twewy is a really interesting game. nearly every design decision here is a unique one, and it feels like the game was tailor-made to make as best use of it's hardware as it could (probably because it literally was). this has it's ups and downs when it comes to gameplay; twewy feels noticeably constrained by both technical limitations and the literal time of it's release, but it also functions as a very interesting period piece that hasn't been replicated elsewhere. to me, things like the pin evolution system (especially mingle mode) and the byte system feel as though they were considered within a 2007 japan context and absolutely no other, to a somewhat frustrating degree. it doesn't feel very good playing this game after the fact to have the game's replacement for level ups gated by real-world time, and it especially doesn't feel good for many of the pins worth using to be locked behind interacting with other DS users when there are no other DS users these days. it's arguably a cohesive design choice with the themes of the game, sure, but it's a design choice that has literally aged badly, which i have never really encountered before. twewy's handheld-focused design choices also honestly kind of clash with the progression of the game, which has a tendency to lock you out of areas quite regularly. this isn't to say i think these choices were unequivocally wrong or misguided, i just think that in the rush to do things different some degree of playability was lost. what i can praise, however, is the battle system and how it interacts with the story. i don't actually find the battling in twewy incredibly enjoyable, but it's very effective at getting you into the headspace of neku, with the player initially feeling as though their partner is a burden but eventually opening up and allowing the player to make the most of their combined DPS as a party. it's not the most dense ARPG combat ever made, but i did feel that it really really worked with the story in a way some of the other unique design choices didn't.
as for the story, twewy is mostly pretty enjoyable! this is a story entirely driven by the development of it's main character, and i tend to always like those types of stories, but i do seriously think twewy's exploration of social isolation and depression is pretty strong. the game is obviously written directed towards a teenage audience, and i never felt like it was talking down nor did i feel that it simplified the personal development of it's protagonist too much. stories about these themes tend to feel, to me, that they're written by people who don't really experience those feelings but feel the need to speak to those who do. twewy didn't feel like that at all. what did bother me a bit was the overemphasis of worldbuilding for the rules of the reaper's game, and how those rules often aren't meaningfully used. just as an example; the phone upgrades hanekoma provides really feel like just "more stuff" to add to the table. they don't really come into play with the game's themes and they don't add to the gameplay. reaper creeper and keywords are another example. i feel like in a larger game that's less constrained, these things would matter a lot as puzzle solving tools and would be more than just throwaway bits in the story, but here they don't add up to anything.
overall, i feel like a lot of how you're going to feel about twewy depends on how charmed you are by it's style and bravery. this is perhaps the most 2007 game to ever exist, for better or for worse. personally, a lot of what twewy attempts didn't land, but it's easy to see how it would for someone else.
as for the story, twewy is mostly pretty enjoyable! this is a story entirely driven by the development of it's main character, and i tend to always like those types of stories, but i do seriously think twewy's exploration of social isolation and depression is pretty strong. the game is obviously written directed towards a teenage audience, and i never felt like it was talking down nor did i feel that it simplified the personal development of it's protagonist too much. stories about these themes tend to feel, to me, that they're written by people who don't really experience those feelings but feel the need to speak to those who do. twewy didn't feel like that at all. what did bother me a bit was the overemphasis of worldbuilding for the rules of the reaper's game, and how those rules often aren't meaningfully used. just as an example; the phone upgrades hanekoma provides really feel like just "more stuff" to add to the table. they don't really come into play with the game's themes and they don't add to the gameplay. reaper creeper and keywords are another example. i feel like in a larger game that's less constrained, these things would matter a lot as puzzle solving tools and would be more than just throwaway bits in the story, but here they don't add up to anything.
overall, i feel like a lot of how you're going to feel about twewy depends on how charmed you are by it's style and bravery. this is perhaps the most 2007 game to ever exist, for better or for worse. personally, a lot of what twewy attempts didn't land, but it's easy to see how it would for someone else.