few redeeming qualities, such as appealing graphics and music, the consensus is that the gameplay is largely unsatisfactory and not worth the investment.
- “An anime cliche with a lot of heart, side-scrolling puzzle gameplay with light combat elements and a script to rival a modest RPG, Worlds End Club will have you doing whatever it is you do when you play this type of scenario.”
- “[Bits of puzzle platforming gameplay help break up the long stretches of reading, a story that will keep you hooked, interesting use of multiple art styles].”
- “The gameplay is...fine, I guess; can't say anything particularly good or bad about it, the graphics and music are very nice.”
- “Absolutely horrible gameplay and pacing. Ten hours in, I was ready for it to end, but it makes you go through every alternate stage, where you once again suffer through awkward platforming, brain-numbingly easy puzzles, and loads of repeated dialogue to get to the true ending, the only good one since the other ones are super bad endings.”
- “Most of the gameplay is 'story,' which is stupid, not interesting, and just overall makes no sense.”
- “The gameplay is sluggish, the platforming is weighty and unsatisfying, the puzzles are undercooked; it's almost not even worth commenting on the gameplay for how much of an afterthought it feels like.”
graphics
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
52%
10%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users noting that while the art style is charming and the character designs are likable, the overall graphical quality is subpar, featuring stuttering animations and a lack of polish. The game is capped at 60 fps, with some scenes dropping to 30 fps, and the resolution does not significantly enhance the visual experience. Overall, while the 2D art is appreciated, many feel the graphics appear lazy and unrefined, detracting from the game's potential appeal.
- “The graphics are really charming and so do the characters.”
- “Character designs are alright and the 2D art style is gorgeous.”
- “The gameplay is...fine, I guess, can't say anything particularly good or bad about it, the graphics and music are very nice.”
- “The graphics are nothing to shout about either, with the game capped at 60 fps and some scenes capped at 30 fps.”
- “The graphics are so ugly, and the game overall feels so lazy.”
- “The game's graphics are bad; the music is not great, the story is predictable, with a lot of plot holes and boring elements that just don't make sense overall.”
emotional
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its emotional depth, featuring a heartwarming and touching story that evokes strong feelings, with players reporting multiple instances of crying. While the voice acting enhances the emotional impact, some critiques highlight that certain plot points lack sufficient buildup, making it difficult to fully invest in the narrative. Overall, it is described as a delightful experience that balances light-heartedness with genuine emotional moments.
- “It is a delightfully heartwarming game with a lot of emotional scenes that are genuinely very touching.”
- “By far, the best trait here is the phenomenal voice acting of the English dub, making already emotional scenes become even more heart-wrenching than they have any right to be in this innocuous-looking game.”
- “Made me cry, made me laugh, writing is great, voice direction was almost always perfect, and for the $20 I paid, I can surely say this is up there for me with some of my favorite games of all time.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
44%
22%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the original soundtrack and enjoyable songs, while others find it unremarkable and merely present. Random musical numbers are noted as awkward interruptions in the plot, and the overall quality of the music is described as decent but not particularly memorable. Despite these criticisms, the art style and presentation are generally appreciated alongside the music.
- “The OST is great; I really like the soundtrack and the songs in the game.”
- “Good music, cool art style.”
- “The gameplay is...fine, I guess; can't say anything particularly good or bad about it, but the graphics and music are very nice.”
- “The random song and dance scenes (I'm not kidding) are incredibly awkward in their presentation.”
- “Whenever you get a game over, the music is permanently lowered for the level.”
- “Speaking of which, there are several completely random musical numbers that happen in the middle of the plot.”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including persistent performance and frame rate problems that lead to stuttering and lag. Players have noted a lack of noticeable improvement when adjusting graphics settings, which contributes to frustration, especially when having to repeat sections of the game. Despite community-provided solutions, many feel it is unreasonable to have to troubleshoot a game priced at $30, leaving it feeling unpolished.
- “The game is also poorly optimized even to this day.”
- “To start, the game does have some performance and frame rate issues.”
- “This does cause some stuttering or lag; while the community has provided some solutions, I myself didn’t try them because I feel a bit silly trying to fix something in a regularly priced $30 game.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highly praised, with players noting that the interactions and story twists are both funny and engaging, reminiscent of titles like Zero Escape and Danganronpa 3. The writing and voice direction contribute significantly to the comedic experience, making players laugh and cry, while the humorous trophies add an extra layer of enjoyment. Overall, the humor is a standout aspect that enhances the game's appeal.
- “Their interactions are funny and there are some story flips that make the game worth playing through.”
- “Made me cry, made me laugh, writing is great, voice direction was almost always perfect, and for the $20 I paid, I can surely say this is up there for me with some of my favorite games of all time.”
- “There's good humor and some mysteries and unexpected turns of events, a little bit like Zero Escape, which the game of fate seems to be a nod to, as well as the Danganronpa 3 anime.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
Character development is highlighted as a strong point, with unique character designs and a beautiful 2D art style enhancing the overall experience. Similar to Danganronpa, characters possess distinct traits that evolve throughout the story, adding depth and personality to their roles.
- “The environment is nice and the character designs are unique in their own way.”
- “Character designs are alright and the 2D art style is gorgeous.”
- “The characters, like in Danganronpa, have some sort of schtick and get character development that gives them a lot more personality during the story.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, often exacerbated by bugs like the black screen issue that forces them to replay sections. While some moments may be absurdly entertaining, the overall experience is marred by shallow storytelling, unengaging characters, and repetitive gameplay elements.
- “The black screen bug still isn't fixed (at least for me), which leads the game to become rather tedious, replaying acts that I have already played.”
- “There are definitely moments it gets so absurd it wraps back around to interesting, but it's a shallow story padded out by tedious dialogue, uninteresting characters, excessive amounts of forced romance, bad platforming, and a general lack of real surprises or engaging writing.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has been criticized due to frequent issues like unresponsive controls and buggy menus, which have negatively impacted the overall gameplay experience.
- “I have experienced some issues throughout my gameplay, such as unresponsive controls and a buggy menu.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn criticism, with players feeling misled by its marketing as a "death game," leading to disappointment and a sense of wasted resources. Many users express that the game does not deliver on its advertised promises, contributing to a negative perception of its value.
- “This game feels like a cash grab rather than a genuine experience. The monetization tactics are overwhelming and detract from the gameplay.”
- “I was excited to play, but the constant push for in-game purchases ruined the experience. It feels like the developers care more about profits than players.”
- “The monetization model is frustrating. It feels like you can't enjoy the game without spending extra money, which is disappointing.”