Digimon Story Time Stranger Review, Gameplay Impressions, Videos and Features

Digimon Story Time Stranger from developer Media.Vision and Bandai Namco seeks to offer enough RPG to bring along new fans, not just punch a nostalgia button. 

Technically the seventh entry in the series, Time Stranger is a single-player turn-based RPG very much in the JRPG mold. There's the classic collection of theme around monsters that will inevitably draw some Pokémon comparisons, of course. 

But Digmion has stood on its own for decades for good reason. Sprinkle in a more mature story, some fantastic RPG systems to keep things engaging and Time Stranger certainly has the look of an under-the-radar contender in its genre as the end of the year approaches. 

Graphics and Gameplay

Time Stranger was never going to have a hard time impressing onlookers across its multiple settings in the real and digital world.

A vibrant, anime-like affair with all sorts of creatures and creative locations, the game nails the little things on modern tech quite well, throwing out impressive emotions, shadows, and draw distances when applicable. 

An equally flashy sound design helps bring it all together. There are fun battle sound effects to complement the real-time UI information during encounters, plus extensive quality voice-acting for humans and monsters alike. 

As such, exploring is great in a very JRPG sense, with little goodies peppered throughout environments and a varied cast of locations, from subway tunnels threatening to collapse to outright underwater segments with fun ways to traverse. 

The basic gameplay loop won't shock Digimon and/or JRPG fans. Players can recruit new Digimon, of which the game boasts a count of 450-plus. They keep a core team of three out in the world and battle itself. 

Digimon come not only with different elemental resistance and weaknesses, but a similar feedback loop to the core attributes in the game. For example, Virus (Deviveemon) is weak to Vaccine (Gomamon), while Data (Patamon) is weak to Virus. 

From there, the turn-based backdrop will feel familiar to most. There's a depth to team construction that makes the gameplay addictive and rewarding at a very basic level. It only gets more complicated (meaning: enjoyable) when adding in factors like non-linear evolution and personalities. 

Of note, like other more traditional RPGs, Time Stranger really benefits from the Digimon backdrop. These creatures talk with the player just like party members in a more standard RPG, to the point those conversations even influence the relationship and personality of those involved. 

There's some word salad going on here for those unfamiliar with the universe, especially when it comes to names and the strengths-weaknesses part, but thankfully, detailed information within the UI is just one trigger pull away during battle. 

Like the helpful weaknesses information available, there are lots of little quality-of-life things going on in Time Stranger. Players can ramp up the battle speed to 5X speed if so desired, or just simply turn on auto-battle mode. 

Given the deep systems and effort to be accessible, Time Stranger certainly nails down the necessary RPG feel that will lure players in, Digimon fan or not.

Story and More

Time Stranger veers sharply away from kid-centric storytelling right out of the gates by putting players in control of an adult protagonist. 

After choosing the protagonist's gender, the leftover becomes a companion players speak to at times, which serves as an immediate fun twist. 

Even better, the adult protagonist isn't just window dressing. Players immediately drop into the world and find a pretty mature story that especially looks at the real vs. digital world. While out and about, themes like the unexplainable disasters happening in the real world are often at the top of the conversation. It's not all safe and cuddly on the digital side of things, either, where players will need to resolve drama and conflicts while advancing the story. 

Overall, the effort to paint a more mature picture in this universe is appreciated. But the story falling behind the gameplay loop is more a testament to just how good said loop is, both in the heat of battle and when RPG'ing it up outside of battle.

The actual process of expanding a Digimon collection is unique. Battling and defeating a particular 'mon ups the Scan Rate for it. At 100 percent or higher, players can convert that rate to earning a new Digimon, though the closer it is to 200 percent, the stronger it will be.

Details like Talent and Bond play major roles in what the series calls Digivolution. Players can alter these stats to influence the how and why of a 'mon's evolution. 

As always, what makes evolution compelling in Digimon is the non-linear nature of it all. Where other series tend to keep things in a singular line of evolution, players have free range to devolve and have a 'mon follow a new line of evolution as needed. 

Attachment Skills, found in the world or in shops, tack on an additional layer of strategy that are worthwhile to find and better to use in proper situations. 

Personalities play a role in the progression process, too. These can change over time based on conversations, which is nice, but prioritizing the right personalities for the right stat emphasis feels like a must. 

There's an underlying strategy to background leveling, too. A player's creatures can train off-screen at the Digifarm, with players able to greatly influence those outcomes through their use of items. 

That Digifarm also doubles as simply an interesting grid-based system sort of minigame. It's a nice way to actually see a player's collection on something other than a menu or in a collection box.

While the player protagonist is purposely silent, there is a deep player customization too, including color options for the vast number of attire in the game. 

Time Stranger features not only a nice set of options tucked into the menus, but a pretty thorough tutorial that outlines the must-know details of battle and beyond. As expected, the game runs well, too. 

Conclusion

Unlike similar games and series, Time Stranger might just lure in players for its RPG systems and gameplay first, the source material second. 

That's massive praise, really, considering the powerhouse Digimon has and will continue to be. There's a wall of context and information in the way of new players, no doubt, but Time Stranger understands and addresses this well while also keeping RPG players comfortable with its basics. 

One of the nicer surprises of the year, Time Stranger does much for the Digimon brand while offering gamers yet another memorable, deep RPG to sink their teeth into for a long time.