Digimon Survive review

Don’t expect a full-blown role-playing experience similar to Cyber Sleuth or even a digital monster nurturing game like Re:Digitize or Next Order. Digimon Survive is an engrossing visual novel that sporadically sends you onto battlefields for some turn-based encounters. This shift brings some of Digimon’s best characteristics to the forefront.

It’s not uncommon for games to offer a cinematic introduction. Digimon Survive’s three-minute animated prologue boasts elevated production values, introducing characters like easygoing protagonist Takuma Momozoka, caring older sister-type Aoi Shibuya, and wisecracking Minoru Hinata. Undoubtedly, Uichi Ukumo’s character design is skillful. Not only does the animation subtly signal personality through their appearances and how each character interacts with their fellow classmates, but the overall look of the cast is aesthetically pleasing.

Typically, most games quickly abandon their introductory visual style for character portraits or polygon-based avatars that look quite different. But Survive provides visual continuity, with conversations performed by sprites that uphold the look of the opening animation. Likewise, backstops exhibit an exquisite hand-drawn look and resemble animation cells. Sure, combat delivers the archetypal SD sprites from an isometric perspective, but it’s a manageable sacrifice thanks to a tilt-shift effect that makes it seem like we’re looking at miniatures.

While expecting the fluidity of anime is unreasonable, Shinjuku-based developer Hyde injects quite a bit of energy into the storytelling. There’s a wealth of facial expressions and gestures for the DigiDestined, manga-style panels, as well as panoramic perspectives for dialog sequences and investigation bits. Digimon pose courageously, with series regular Agumon offering the kind of heartwarming, snaggletooth grin displayed across Digimon tri. This is a game that’s routinely a delight to look at and scales dexterously for Switch owners.

A Captivating Cast with Plenty of Personality

Digimon Survive’s use of visual novel storytelling allows for nuance and key plot points that gradually emerge. Initially, the game’s cast might seem like an inventory of popular tropes. Formulaic pairings like the protective other brother and reckless little sister, or the courageous lead with a comedic sidekick emerge in the opening minutes. Not long after, when the rookie Digimon appear, there’s a rousing spirit of camaraderie, with each monster pledging to protect their partner.

But steadily, Survive defies expectation, revealing peculiarities and backstories for its cast of eight playables and three NPCs. Although Digimon is frequently compared to Pokémon, Game Freak hasn’t written a character as complex or layered as the ones here. Given how the default Digimon bring out different facets of their DigiDestined partners, the Persona series might make for a better comparison. Similarly, there are even some social bonding elements that can have an effect on the stats used for the tactical segments. Best of all, the Digimon speak, aligning the game with the animated series. Their communicative nature and often childlike naivete make them absolutely adorable. I cared for them and worried about their safety just as much as my fellow humans.

Rewards for the DigiPatient

Survive is quite measured in its pacing, having the boldness to devote an hour to character introductions and establishing a context before the cast even interacts with a digital monster. This duration allows for the development of different tonalities. When the cast arrives at a rural school for a summer camp getaway, the banter is light. But went it’s announced that some minor earthquakes have triggered a landslide and blocked a nearby road, there’s a harbinger of danger. That sense of peril becomes palpable when several students wander away, seeking to bypass the roadblock and also explore an ancient hidden shrine.

And while a mysterious temple and an outpouring of allied and antagonistic monsters might seem pulpy, the sense of isolation hints at potential tragedy. As Takuma, you’ll frequently be making decisions, determining what to say or what actions to take. Although your choices will routinely determine what response you’ll receive from others, sporadically the selection influences your affinity. Unsurprisingly, this has an effect on the battlefield, factoring into mechanics like secondary team-up attacks, stat-boosting words of encouragement before an attack, or reassuring and restorative praise after. Similarly, decisions also affect your karmic level, influencing stats that measure how harmonious, moral, and wrathful you are. Ultimately, karma influences how the story will progress. And without spoiling anything, you’ll want to save often. As the title implies, character death is a possibility across Survive’s branching storyline.

Giddiness on the Grid

Complementing the conversations are regular battles that will pit your team against squads of enemy Digimon. Pleasingly, combat demonstrates both sophistication as well as balancing, across compulsory fights as well as stat-boosting free battles. When taking the battlefield, there are a stimulating number of strategic possibilities. From attacking foes from behind or the side, equippable items, and benefits from exploiting elemental advantages, there’s a satisfying number of tactical possibilities.

Even more interesting, is that decisions outside of battle can change battle conditions. I made the mistake of doubting one of my buddies (Ok, it was to check how influential decisions were). Survive punished my disloyalty by escalating the difficulty of the boss battle. Remarkably, your karmic stance not only determines what kind of wild Digimon can be talked to and potentially recruited. It also impacts what kind of evolutions your partner digital monsters might undergo.

Conclusion

Most franchises are comfortable with delivering slight variations on a theme. After enduring a turbulent development cycle, Digimon Survive pushes the property in an audacious new direction. The game’s approach to storytelling demonstrates the potential of the visual novel. While it can be a slow burn at first, Survive soon reaches and sustains a satisfying simmer. Facing adversity, we watch relationships develop, become tested, and habitually grow stronger. It’s a customary theme for the property, but it’s handled with dexterity here.

Then there are the battles that rival any respectable tactical role-playing game. As much as I appreciated being able to observe social bonds emerge, managing the strategic subtleties was captivating. This is especially true when your decisions can have a profound effect on your stats. Ideally, other monster taming properties would reassess their trajectories, finding new methods to showcase their strengths.