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I just published an article giving some tips for this game and now I can write out my full Digimon Survive review. This game was surely a ride with twists and turns, and I’m eager to talk about my journey. So join me as we walk down this road.
Story
Kids come to summer camp and end up wandering off to investigate a shrine. They come along a tunnel and when they go through it, they suddenly find themselves in a strange world. This is the digital world and along the way, the cast finds their Digimon partners, although this game takes it in a different direction and doesn’t call them that. Welcome to Digimon Survive, that instead of the usual tale we are told about Digimon, we get this really interesting and different adventure about the Kemonogami and a group of kids who have to find their way in this bizarre new world.
What is so different about this game is that it takes the series in a darker direction. We’ve seen dark Digivolution in the anime series and how it’s possible in past games too. Though this game takes it into an even darker tone, where your choices will cause characters to die and be lost forever.
I’ve gone through and witnessed all the endings and I like the true ending, no surprise there, best of all. I won’t spoil what happens in any of them, but I will say that events play out quite different and they’re worth watching to experience the rich storytelling.
Gameplay
The gameplay is a mixture of visual novel and strategy rpg. During battle, you’ll be moving your Digimon around a battleground to attack the enemies, which includes taking advantage of side attacks, rear attacks and higher terrain to increase your odds of a critical hit. While in a free battle, you can talk to the enemies and convince them through a round of three questions to join you. However, this means you need to choose the right replies to have a chance for that to happen.
You also obtain items that you can give to your Digimon to increase various stats, which these are important to use and take advantage of. There are also items you can equip to your Digimon that will increase various stats as well or even give them another attack you can use during battle.
While some people felt the strategy gameplay was weak, I quite enjoyed it for what it was. The visual novel aspect was also done quite well, with each ending being very different and giving you a great reason to see them all.
Graphics
The graphics for this game are a mixture of realism and animated. I quite like the looks myself, and the detail behind the Digimon sprites is amazing. They did a good job creating this game and really being engrossed into the world.
Soundtrack
I really like the music for this game. Normally Digimon titles have okay soundtracks but they aren’t anything particularly special. However, this game’s music is something that I find myself thinking about and even humming. The horror elements have great matching melodies for the occasion and the hardships too. Go check out a playlist if interested.
Controls
These were pretty basic and easy to use. Hit the A button to continue the dialogue or make your selections. You can skip already read dialogue or put it on auto using the left or right button on the d pad. In battles, you make your selections and move the cursor with the analog stick, and you use the top left and right buttons to pan the camera around to what suits you better at that moment. Overall, these are well done and easy to understand.
Replayability
Digimon Survive has a high replay value due to the different endings that are offered. You could easily go through the game 4 or 5 times to see and experience it all.
Scores
Story: 9/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Graphics: 9/10
Soundtrack: 9/10
Controls: 8/10
Replayability: 9/10
Overall:
Conclusion
This is a (paid link) Digimon title that fans should not miss out on. It’s quite different than (paid link) Cyber Sleuth, but in a good way. I could see myself playing it again in a few years. Now, to wait for (paid link) Digimon Time Stranger to release. Until then, happy gaming.
Edit
You can find our review for Time Stranger here.
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