Developer: Hyde, Witchcraft
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: Switch
Digimon Survive – Review
Digimon has been forever seen as the direct competitor of Pokémon, even though both franchises have totally different storylines and concepts. Pokémon focuses more on the collect-em-all formula, while Digimon often revolves around children who have only a single Digimon to accompany them on their adventures. Nonetheless, both series have had fairly lighthearted games, and we were actually surprised by the creepy atmosphere of Digimon Survive when we spent some time with the game. Even though the game is marketed as a visual novel with strategy elements, we found the strategy aspect of the game quite underwhelming but we loved the story that unfolded before our very eyes.
Story
Digimon Survive basically revolves around a group of high-schoolers who are going on a field trip. The trip starts out a bit rocky, as recent mild earthquakes have caused some students to be concerned. Nonetheless, the group is able to go on their trip, and some of the students eventually stray from the group. Upon doing so, they uncover a shrine that was once dedicated to the Kemonogami, which are basically the ‘beast gods’. When the group reaches the shrine, strange things start happening, and the young students, their group leader, and an old professor find themselves being chased by strange monsters. Soon after, however, the students are protected by other ‘monsters’, who wish to protect the group. When defeating several of their attackers, the teenagers wish to find a way back home, but they soon find out that their surroundings have drastically changed, making them seek refuge in a rundown school building. Little did they know the danger would not be over yet.
The story is presented via many dialogues and cutscenes and the overall story value is extremely high. It’s extremely entertaining plowing through the game’s story, and we also loved the very adult nature of the game, and the fact that the game even embedded some horror elements was surprising. If you expect this title to be a lighthearted children’s story, you couldn’t be more wrong.
Graphics
This game might just be one of the prettiest visual novels we have ever seen. The characters all look gorgeous and there are also a lot of animations and short cutscenes thrown in the mix. Not only are the characters (and Digimon) nicely illustrated and animated, but we also loved the game’s many backdrops, which all had loads of details. More than often we simply paused the dialogue to just look around the environment(s).
Contrasting the anime style of the visual novel portion of the game are the battles that are fought out on a grid. These battles transform the Digimon and the characters into chibi-esque forms which will then be visible on the battlefield. Dialogues still show the normal portraits. We also appreciated this presentation style, but it sometimes felt like the contrast might have been a bit too big.
Sound
The game’s sound design is of high quality. You’ll get loads of voiced dialogues, which are of superb quality. We did regret that the game isn’t fully voiced, as this would have made the experience even better. Nonetheless, what you’re getting here is amazingly handled, and we got sucked right into the game when going through the dialogues. The soundtrack and sound effects are also very decent, and these often set the tone for things to come.
Gameplay
Digimon Survive is a visual novel with a few turn-based battles thrown into the mix. While the game is marketed as a strategy title, we can easily say that this game is almost a pure visual novel, with the occasional battle thrown in-between to spice things up. In all honesty, this title reminds us of Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception, which followed almost the same formula. This means you’ll plow through story-heavy segments most of the time, and from time to time, the story-related content makes way for a few turn-based battles. Unlike Mask of Deception, however, Digimon Survive involves a lot more choices during the dialogues which will then also shape the story that ensues. Some choices may even have grave consequences.
The visual novel portion speaks for itself, you can go through the story segments, and then from time to time, you’ll have to make choices. These choices will influence how certain characters bond with you, as well as change portions of the story. Sometimes, however, it’s not completely clear what the result of certain choices will be, as the options can be a bit abstract at times. Outside of the normal story dialogues, you’ll also have to explore your surroundings, be it by interacting with characters or items, but also by using your camera to reveal things that cannot be seen with the naked eye. These mechanics offer a nice change of pace, and they also allow for more player interaction. You’ll have to move to different areas to explore, and you can try and move through the story by only interacting with the main objectives but you can also explore every nook and cranny in order to find some hidden items.
Survive’s battles are a fairly simplistic affair. For each battle, you’ll have specific win or lose conditions, and more than often you can choose several Digimon to fight on the battlefield. A lot of battles do have conditions that certain Digimon have to be used. You’ll have the main story-related critters that you can choose from, but you can also persuade other Digimon to join your party. You have to do so by talking to them in battles, and then they will ask you a set number of questions. Give answers to their liking, and they may join your team. This mechanic reminded us a bit of the Shin Megami Tensei games, where you had to persuade monsters in a similar fashion. All in all, we did find the battles to be a bit underwhelming and they also felt like an afterthought rather than a main component of the game.
Conclusion
Digimon Survive is an interesting visual novel with a great story and it does not shy away from adult topics and spooky vibes. The game was not only interesting when looking at its story, but the animations were simply amazing, and we also loved the many voiced dialogues. The battles, however, while entertaining, felt like an afterthought rather than a main component of the game. Even so, this is one of the most fun visual novels we have played in a while, and if you’re into the genre, we suggest looking into this one.
Digimon Survive - Review,
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