This review does NOT contain spoilers!
It is interesting that the Digimon series, despite its considerable popularity, never quite found its place in the world of video games. Of course, there were many attempts to make a game that would stand side by side with a series with the famous yellow mascot, but it never really took off. For this reason, the expectations for the new RPG Digimon title were not very high, but Bandai Namco still promised us a long and elaborate JRPG experience, which we have not received so far. Did they succeed in that? Well, find out in the rest of the text.
Development studio:Media Vision
Publisher:Bandai Namco
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, PC
Release date:3. October 2025
Platform on which the game was tested: PlayStation 5
Starting price: 69.99 euros
Presentation - It has style, but it lacks something
Transferring the feel and atmosphere of an anime series into the three-dimensional world of a video game is never an easy task, and as we've had the chance to see with a certain Pokemon game this year, it sometimes goes really wrong. Fortunately, the presentation in the new Digimon is really not bad. The design of the characters is above all diverse and consistently high-quality, and this stands out in the human, but also in our digital allies. The environments and levels are visually colorful, and often very colorful, and they really know how to offer some beautiful scenes. The animations of the characters and Digimon are also varied and impressively done, and considering the amount of Digimon themselves, which we will talk about later, it is really commendable that each one has its own special animations and movements. Unfortunately, Digimon Story Time Stranger simply suffers from technical underdevelopment.
Visually, the game is on par with the PlayStation 3 game, and I would even say that some games from that era, like Persona 5, looked more impressive. Textures are often of very low resolution, lighting is very simple, and even HDR support is not available. What is also inexcusable is the fact that the game is locked to 30 frames per second on all consoles, which really makes no sense for this type of game. Fortunately, since it's a turn-based title, this limited framerate won't be a problem in the actual fights, but it's still disappointing to see. On the PC, the situation is even better, so at least you have an unlocked framerate and quite decent optimization. All in all, the new Digimons don't look bad, far from it, but they could be much, much better, and that's what we expect from a high-budget game.
When it comes to sound, there really isn't anything that I would specifically single out as a flaw. The sound design itself is pretty good, and the acting is decent, though I wouldn't call it fantastic. I'm one of those people who plays Japanese games in English, so I can't comment on the acting quality of the Japanese dub. The music is also not bad, but I have to admit that I expected more from a JRPG title, because none of the songs stuck in my head after playing the game.
Gameplay – Digital Persona
Okay, realistically, no one plays Digimon to admire the graphics, and fortunately, it can be seen that the focus went to the most important segment, which is the gameplay. It is an RPG title, where the battles work according to the already well-known principle of turn-based combat. With the fact that from the start the fight was the most similar to the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series, where the goal of the fight is to exploit the enemy's weaknesses, and to use different buffs and debuffs to inflict maximum damage on the enemy. In principle, I would describe the combat in Digimon as solid, but also rather superficial. There are no very advanced or deep mechanics, the fights are reduced to a simple "rock-paper-scissors" rhythm, and the damage you do is affected by the weakness of the opponent and the type of Digimon you use, so with enough planning and the right Digimon, you can do up to 4 times more damage than with ordinary attacks. There is also the so-called the "cross art" mechanic, which serves as a form of special attack that can deal special damage, heal you or your allies, or give you pretty powerful buffs.
One thing that I also particularly liked and something that will surely save you a lot of time is the ability to speed up the fights, which helps a lot to avoid the feeling of boredom when you watch the same punch animation for the hundredth time. In addition to ordinary battles, you will also encounter boss battles, which are much more fun since they provide you with a much more interesting and greater challenge, while you will get through most of the ordinary battles using only the auto battle function. Of course, I'm talking about switching to normal difficulty here, and for you hardcore players, after completing the game you unlock both Mega and Mega+ difficulties, which offer a significantly greater challenge. The improvement of your digital comrades is done through the so-called A Digivolution system that works really well and offers solid versatility to make your Digimon the ultimate fighter. What is perhaps most impressive in all of this is the amount of Digimon present in the game. As many as 450 different digital monsters are available, which is an absurd amount, but also very commendable. It is also important to point out that each Digimon has its own so-called "signature" move with special animation and dialogue. The user interface and menus in general are also smartly and smoothly done, which will definitely come in handy since you will spend a lot of the game there.
Story – Return to the Past
I don't want to say much about the plot itself to avoid spoilers, but I have things to say about the overall experience. Before starting the game, you choose between a male and a female character, but don't expect any differences in the story between these two protagonists, since you can definitely change gender at any moment if you decide to. Speaking of the protagonist, I must say that I was particularly bothered by the fact that the main character is mute, and his or her dialogues are reduced to one sentence that you will choose. I know that this is a normal and very common occurrence for JRPG titles, but I think that in 2025 there is no reason for it to be like this. Because of this, I didn't feel any great connection with the main character, and the secondary characters were much more interesting to me. The introduction to the game itself is a bit slow, and you'll be playing for a few hours before the action really starts to heat up. Fortunately, the game is long enough, and you will need at least 40-45 hours to complete it. Ansambl likova je zaista zanimljiv, i iako su karakteri i ličnosti samih Digimona živopisnije i interesantnije od ljudskih karaktera, svi su dovoljno zanimljivi da drže pažnju kroz igru. As is the norm for JPRGs, you will follow most of the story through dialogues in text boxes, which also do not always have acting, which, although it is not so terrible, should not be overlooked considering the price of the game.
Conclusion – Is it worth buying?
Digimon Story Time Stranger is certainly the most complete Digimon game we've gotten, well, maybe ever, and I believe that if you're a die-hard fan of the series, you'll really enjoy it. This is far from a perfect game, though, and if you're just looking for a good JRPG title, it might be wiser to wait for a discount, especially since the new Digimons came out at full price of 70 euros.
Rating: 3/5
A copy of the game provided for review purposes by distributor Colby and publisher Bandai Namco
