Magic, Puzzles and Monsters: The World Next Door Review

Player(s): 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC (via Steam)

It was a long time coming, but VIZ media has finally jumped into the world of video game publishing with its first title: The World Next Door. It’s an odd game that works hard to create its own identity in a world full of fantastic indies and does a solid job of it.

Uh-oh, somebody has been exposed.

The World Next Door is an action-puzzle narrative adventure. If you thought this was an odd mix, then you’re not alone. You play as Jun, a girl who is very interested in a parallel magical world called Emrys. There’s a lottery that’s held to determine who can go over to the magical world from ours for a brief amount of time, and Jun wins. The adventure begins with Jun being stuck in this magical world, and along the way she makes friends with a motley crew who helps her find a way home. The characters are very blatant archetypes and have very little to no growth throughout the game. This isn’t necessarily bad, as it helps keep the focus on Jun and her growth, but it is definitely a missed opportunity for having a more in-depth and engaging story with a very colorful cast. There are some fun character moments and there is a fun plot twist to make up for this, at least. You are also given the opportunity to make dialogue choices through the whole game. Most of them have no real consequence, but they certainly help make the story feel more personal. Between missions you can converse with your choice of friend, but you can’t talk to all of them. It is a bit of a cheap way to add replay value, but I enjoyed the concept, as it made the pressure of the story feel more realistic and immediate. Time is limited, and these limits on how many people you can converse with expresses this point.

The tutorial throws you right in.

The narrative has a ton of potential, but it feels unfinished and doesn’t develop the points it brings up. There’s no proper closure to a few of the big plot points that come up and when you beat the game, despite Jun’s main goal being addressed, you’re left with far more questions than answers. This sums up The World Next Door as a whole. It’s a game that has a lot of neat concepts but doesn’t quite follow through on developing them as it should.

Dialogue options are nice, but mostly pointless.

This transfers over into the gameplay as well. Your goal is to explore shrines full of monsters. The combat is done through the form of a match-3 puzzle game. The battlefield is filled with various runes, and you need to run around picking up these runes. You can swap rune places in order to have at least 3 matching. Once done, you can activate the set to unleash a different type of attack or heal yourself. It’s definitely a puzzle game, but masking the pointer as your character, and having the enemies actively attack your character makes the combat immensely fresh and exciting. The only problem is that while the enemies evolve a little bit over the course of the game in the way they attack you, the way you can hit them back does not. This causes the gameplay to get stale by the end of the game. It’s not bad, I just wish there was more to it.

A healing pool.

I feel like the developers knew this, because the game is relatively short, and is over before the combat has too much time to overstay its welcome. Despite my complaints about the underdeveloped combat, the bosses were extremely fun. Every single one had a different approach to taking you down and kept you on your toes. It turns into a hectic game of dodging combined with the puzzle mechanics that are far more interesting than anything the regular enemies throw at you, and it’s fantastic.

The shape of the battlefield will often create obstacles.

It’s not all dialogue and combat though. There are combat-free puzzles that net bonus items that go towards an achievement. They aren’t super challenging, but it’s a fun and welcome diversion. On top of this, you are given side quests around the magic school to complete. They all boil down to being fetch quests, but they involve some cute conversations that help make the game world feel lived-in.

The crew is certainly unique.

If there’s one thing I can’t complain about even if I wanted to, it’d be the aesthetic. The game’s art direction is gorgeous and very creative. Couple this with a fantastic soundtrack and my eyes and ears were happy the whole time. I especially loved the care that went into each of the characters. Every single one has a fantastic design that mixes the monster it represents with a human in fun ways.

You don't get to explore much of the campus.

Beyond an achievement that requires a second playthrough, there’s nothing to do in the game upon completing it. I was able to get all the achievements in about 7 hours. With an asking price of $14.99, I can easily recommend the game though. The game certainly feels like it’s begging for a sequel, and I hope that one ends up being made. There’s a ton of potential. I played through the whole adventure on Steam. The keyboard controls were a bit frustrating, so I ended up using an Xbox controller which made it a cinch to control. The World Next Door is available now on Steam and on the eShop. Very few games are like this one, and it really shows the potential of the relatively new Rose City Games. Check it out!

- Teepu

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Gameplay: B-
Sound: A
Graphics: A
Value: C+

OVERALL: B+

Pros:
+ The game is gorgeous and sounds great
+ Gameplay is fun and different
+ Bosses are great

Cons:
- Gameplay doesn’t evolve
- Almost no replay value
- Story feels incomplete

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Disclaimer: This game was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

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