It occurs to me that my first attempt to draw interest wasn't very good, so I'm going to take another swing at it now.
The Reaper's Game is the backdrop of a game by Square Enix on the Nintendo DS by the name of The World Ends With You. It had an updated rerelease on the Nintendo Switch not too long ago. TWEWY is a bit difficult to talk about because the game likes to drip feed you information, to the point where you don't know the lead's name until the second in-game day (admittedly the first day is incredibly short) and you don't even understand the basics of the Reaper's game until day 4 or 5. I'm... basically ignoring the plot of TWEWY as far as the condition of Shibuya. It's just easier that way.
The setup for the Reaper's Game is phenomenal. A number of people who died in Shibuya wake up at random parts of the city, suddenly invisible and unheard to the masses of Shibuya. Each day these "Players" must complete a single task each day given to them by the reapers or be Erased (remember they're dead so killing them doesn't make sense)If they survive till the end of the week, they get a second chance at life. Is isn' easy because throughout the week they are hounded by Reapers who set up invisible barriers to stop their progress until certain conditions are met, or outright deploy monsters called Noise to Erase them. Noise are invisible enemies that feed off of negative emotion and inhabit Shibuya by the thousands. They are mindless but dangerous, often used as Pawns of the Reapers
For unknown reasons teamwork is one of the most important things in the Reaper's game. A player needs to have a partner by the end of day one or they are automatically erased. The only way to fight Noise is by harnessing the "psyches" granted by Pins or certain personal mediums (coins, skateboards, phones, one character uses a cat plushie) which is impossible without a Partner. Furthermore, the missions involved in the game require a vast knowledge of Shibuya and it's trends. In the words of a certain important someone "Trust Your Partner"
Of course, the difficulty in trusting your partner is compounded by the mountains of issues and trauma that almost everyone in the game has for one reason or another. Add on to that is the existence of an "entry fee" by which the most important thing in the world to each player is taken away, with a promise that it will be returned in 7 days if they win the game. The entry fee is always extremely hefty, someone's memory, someone's dreams, someone's hopes, and even someone's relationship with someone else. All can be chosen as an entry fee, and in many cases, it's difficult for a player to remain stable and hopeful without it.
The game is also interesting because despite being modern there's still a lot of equipment in the game. Instead of weapons, you have Pins each of which wields a psyche related to its design and or the name of the Pin.
The one in the top left is called Masamune, and it grants the shockwave psyche that creates a psychic blade. The one in the middle is Ice Blow and it creates a pillar of ice rising from the ground through the Piercing Pillar psyche. The one to the right is Pyrokinesis, guess what it grants you? The On the bottom is the Red Skull Pin, one I don't recognize, and the Player Pin itself which grants the Players the ability to scan for Noise, people's thoughts, and imprint ideas into people's heads.
But what's a weapon without any armor? In addition to the Pins, Players can dress up in clothing created by the 13 big brands in Shibuya (styled after the Chinese Zodiac, plus the Cat) to increase their style as well as the potential of their psyches. To be honest, it doesn't make a lot of sense but since psyches and Noise are mental creatures... Well someone in a black biker jacket and a black bandana probably looks a lot scarier than someone in a plain shirt and jeans.
So remember...
In TWEWY the game is almost upended by the behind the scenes actions of others, but in a way the Reaper's Game also continues as planned. Weak players are erased, strong players endure, and the Soul and Creativity of the Players is put to the test as they figure out the missions and learn to use powerful psyches to combat the Noise. Even without all the plotting behind the scenes the Reaper's Game has a powerful emotional tug to it. It can be the source of much tragedy and pain, as well as personal growth and happiness. Eternal bonds can be forged or snipped away by the game. And of all the desires that mankind can think of. Isn't living one of the most important there is?
With a backdrop like that I thought that making our own version of the Reaper's game would be interesting. So, is anyone interested in making some players to play the game?
All I'm asking for is some characters with full Bios and an entry fee (and preferably a helping of personal drama) to get thrown into the game and then shackled at the hip as partners. Add in a few Reapers or two to stir up trouble and I think we have a good recipe for a good dramatic story
