PS1 Games
I’ve played quite a few Digimon games, way more than these, but I have a soft spot for the first three Digimon games on Playstation. Despite carrying the “World” moniker, each title has its own gameplay goals, mechanics, systems, and visual presentation. Because of this, the games have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Personally, I have a lot of nostalgia and love for the aesthetics of these games. If it weren't for renting Digimon World 2 at Blockbuster,I would never have even become a Digimon fan. So here's to some of the games that I love-havemixedfeelingsabout!
The first Digimon World aims to capture the spirit of the original Digimon v-pet. For this reason it’s my favorite of the trilogy. The player is given a Digimon they must raise by training, feeding, letting them go to the bathroom, praising, disciplining, and battling them. Evolution is the result of a combination of choices made by the player. It took me many years to figure this all out (I hated World as a kid), but once I did I was addicted. I really enjoy seeing what my Digimon will turn into, and how it gets better with each generation. Put that all on a colorful island, and I’m having a blast!
Digimon World has its issues though. The game is punishing and not always forthcoming. Important stats are hidden, certain quests are unintuitive due to a bad translation, and good items are hard to come by. A guide is a must to properly optimize a Digimon.
I still love Digimon World. I’m glad Digimon World Re:Digitize and Digimon World Next Order (my favorite Digimon game period) were able to follow it… eventually.
World 2 was my introduction to the Digimon franchise, and what a weird way to start. This entry completely divorces itself from its predecessor by replacing monster raising with dungeon crawling. Digimon are now creatures to collect, level up, and evolve to partake in 3 v 3 battles. This itself isn’t a problem, the problem is the game is designed to waste time. Mechanics are unintuitive (capturing Digimon and the DP system for a start), battle animations take way too long, and the dungeons are extremely punishing. The only way to win is to grind, and grind, and grind some more. I’ve never been able to finish World 2 because it’s so exhausting.
And yet, I still have this weird love for Digimon World 2. It hooked me on Digimon as a kid! Right off the bat, I loved the way the Digimon look. The models for the Digimon mostly come from Digimon World, adding in a new set of creatures unobtainable in that game. They are smaller and a bit rugged, but that’s okay to me! The soundtrack is also great. The domain themes and boss battles stand out as some of my favorite video game tracks period.
I collect Digimon World 2 merchandise, the aesthetics of this game are buried in a warm fuzzy part of mind. It’s just too bad the game itself is kind of a mess!
Digimon World 3 is a great Digimon game, but feels more like “Digimon Story 0”. (For those unaware, Digimon Story is a series of Digimon RPGs that began on the Nintendo DS and have continued into the modern era of gaming. It’s a confusing series because in the west it was called “Digimon World DS” and “Digimon World Dusk and Dawn”.)
Digimon World 3 is not a v-pet game, but it’s also not a dungeon crawler like World 2. Instead, it is a 1v1 JRPG with a party of three Digimon. Each Digimon has a branching evolution line and, similar to the anime, can evolve or regress depending on which form the player needs in a battle. Evolutions sequences can play out during battle, modeled a lot like Digimon Tamers. I LOVE this. It feels like the first time Digimon was tried to bridge the anime and games into something cohesive. Couple in fan service (like finding Digimentals and Jogress) and you a product for the fans.
Digimon World 3 is also a gorgeous looking game. Its overworld is sprite based which has aged very well. The soundtrack is once again amazing, featuring more electronic music that I revisit often.
Unfortunately, it’s not perfect. There are, once again, unintuitive mechanics, questlines, and a need to grind. It’s not as hard as its predecessors, but it still could feel like a slog at times. Even so, World 3 is one of the best Digimon RPGs in the series.
DS Games
This was my favorite Digimon game as a teenager and in college! It has sentimental value to me because it was what I played when I was feeling lost and alone in my second year of college. It was the first time I paired watching documentaries with grinding, and that’s the only reason I beat this thing without an action replay.
Digimon Story Sunburst is the second in the Digimon Story series, and is a full fledged JRPG. It is the sister game of Digimon Story Moonlight aka Digimon World Dusk. The games follow two rival Tamer teams as they uncover the mystery of a virus that’s attacking both of their factions. The game is mission based, with the players exploring a variety of dungeons to fight with their team of three Digimon.
Every time a Digimon is encountered it is scanned. Once scanned to 100% it can be converted to a Digimon for your team. Auxiliary Digimon can spend time leveling up on the Digifarms the player manages. The gameplay loop of scanning, levelling, and evolving Digimon is a lot of fun.
The downside is this game is slow with a lot of grinding. Animations are slow and cannot be turned off. Random encounters are frequent and make it hard to navigate the maze like dungeons. It’s fine if you - like me - are listening to something else in the background, but it can be tedious on its own.
The sprites look great though!
Steam/Modern Games
My FAVORITE Digimon game!!! Can you tell?
Digimon World Next Order returns to its V-Pet origins and first Digimon World. The player explores the world, raise two Digimon simultaneously through their life cycle, and befriend other Digimon to return and repair the Digimon city.
This gameplay loop is so addictive to me. Next Order makes training and battling a lot easier and straightforward compared to the original. I love managing each in game day; balancing training, exploring, recruiting, and story progression. It’s so satisfying to see the city get bigger and to see your Digimon reincarnate to become even stronger monsters.
Next Order can be pretty easy if you know what you’re doing, but that’s never kept me from enjoying it. I would love to see this formula done again with an even bigger roster of Digimon.
What a great Digimon RPG! This is my favorite of the Digimon Story games, and probably my favorite JRPG style Digimon game period.
Time Stranger’s quality of life features are incredible; the ability to scan and convert wild Digimon from the menu, wild Digimon in the overworld, all Digimon you own gaining experience at the same time, branching evolution trees, personality system, the ability to equip and unequip any secondary attack, Digi-ride, language toggling, and the list goes on and on.
I love the storyline and progression of Time Stranger. Aegiomon and Inori are likable party members with enough mystery to keep me intrigued. The secondary cast, like the Olympus Twelve, get time to shine in their own quest lines and relationships to the human world. Gameplay wise, I always felt ready for the next challenge and that my team was up to par.
This is the first Digimon Story game on console to have a vibrant Digital World, and it is so beautiful. I love having parts of the game take place in the human world and Digital World over different periods of time.
A few minor complaints would include the lack of exploration; all the dungeons are hallways with markers guiding the player where to go. The player does not have a lot of agency in their dialogue choices, which mostly serve as flavor text. It ultimately feels like an interactive anime, but it’s a damn good anime.