Digimon Story: Time Stranger [REVIEW] – A Digivolution in RPGs

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a new release in the series, but Digimon Story: Time Stranger marks a confident and enjoyable return for Digimon Story that captures everything fans could want: in-depth monster raising, engaging combat, and a story that’ll keep you hooked in. Sure, it has some stumbles across its meaty RPG adventure, but its charm and depth ensure that it stands out as one of the best Digimon video games to date.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Digimon Story: Time Stranger opens with the protagonist investigating an anomaly that has shattered the boundary between worlds, and after witnessing two colossal Digimon locked in battle across this, you’re suddenly flung eight years into the past, cut off from your timeline but still able to communicate with your partner in the future. Talk about a dramatic day in the office, right?

I really loved the premise of the game, and it’s strengthened further throughout each narrative beat, with the tale bold, a little melodramatic, and often very ridiculous, but also emotional, unpredictable, and balanced out by heartfelt themes that pull both the cast and the Digimon together. Honestly, the narrative really stands out as one of the strong points of the game, whilst it’s also strengthened by little side stories that all flesh out the world in their own little ways. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect to get so invested in the game’s tale, but it hooked me in from start to end. Just be warned: the pacing can be pretty slow, and with Digimon Story: Time Stranger a pretty meaty experience, it can take some time for some of the more epic story developments to come into fruition, but hey… the wait is worth it.

Of course, the most important aspect of any Digimon title is the monsters themselves, and luckily, Digimon Story: Time Stranger’s monster-raising is arguably the game’s strongest feature. It refines the foundation set by previous games, and with a TON of Digimon to collect and evolve (more than 450 in total) it’s easy to find yourself wholly invested in their development.

“Bursting with creativity, charm, and depth, Digimon Story: Time Stranger will remind players why Digimon still remains so beloved after all these years.”

Firstly, it’s important to know that raising Digimon isn’t just about levelling them up in a typical RPG-style (though that does factor into things) – instead, their personalities can influence how their stats grow. Through conversations and field interactions, you can guide their development to follow stat development trends, or you send them to the Digifarm, where they train automatically while you explore. This layer of personality management adds a fascinating element of development to the game where Digimon can lean toward one of four moral traits – Valor, Wisdom, Philanthropy, and Amicability – with each bringing their own subcategories that determine their development and access to special evolutions. I’ve probably made it sound a bit overwhelming (and don’t worry, there are plenty of tutorials that guide you through the mechanics) but it makes for an incredibly addictive and rewarding system, and when combined with the sheer number of evolution forms available with your Digimon, it’s easy to lose hours fine-tuning each one. Customization runs deep outside of evolutions too, with Digimon able to equip stat-boosting chips and abilities that synergize with their type, adding another layer of strategic control that plays into their strengths and weaknesses.

The only real drawback to this is the Agent Rank system, which can limit access to higher-tier evolutions. Progressing your rank through story and side missions comes naturally, but as mentioned, the pacing of the game can feel a little slow, meaning you can be kept out of certain evolution paths for a little longer than you’d like. But hey, at least it keeps things interesting towards the game’s later hours and ensures players ALWAYS have something to work towards when expanding their collection of Digimon.

When it comes to combat, Digimon Story: Time Stranger follows a traditional turn-based setup, so it’s pretty easy to follow if you’re familiar with RPGs. What does spice things up a little is the game’s take on affinities, with each Digimon belonging to a specific form of attribute that is mostly built around either Virus, Vaccine, and Data (there are a few extras but these are the core options) that interact in a rock-paper-scissors style. This is further enhanced by elemental affinities, with the typical elemental weaknesses and strengths in place for players to take advantage of. It means there are multiple ways to utilise the strengths of your party to wipe out an opponent when you hold advantage across your attribute or elemental affinities, though at the same time, it can often leave you weak to an intimidating foe too.

Check out some screenshots down below:

New Cross Arts abilities also add flair and tactical depth, with these agent-specific skills allowing for team-wide buffs or devastating attacks once your meter fills, often turning the tide in difficult fights. They can be a real game changer, and with boss battles especially proving challenging and demanding a smart use of buffs, de-buffs, and affinity advantages, there’s a real strategic edge to combat where only the smartest players who use every trick up their sleeve will survive.

It can be intense but it’s also richly rewarding, with the moment-to-moment combat feeling snappy and satisfying – especially when exploiting weaknesses or pulling off perfectly timed follow-up attacks. The option to speed battles up to 5x or automate them helps manage the inevitable grind of the game too, and every Digimon you own – active or not – gains experience points as you play. It really bumps up the accessibility of the experience, especially when you’re looking to develop multiple Digimon at once, and with the game speeding up the grindy moments, it ensures players will never get bored when playing despite the sometimes slower pace.

That being said, some of the dungeons of Digimon Story: Time Stranger are a little lacking in design, with each often offering maze-like areas built around simple gimmicks. They can feel a little repetitive, and whilst there are some areas that do stand out, there were too many occasions where it felt like I was going through more of the same over and over again. It’s often a sticking point for RPGs, so it’s a bit of a shame that Digimon Story: Time Stranger doesn’t come through stronger. But hey, at least the game looks fantastic, with the clean anime aesthetic, vibrant colours, and wonderful Digimon designs really shining through.

Developer: Media.Vision
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Website: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1984270/Digimon_Story_Time_Stranger/