Digimon, as a franchise, appears to be going by means of one thing of a very good interval. We received’t be entering into the large monster franchise right here for comparability, or the numerous impartial/smaller collectable rivals, though I do miss each Jade Cocoon and Monster Rancher. Nonetheless, Digimon, after a substantial period of time not fairly having the success of the “Different Franchise,” and being the longest working competitor that’s nonetheless going, lastly to be off it’s normal shelf when it comes to gross sales, at one level being increased on the Steam gross sales pre-order checklist then Battlefield 6.
I, for one, have very a lot been on the Digimon facet of the monster divide since my childhood, having watched Digimon Journey 1, 2, and Tamers and the proceeded to fall off on the anime facet till Ghost Sport. I’ve maintaining with what non-mobile Digimon video games I’ve been in a position to, and nonetheless have a few of my Digimon card recreation playing cards someplace round right here. I’ve been a tad aggravated by Bandai Namco’s advertising and marketing tendencies previously, though I do imagine I observe the logic. It’s all the time had extra area of interest collection for a bigger writer, and so they usually have devoted fanbases that’ll do the advertising and marketing for his or her titles. The Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Collection being the opposite collection that’s a poster youngster for them.
Then there’s Tekken and Darkish Souls, the latter of which’s main recognition and influenced within the gaming sphere nonetheless amazes me to this present day, that are it’s huge hitters now. Can Time Stranger get Digimon into being Bamco’s third largest franchise? That continues to be to be seen, and I’m not smug sufficient to make that assumption. Is Time Stranger a very good recreation, and price enjoying? That I really feel marginally extra certified to touch upon, so let’s take a look, we could? As normal, all footage will likely be from pretty early on within the recreation, and this evaluate will likely be as spoiler gentle as potential.
Why Do You Look Acquainted?
Time Stranger begins, after you make your alternative of who’s going to be the Agent and who’s going to be the Operator, in a theatre. A personality, who folks that’ve performed the Digimon Story Cybersleuth sub-series and apparently Re-Digitize, will likely be aware of, however significantly youthful, sits your Agent down and has you watch a extremely stylized film that includes somebody that occurs to appear to be your Agent, a Digimon that I’m not fairly sure hasn’t had a significant function in different Digimedia, and your Operator, earlier than it pans out to your preliminary space of Higashi-Shinjuku: Imaginative and prescient Sq..
It escalates pretty rapidly within the hour after that, the place you meet somebody that’ll be an necessary face for the remainder of the sport, and get used to the fight and- one thing of the overall vibe of the sport? Tone is troublesome to touch upon, for the reason that franchise has by no means actually been one to restrict itself to a selected style or what could be regarded as it’s anticipated age-rating. Anyhow, at first of the sport, you’re in a park surrounded by individuals, and roughly a hour in you on prime of a secret authorities constructing punching a Kuwagamon within the face, as Kuwagamon are usually as an ongoing deal within the collection. After which- nicely, then issues begin to decide up additional. It’s extraordinarily well-paced, and opens questions that get neatly answered all through the sport’s runtime.
Why Are You Dressed Like…?
So, after one thing of an sudden occasion — one in every of many — you end up in a well-known however subtly modified place, and into the Digi-meat of the sport. So, how is it? Battle-wise, it’s principally a largely improved model of the Cybersleuth gameplay system. Pretty easy turn-based mechanics to start out, nevertheless it does ramp up beginning with the third or fourth main story boss, including new mechanics for bosses the deeper you get into the sport. Admittedly, some extra irritating than others. I’m primarily taking a look at an enormous silly chook boss for the earliest instance of them getting a skosh irritating.
There are presently confirmed to be 451 accessible Digimon throughout the a number of ranges of Digivolution, from “Recent” to “Final,” and it principally tends to stay inside the less complicated parameters of these levels and every thing in between. Principally. There are a number of Fusions, though so far as I’m conscious it the checklist doesn’t go too deeply into the weeds of the more- let’s say obscure variations of Digimon. So far as I’m conscious it doesn’t deal with among the newer new Digimon, though it’s my understanding that Bandai Namco does have plans so as to add extra in future.
Wait, Who ARE-
That’s to not say that the fight is wholly uninteresting, fairly the opposite. Except you progress the issue all the way down to Story Mode as a result of a boss will get too irritating and also you don’t need to take care of repeating it or grinding. Each of that are fully comprehensible causes, don’t let anybody inform you in any other case. For those who do, there’s virtually all the time a Digimon that has what’s wanted to deal with a scenario, it’d take a little bit of time to get there, nonetheless. However the fight and gameplay comes a really shut second to the story and characters.
It will in all probability be shocking for these comparatively new to the franchise, or have dismissed it as not the “Different Franchise,” however the Digimon Story video games and exhibits are inclined to go locations, and have genuinely very human, very deep moments. Time Stranger isn’t any completely different in that regard, however as a part of my wanting to maintain this as spoiler-free as potential I can’t go too deeply into it. What I can say, nonetheless, is that the sport reside and dies on how and in the event you come to take care of it’s solid. You watch quite a few of us — principally Digimon — develop all through, and whether or not you get invested of their tales or not are a significant a part of in the event you’re going to love the locations it goes.
I for one, grew fairly strongly connected to the 2 foremost voiced characters, Aegiomon and Inori, and their dynamic is the large driving pressure of the sport. Yeah, I do know, I hear from the extra skilled Digifans,’ a Digimon and their associate being what makes you care, “what an enormous shock.” That is actually true, however since they’re the principle two, they’ve to hold the story and… I personally suppose they accomplish that. Once more, the story as a complete isn’t weak within the least, it’s Digimon, each story-based Digistory has at the very least been fairly good, however these two because the emotional core glue it collectively fairly nicely.
…Lengthy Story, You Say? Hmm…
So, as a complete, what do I consider it? That’s a skosh troublesome to say. I’m largely an enormous fan of the sport, the story’s nice, the characters are fairly good to implausible. The gameplay loop of battling, elevating, and coaching your Digimon doesn’t get annoying though it could possibly sometimes be fatiguing. The Agent Talent system the place a great deal of making issues simpler for your self and your Digimon to get to the stat parameters they need and must get to the following stage is pretty easy and intuitive to to make use of, must you keep in mind to often allocate your Agent Talent factors as you earn them by going by means of the story and doing facet quests. The Digifarm is there, and is definitely pretty streamlined and less complicated to make use of than it has been, and never tremendous intrusive. You don’t should preserve going again to it, except you really put Digimon into the farm, and also you simply have to search out the golden door in every space to get again to the In-Between Theatre through which it resides.
My solely actual points are a number of main boss battles, the latter two are deeper in and make sense for his or her issue. There are minor ones as nicely, I’m not wholly sure why the cardboard recreation that I can’t keep in mind the title of is there, except it’s simply meant to interrupt up the battles, through which case I suppose it’s truthful. Most likely the weakest card recreation in a RPG I’ve seen since Tetra Grasp in Last Fantasy 9, though in contrast to that one it’s by no means necessary to play. There’s additionally the same old subject with Bamco RPGs with there being $8 DLC for grinding dungeons, however that’s unobtrusive and fully not wanted except you’re pressed for time or don’t need to grind usually, which I totally perceive. That and cosmetics are what DLC are meant for, in any case.
Do I like to recommend Time Stranger? Sure, however that’s a professional sure, if largely contemplating how issues are as of the time of this writing. I totally suggest it in the event you’re a Digimon fan, like RPGs, and are open to wild, emotional rides. At full worth? That’s additionally a professional sure, however that’s solely due to how sturdy a yr it’s been for video games generally. I’m not going to go on at size, you’ve lived by means of 2025, simply the identical as I’ve — congratulations on making it this far, by the way — it’s actually only a matter of cash and tastes, and the yr nonetheless isn’t over. I don’t love Time Stranger as a lot as I do a number of different video games I’ve performed this yr, that checklist will come on the finish of the yr, God keen, however I do nonetheless adore it. You would possibly need to await it’s first sale when you’ve got different considerations, it’s a Bamco title and so they are inclined to do these on a reasonably widespread foundation, however do give it a shot, on the very least.
