Developer: Media.Vision
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Tested on: PC
Digimon Story: Time Stranger – Review
No matter how you slice it, when it comes to the monster-catching JRPG genre, Pokémon reigns supreme. Games like Palworld and TemTem may have taken their shot at the crown, but they ultimately came up short against Pikachu and pals. Over the past two decades, the only contender that came close was Digimon in the early 2000s. To those of you who haven’t been keeping up with Bandai’s answer to Pokémon, it may come as a surprise that Digimon is still going strong. Admittedly, we haven’t been to the Digital World since the series’ first movie ourselves, but with Pokémon Legends: Z-A still a speck on the horizon, we felt like it was a good time to give Digimon’s latest outing a shot. Can Digimon Story: Time Stranger scratch our monster-catching itch?
Story
Set in modern-day Tokyo, Time Stranger puts you in the role of an agent of ADAMAS, an organization tasked with investigating mysterious anomalies. These strange occurrences cause the lines between the real world and the digital world to blur, causing Digimon to appear. During one of your missions, Tokyo is struck by the Shinjuku Inferno, a catastrophic event involving several powerful Digimon that devastate the city. In the chaos, you get caught in an explosion, but instead of dying, you’re thrown back eight years into the past. Upon realizing that the Shinjuku Inferno hasn’t occurred yet, your new mission becomes clear: find out what caused the event and prevent it from happening. The key to the mystery seems to lie with Inori Misono, a kind-hearted girl, and her bond with Aegiomon, a faun-like Digimon suffering from amnesia. Without venturing too much into spoiler territory, the story that unfolds sees you travel between Tokyo and the Digital World of Illiad, a vibrant realm ruled by the Olympus XII, twelve god-like Digimon, who play an integral part in the plot.
Graphics
The way Time Stranger presents itself is very much like an anime series, and that’s not just because of the character and monster designs. Cutscenes and special attack animations make use of dramatic camera angles and visual effects that add oomph. Combined with the vibrant color palettes and clean, cel-shaded character models, the game absolutely nails the overall look and feel of the franchise. The different biomes of the Digital World in particular stand out, with distinct areas ranging from a rustic mechanical jungle to the lively hub that is Central Town. In contrast, the depiction of Tokyo feels constrained by having to stick to a realistic depiction. It looks like it’s supposed to, but it’s missing the imagination and creativity that is present in the Digital World. The game runs surprisingly smoothly as well, with no notable slowdown or other visual hiccups.
Sound
If there’s one complaint we have about Time Stranger’s soundtrack, it’s that it doesn’t include the original Digimon theme song. Call us nostalgic, but that’s one earworm that still lives rent-free in our heads two decades on. What we get here in terms of music instead is a fairly typical anime-style JRPG soundtrack. While fitting with the game’s atmosphere, it isn’t particularly memorable. The game’s ambiance does a much better job at tying the soundscape together, with the background noise in Illiad in particular creating the feeling of a world that is alive and lived in. While the game’s voice acting is generally good, it’s inconsistent in that not every scene has voice work, and some scenes are only partially voiced, which is jarring. The player character isn’t even voiced at all, which makes for awkward scenes when their mouth moves and dialogue is shown on screen. Fortunately, the audio for the actual Digimon themselves fares a lot better, with battle cries and attack sounds in particular standing out as they add depth and impact to the combat animations.
Gameplay
We’ve played our fair share of non-Pokémon monster-catching JRPGs, from Coromon to Nexomon, but somehow the Digimon games eluded us until now. We can’t speak from the perspective of series veterans, but we can say that Time Stranger works great as an introduction to Digimon’s gameplay. There are many familiar elements here, of course, with the game being built around collecting monsters and using them in turn-based battles, but Digimon’s unique evolution mechanics and team-building system give Time Stranger an identity of its own. Time Stranger is inevitably driven by its narrative, but there is plenty of room for side quests and exploration, leading to a game that feels like it offers a lot of freedom.
With over 450 Digimon available in the game, it makes sense that the critters form the heart of the game. Our own knowledge of the Digimon roster is limited, but seeing fan-favorite characters from the 2000s making early game appearances definitely put a nostalgic smile on our face. Adding Digimon to your roster requires you to battle a number of that specific monster. Once you’ve obtained 100% of their DNA, you can summon them, although the game recommends striving for 200% so that you can summon a more powerful version of the same creature instead.
With such a huge roster and a myriad of systems, you might think that taking your team of up to six critters into battle would be a daunting affair. Fortunately, despite the strategic depth that Time Stranger offers, things are kept as accessible as possible. The combat UI is clean and easy to read, and you can instantly look up a wealth of information mid-battle if needed. You command three active Digimon at once, with three in reserve, should the front line fall. Meet specific requirements, and your Digimon can be Digivolved into its next form. You can De-Digivolve them too, so that you can then have them Digivolve into a different branching path.
We feel like we’ve only barely scratched the surface when it comes to Digimon’s mechanics, with elements like the Attribute Triad, Elemental Affinities, and even Digimon Personalities all playing a part in how effective your team is. If you’re the kind of player who loves to take deep dives into efficiency and min-maxing a party, you’re going to love what’s on offer here. The game offers a higher difficulty level than Pokémon, with Time Stranger’s boss battles in particular acting as difficulty spikes. Grinding your Digimon to face off against these powerful opponents is made more manageable thanks to auto-battle options, adjustable battle speed, and even automatic training at the so-called DigiFarm. Time Stranger really aims to make everything as accessible as possible while still offering hardcore players plenty to chew on. It’s a philosophy that ties into Time Stranger being a very comprehensive Digimon game that everyone can enjoy.
Even then, there is one Elephantmon in the room that we need to address: Time Stranger offers a sizable package, with the base game offering around 40 hours of content for €69.99. While that is a fairly standard price point for a game these days, this is further supplemented by more expensive Deluxe and Ultimate editions. The content included in these is so limited, comprising mostly cosmetics, that we’re confident saying that, for now, you’re best off sticking to the base game. Content worth playing may roll around with the Season Pass, but by the time that gets to the good stuff, the game may have seen a discount or two.
Conclusion
Agumon and Patamon may not be at the forefront of pop culture like they were in 2002 anymore, but moving away from the spotlight gave the Digimon series the room to breathe and Digivolve into something that is more mature and distinct from Pokémon, despite the obvious similarities in both series’ core gameplay. We’re still looking forward to Pokémon Legends Z-A, but Time Stranger both set a high bar for Game Freak’s upcoming title, and it got us interested in returning to Digimon’s back catalogue once we’re done exploring Lumiose City.
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