The moment Bandai Namco announced Digimon Story: Time Stranger, I was excited. As a fan of the Cyber Sleuth duology, it was great to see this style of Digimon game get another entry. While I don’t want to sound like a gaming snob, seeing an entry in this niche series receive stellar visuals and AAA-like game design pleased me.
While the game doesn’t come out till October, Bandai Namco did release a free demo that fans can download right now. You get to play through the entire first chapter and can even transfer data to the main game once it comes out next month. On paper, it’s the best kind of demo a big publisher can release, but how does the game play?
Let’s get the ball rolling. Here are my impressions of the Digimon Story: Time Stranger demo.
Finally: A Full English Dub
I don’t want to start a war between the sub and dub community, because fans on both sides are VERY annoying, but it is very nice to have an English dub for Digimon Story: Time Stranger.
After the Cyber Sleuth games were ported with only Japanese voice acting, having English voices is a relief. It shows that Bandai Namco is willing to spend more money to try and win fans over, so this effort is appreciated.
Furthermore, it’s not just the humans who talk; your Digimon speak in full English as well! Just like the show, the Digimon can speak full sentences and shout the names of their signature moves shonen anime-style. Considering how Pokemon won’t even add any voice acting for its games, this is pretty cool.
Speaking of Pokemon…
The Scarlet and Violet Influence
Digimon Story: Time Stranger does away with the random battles from Cyber Sleuth, at least it does in this introduction area. You can now see enemy Digimon on the field, so engaging with them via turn-based battles or retreating is an option. Considering how you’ll want to analyze these critters and add them to your party, we recommend fighting most of them.
Interestingly, Time Stranger takes a page from Scarlet and Violet’s book by letting your chosen partner quickly attack enemies in the overworld. This means you can have your partner attack an enemy without engaging in those turn-based battles. Your partner will get less EXP for doing this, but it does make traveling less of a hassle.
With the recent patent that Nintendo got its hands on, we’re worried this feature might not return in a future Digimon Story. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet had an “auto battle” feature that acted similarly to this, as it let your partner creature take out an enemy in the overworld quickly, which sounds a lot like that recent patent. That’s a huge shame if this mechanic doesn’t return, because it’s a great QOL feature for the series.
Getting Party Members Is the Same as Last Time
If you’ve played Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, then getting new party members is exactly the same in Time Stranger.
To get more Digimon into your party, players will have to defeat an enemy numerous times through turn-based or quick battles. Each time you defeat an enemy Digimon, a percentage comes up, showing how close you are to converting the data and adding this creature to your ranks. You can add the Digimon to your party once the conversion reaches 100%, but a stronger version of this ally can be made if players wait till it reaches 200%.
Based on the demo, it looks like players will be able to convert ally creatures on the fly in Digimon Story: Time Stranger. In Cyber Sleuth, you have to go back to base and convert the creatures there, so this is a nice improvement.
Convenient Fighting
Fights in Time Stranger are similar to Cyber Sleuth. Players enter battles and have a menu to choose from. You can have your partner attack regularly, use skills that drain MP, defend, run away, and use items. It’s your basic turn-based battle system, so any JRPG fan knows what to expect here.
What’s nice is that the developers added an option to speed up battles and even automate your attacks. These are useful features to have when grinding and trying to evolve your creature.
It’s clear that Digimon Story: Time Stranger cares about your playthrough, and that’s appreciated. Speeding up battles isn’t my jam, but having that option is great. Adding the aforementioned auto battles inspired by Scarlet and Violet, and I can’t help but admire how this JRPG lets you blaze through these battles.
Let’s face it, some of these scrubs will get on your nerves, eventually. Speeding up their death is a great option.
Cinema
One aspect that surprised me about Time Stranger is how the game tries to be more cinematic.
Before entering the first gameplay area, you have to get through a crowd of protesters. In this part of the game, your camera switches to a more cinematic view that fixes the character’s view to a specific area, adding importance to your next objective. Later on, there’s a short sequence where you have to run away from a Metal Greymon in the style of Crash Bandicoot, but without the pits or boxes to break.
I don’t hate these moments, as they add some flair to the game. Maybe keep the focus on the RPG grind, since leveling up and gaining new Digimon teammates is the appeal of this series, at least it is to me. Giving each boss a cinematic entrance is definitely cool, just let me beat them with my awesome Digimon partners in long turn-based battles, please.
So far, Digimon Story: Time Stranger looks like it’s going to be a quality game. There aren’t a lot of references to Cyber Sleuth, so anyone can pick this up and see if the world of Digimon appeals to them. It’s the most AAA this franchise has felt, and if Bandai Namco can play their cards right, this could beat Pokemon’s quality.
(Not sales, let’s be realistic).
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