However, something goes wrong and they’re thrown even further back. With the future in jeopardy and Shinjuku as its epicenter, the race is on to investigate anomalies and stop the calamity. Of course, this involves capturing and raising Digimon, interacting with residents of the Digimon World and even traversing to the latter.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger introduces some neat new mechanics in this endeavor, from Digimon instantly defeating lower-level enemies on the field to Cross Arts and Agent Skills. For more details, check out our review (though be warned that the story isn’t much to write home about). A free demo is also available with progress transferring to the game.

Those who own the Season Pass or Digital Deluxe Edition can look forward to three DLC packs in the future, which include new “episodes.” Each also contains five new Digimon.

Suffice it to say that the wait for a new Digimon Story has been excruciating – not because Bandai Namco kept players in the dark but because Time Stranger was announced way back in 2017 – yes, the same year as Hacker’s Memory, the sequel to Cyber Sleuth. Updates were provided through the years, but a proper trailer wouldn’t be revealed until earlier this year. So, almost eight years since the initial announcement, and brother, does it show.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger still features the in-depth progression and customization systems that the franchise is known for, but falters in so many baffling ways. The presentation feels lacking at times, and not just because of the frame rate. The plot misses urgency and a compelling cast, taking an astoundingly long time to move things along, while failing to make you care for many of its core characters. The quest design, be it main or side, feels dreary for the most part, and it’s only the combat and progression systems that kept me invested.

"Unfortunately, actually roaming the world is a different story due to how distant details are handled, not to mention the noticeable pop-in, jittery shadows and iffy animation quality."

As a brand-new story, Time Stranger focuses on Dan or Kanan Yuki, an agent for a mysterious organization sent back in time to investigate an anomaly. A confusing encounter with Inori Misono, who seems to be the one that Yuki must protect, and a cataclysmic rooftop battle eventually lead to the player being sent eight years back into the past.

Unfortunately, the droll pacing of the intro spills over into the opening hours, as you venture around Japan in boring fashion. Things happen, for sure, but oftentimes, it felt like I could skip dialogue exchanges without lacking any core information. The dialogue choices are meaningless, I know that, but in such cases, you would think they’d prompt some occasionally fun responses, which sadly isn’t the case.

This doesn’t mean all the conversations are completely useless, but the characterisation can be very hit or miss. Inori comes off as bland more often than not (when she’s not making the same tired joke about your “funny outfit”), and the Operator constantly reminding me to investigate anomalies and “focus on the mission” becomes annoying (and the voice acting quality isn’t much to write home about). Aegiomon has some intrigue, and other notable side characters, notably Minervamon and the Public Safety members, are eventually added to the mix.

Your mileage will vary, but the sheer amount of memorable NPCs while roaming Shinjuku is close to zero, not that there are many to interact with anyway. At least the Digital World is somewhat better since there are multiple Digimon to interact with, and they feel distinct enough to leave an impression.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger runs at 30 FPS with no graphical modes to choose from. It’s not the biggest deal breaker since it runs in 4K, and the characters look pretty detailed in cutscenes (which also offer some pretty nice animation and cinematography, for the most part). Unfortunately, actually roaming the world is a different story due to how distant details are handled, not to mention the noticeable pop-in, jittery shadows and iffy animation quality. Which is a shame because some areas are nicely recreated and could have enhanced one’s immersion if they didn’t feel so boring to explore. Others have incredibly trippy aesthetics that are portrayed well, and the Digimon World boasts some fine details. However, even the latter’s wonder is dulled by the shadow quality.

"With all these qualms, at least the combat and Digimon customization are solid enough. The former is your standard turn-based affair with a turn order sequence, but deploying multiple Digimon on the field and swapping them out without losing a turn adds to the strategic depth."

Exploration is also marred at times by how restrictive some pathways can be, and just the general lack of things to discover in many of the environments (aside from collecting materials and items). This is even more obvious with the dungeons and critical mission areas, but at least there is occasionally some light puzzle-solving to help break up the monotony. You can engage in a game with random NPCs throughout both worlds, though its rock-paper-scissors formula feels highly unsatisfying.

With all these qualms, at least the combat and Digimon customization are solid enough. The former is your standard turn-based affair with a turn order sequence, but deploying multiple Digimon on the field and swapping them out without losing a turn adds to the strategic depth. Follow-up attacks add a bit of spice, even if they’re not overtly flashy, though I would have liked being able to select from multiple Cross Arts during early battles. One nice addition is being able to instantly defeat hostile Digimon while exploring if you’re a high enough level. This, combined with auto battle, helps encourage battling to scan and convert Digimon, not to mention leveling your current monsters. There are tougher battles that encourage slowing down and strategizing, especially when dealing with bosses that can charge up attacks and must be stunned. It’s not the most complex combat mechanic, but it works.

When your Digimon reaches a certain threshold (and your Agent Level is high enough), they can Digivolve, gaining improved stats and new abilities. Having a spread of branching options is always nice, as is De-digivolving if I don’t like an option, especially since leveling them back up doesn’t take long. The interactions with your Digimon that influence their personalities can feel contrived at times, but they go a long way towards making them feel like more than just units.

And besides, thanks to new Agent Skills, unlocked with Anomaly Points, you can min-max into a particular Personality trait and reap the bonuses. I’m currently specializing in Valor, which not only awards more attack, health, defense, and speed to Digimon with those personalities but also improves their growth rate. Ideally, you’ll invest in all categories, making it much easier for new Digimon to benefit from the boosts. Or you simply use the ones you don’t like as enhancement fuel or money. The choice is yours, and sometimes, I feel mad with power.

"If you can power through all that, Digimon Story: Time Stranger might be enjoyable, especially for longtime fans of the series, but those seeking a more well-rounded role-playing game should be warned."

Which is probably why I can’t write off Digimon Story: Time Stranger completely. The production values are definitely there in places, but the storytelling, exploration, and characters range from outright dull to mildly compelling, depending on the location. Rather than caring about the future of humanity and Digimon, I was more keen on discovering new Digivolutions and pummeling enemies into the dirt for their scan data. Side quests were little more than a means to acquire more AP to invest in further bolstering my squad of digital assassins.

But even if I want to focus entirely on combat and Digimon-rearing, everything else just feels like an unnecessary weight, impeding my interest with its dull objectives. If you can power through all that, Digimon Story: Time Stranger might be enjoyable, especially for longtime fans of the series, but those seeking a more well-rounded role-playing game should be warned.

This game was reviewed on PS5.

Seventh Game in the Story Series

The Digimon Story sub-series began on the Nintendo DS in 2006. It’s better known as Digimon World DS in American markets. Interestingly, the World moniker is a bit of a misnomer, considering Digimon World is its own separate sub-series. Digimon Story would continue to stay in the handheld space with largely derivative and simple RPG mechanics up until Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth in 2015 where it reached a broader console and PC audience.

Where it fits in the Timeline

You might be asking, “Do I need to play the previous Story games to understand Time Stranger?” Thankfully, for new players, Time Stranger is a stand-alone story and not a sequel. The only games directly connected with each other are Cyber Sleuth and Hacker’s Memory, which took place concurrently with connective narrative threads. While Time Stranger takes place in the same Digimon universe, and will undoubtedly have call-backs and references to past games, the plot and characters are brand new and ideal for newcomers.

Setting

One shared element common to nearly all Digimon stories is its setting. Time Stranger continues the digital/human world dichotomy by letting players explore both worlds. Digimon reside in the digital realm, Illiad, which gets fully fleshed out in the game. As a secret agent, you must uncover how a catastrophe leveled Tokyo by getting sent eight years in the past. Exploring both human and digital realms will unveil how to prevent the disaster in the future.

Fully Fleshed Out Digital World

Unlike the Cyber Sleuth games, Time Stranger features a fully continuous digital world to explore. The demo shows off some of the variety and liveliness of the digital realm, Illiad. Gone are the generic cyber stream dungeons. Illiad is teeming with Digimon that take on various societal roles, making the whole setting feel more lived-in and alive. What’s really cool are the Digimon mounts used to traverse across Illiad. There’s a variety of different mounts and we wouldn’t be surprised to see some kind of TM system used to overcome obstacles like in the Pokemon games.

Largest Digimon Roster Yet

Another big selling point of Time Stranger is its large roster of digital monsters. In fact, it boasts the largest roster of any Digimon game yet with 450 Digimon that can be tamed and used in battle. This eclipses Hacker’s Memory, which featured 341 Digimon.

How Catching and Taming Works

Instead of throwing balls to catch these digital companions, Time Stranger employs a Conversion system. Every encounter has a scan percentage attached to it, with high numbers increasing the likelihood of Digimon joining your party. To increase your scan percentage with a particular Digimon, it’s necessary to battle them multiple times so that the scan rate gets close to 100%, resulting in a digital conversion being made of the creature. Players can gain the upper hand in these battles by initiating a first strike via a gun volley using the R2 button whilst on the field. What’s nice is that each particular Digimon is visible on the field to let you know what you’re getting into before a battle, something that was more randomized in previous games.

Digimon Customization

But you don’t just collect and battle with your digital monster friends, you can tailor them to fit your style as well. Besides naming your digital monster, you can digivolve them through a variety of non-linear paths and customize their personality between different traits.

Non-linear Evolution Paths

Each Digimon can branch out to half a dozen or so evolution forms. But the evolution possibilities are left a mystery thanks to the blank silhouette and absence of info on the digivolution menus. What is shown is what the personality type as well as the requirements to digivolve them. The menus themselves have been streamlined from the past game, consisting of simple rows showcasing the digivolution options. The icing on the cake is these adorable retro sprites representing each Digimon, a very classy touch to add in the menus.

Personality Traits

Time Stranger introduces a new personality system that further differentiates Digimon from one another. There are 16 personality traits in total. These traits make it possible to have two of the same Digimon with vastly different stats, preferences, and weaknesses. Personalities also influence digivolution prerequisites and what skills they can learn.

Turn-Based Battle System

Battles are your classic turn-based RPG affair with some monster taming mechanics. You have up to four Digimon in your party for any battle and can cycle between them as you fight. The opponent’s weakness can be known by using the Analyze ability, and you can guard attacks, perform normal attacks, and use items in battle. What really provides strategic depth, however, are the various skills and elemental attributes available to exploit and use. Just want to get fights over with quickly? No worries, you can speed up battles up to 5X speed and even auto-battle should you possess enough trust in the game’s AI.

Attributes and Elements

The core challenge and strategic depth comes in the form of the 7 attributes and a whopping 11 elements. Attributes are typically inherent in the Digimon type while elements are tied to skills. Facing off against a Vaccine type Digimon? Simply call forth your Data type Digimon for bonus damage. You can even purchase attachment skills for your Digimon through vendors should you want to stack up elemental buffs with that Digimon’s attributes.

New Agent Skill System

While Digimon skills are primarily used during battles, agent skills provide passive buffs and abilities. There’s an entire Agent skill tree menu with skills ranging from bonus experience gain to attribute buffs and Digimon bond affinities. These Agent Skills, new to this game by the way, can be improved and leveled up after they’re unlocked.

Progression

You gain Agent Skill points by completing missions while the Digimon level up through use in battle. Your Agent Rank goes up based on a variety of actions you take. For example, spending skill points raises your Agent Rank along with winning battles and completing quests.

English dub

One of the most exciting new features is the addition of an English voice dub, available for the first time in the series. As shown in the demo, not every single line of text is voiced, but the majority of the dialogue now features English voice acting. Previous Digimon titles only offered a Japanese dub with English subtitles, so this is a welcome improvement.

Release Date and Platforms

Digimon Story: Time Stranger launches on October 3 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Interestingly, there’s no Switch 2 version planned yet, and no support for older consoles like PS4 or Xbox One. If you’re curious, try out the demo to see if this latest Digimon Story RPG is for you.

It sees Aegiomon and his partner, Inori, resting on a rooftop that overlooks Shinjuku. As previously outlined, the city is a focal point for an impending disaster, which is why Kanans Dan and Yuki traveled back in time. This is a relatively quieter moment, however, as Inori reiterates her faith in Aegiomon and hopes they can be together forever.

Cut to several battles with various Digimon and different disasters unfolding, but Aegiomon hasn’t forgotten his promise, eventually surpassing his limits to protect his partner. It provides a quick look at his Ultimate forms – Aegiochusmon, Aegiochusmon Blue and Aegiochusmon Green. Naturally, there’s a lot more to see, but beware of potential spoilers.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger launches on October 3rd. A free demo is out now on all platforms, with progress from the story sections transferring to the game.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger follows Dan and Kanan Yuki on a time-traveling mission. Something terrible will befall the world with Shinjuku as the epicenter, and it’s their job to stop it (with the help of Digimon, of course). Along with exploring the real world, players traverse the Digital World Iliad and contend with Plutomon, who leads the Titans.

Interestingly, those who complete the demo can partake in an extra Adventure Trial Mode to tackle certain dungeons in Iliad’s Central Town. Progress in this mode won’t transfer, but it’s good for practice.

For more details on Digimon Story: Time Stranger, check out the latest story trailer here. There are 450+ Digimon available at launch, but Deluxe Edition owners can look forward to more courtesy of the Season Pass, which also adds three “additional episodes.”

Long story short, you play either Dan or Kanan Yuki, an agent sent back eight years in the past to prevent a terrible catastrophe from unfolding in Shinjuku. Digimon are involved, of course, and this time, players must travel between the human and Digital World Iliad to uncover the truth, taking on quests and exploring.

Intriguingly enough, it seems Plutomon, the Titans’ leader, is responsible for the upcoming conflict. Other incidents referenced in the trailer include the collapse of the World Tree, the very pillar of the Digital World (which is a very bad thing). On the gameplay front, players can look forward to over 450 Digimon, turn-based combat and extensive customization.

Thus far, it’s been revealed that players will time travel and explore parallel worlds. Of course, that also means traveling to Iliad, the Digital World, and taking on different quests. The series’ turn-based combat returns, promising deep customization and Digimon variety for “limitless ways” to battle. It’s also a significant visual bump over its predecessor, which is nice.

The overall goal is to discover why the world collapsed and maybe to prevent it from happening. How this ties into Cyber Sleuth should be intriguing so stay tuned for more information. You can read more about the latest Digimon title, 2022’s Digimon Survive, in our review.