One of the most anticipated Digimon games has finally been released, with the Digimon Survive release date in Japan on July 28, 2022. Then it had a worldwide release on July 29, 2022. During its trailers, you can see that the game seems like a tactical-based role-playing game, which got many people excited. But when the game was finally released, many were surprised at Digimon Survive gameplay. Yes, the tactical RPG is still there, but that’s just a somewhat small percentage of the game. The majority of the game is a graphic novel.
That’s right, Digimon Survive is a visual novel, like Mystic Messenger, but with a bit of tactical RPG gameplay. It’s unique gameplay, especially for Digimon games. Plus, you can play it on Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows on your gaming monitors or laptops, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, But will that uniqueness be enough for people to like it? Let’s find out in this Digimon Survive review. We’ll see if this is a game that’s worth playing or not.
The Digimon Survive Gameplay
Before we go into the review of this game, let’s first discuss the Digimon Survive gameplay. As mentioned in the introduction, a big part of the gameplay is the visual novel. Therefore, the game is more story-telling than action-packed RPG battles. But it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s boring since visual novel games will still require your participation. Like with many visual novel games, you will get to make choices in certain situations. And the choices or decisions you make will have an impact on the story.
The choices you make will determine the direction the story will go. It includes the Digimon digivolution process. Certain characters can also end up dead, depending on some of the choices you make. So this is why this game will have different endings, as it depends on the direction the game went. And of course, there’s still the tactical RPG gameplay where you train Digimon, collect items, and participate in the battle. Additionally, there’s a Search Action mode where you try to find ways to survive, as well as the Free Action mode.
In this mode, you get to decide what to do, where to go, and who to talk to. Digimon Survive gameplay shows that it’s a somewhat interesting game. It can also be appealing for certain players, especially players who appreciate a good story that’s integrated into the game. Of course, not everyone will appreciate this, especially those who prefer more action than a compelling story. Let’s now look at the good and bad about Digimon Survive.
The Good & Bad With Digimon Survive
There are good things about Digimon Survive and there are also bad things about it. So in this section, we’ll discuss what they are before coming up with a conclusion about the game.
The Good Things about Digimon Survive
It’s no secret that there are good things about Digimon Survive, considering it got a lot of good reviews. In this section, we’ll discuss some of the good things you can expect from the game.
A Compelling Story That You Can Decide On
Probably one of the great things about Digimon Survive is the compelling storyline the game has. It’s one of the things that many people are interested in about this game, it’s an awesome story. Add in the fact that you can also influence how the story will go, which adds to the game’s overall entertainment. People who don’t usually play visual story games were drawn in because of the compelling storyline of the game.
Having the ability to impact the direction of the story also helped greatly. They find themselves playing the game often to try and progress the story. They’re curious to see how their decisions are impacting the progress and direction of the game. It’s probably one of the best features that’s drawing many players into the game.
A Visual Marvel & Amazing Soundtrack
Another thing that’s great about Digimon Survive is the visual graphics the game has. It’s one thing for a game to have a good story, it’s another if you pair it up with great visuals and a soundtrack. This feature is another thing that people enjoy about this game. The vibrant colors, awesome artwork, and amazing soundtrack add to the game’s allure. Overall, the story becomes more compelling because of the good graphics the game has and the soundtrack adds to the atmosphere and tone.
The Bad Things about Digimon Survive
Of course, not everything is good about Digimon Survive. There are also things that players complain about or are not fond of and this is what we’ll discuss in this section.
There is Too Little Action & Battles
One of the main complaints of some people is the fact that the game is mostly a visual novel and not an RPG. During the trailer, some people were expecting the game to be an RPG. Though there are elements of RPGs, the percentage is not that high. It’s more of a visual novel game than an RPG, which means it features mostly storytelling. Now some people will like that, but some won’t.
Some people prefer more actions and excitement in the game they’re playing instead of mostly storytelling. It’s why some didn’t like that Digimon Survive went away with its previous games that were full of actions and adventure. This game puts the combat aspect to focus more on the storyline.
The Game’s Start is Very Slow
Another complaint that many people have with Digimon Survive is the rather slow start the game has. It’s understandable for games to have prologues to help you understand how the story got to where it was. But with this game, the prologue will take a couple of hours to finish. This means that you’ll spend those first few hours listening and reading mostly the dialogue. So it slows down the pace of the story, which can be a bit irritating for many.
Once the prologue is done, you get to play in your first battle, and the story also starts to pick up. But the slow-paced storyline, in the beginning, can be a big negative, even if the storyline is compelling. It would probably have been better if the prologue wasn’t that long, or if some battle was inserted in the middle. It will at least provide some break from the slow-paced storyline the game has.
Overall Verdict of the Digimon Survive Gameplay
Looking at what the game has to offer, as well as the negatives that it has, I would give it a score of 4 out of 5. The game’s compelling storyline, decision-making aspect, awesome visuals, and amazing soundtrack will draw people to play the game. It will keep them playing the game as often as possible, especially as they try to see how their choices impact the direction of the story. Though the game will surely attract players, even those who aren’t fans of Digimon, not everyone will enjoy it.
Some people wouldn’t be entertained by the slow-paced and story-focused aspect of the game. If you’re someone who’s going to play for the RPG aspect and tactical combat, then you’ll be disappointed. But if you prefer a game that’s focused more on the story, then this is the game you should play. But for more updates regarding this game and more, stay tuned here in PlayPC.
