I used to love Digimon back when it first released. It was the game I played instead of Pokémon (I know, crazy), and it was the anime I loved to watch every Saturday morning. Needless to say, I was a fan of the franchise, although I’ve fallen off a bit in recent years. Still, when I had the chance to preview the latest installment, Digimon Story: Time Stranger, I was eager to see what was new.
Developed by Media Vision and published by Bandai Namco, this title is the newest entry in the Digimon Story series, marking a return almost eight years after Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory. For many, Time Stranger won’t be their first foray into the Digital World, yet the focus on story-driven progression and a vibrant monster-collecting system gives it an appropriate freshness for new fans while providing familiar satisfaction for veterans.
Players join the narrative as agents in a covert organization investigating incidents marked by digital anomalies and hazardous eruptions. The plot moves briskly from Tokyo’s neon-lit streets — notably Shinjuku and Akihabara — into the newly unveiled digital realm known as Iliad. The transition between familiar urban environments and the myth-laden digital landscape offers a strong visual and thematic contrast that elevates the game’s world-building. Having not played many of the recent installments, it all felt fresh and different, giving the Digital World a more myth-like feel, filled with classic-looking buildings and plenty of nostalgic throwbacks that fans of the series will instantly recognize.
After some explosion in a government-sealed area, the main character finds themselves eight years in the past. Time travel here isn’t just for the story, it’s a way of making you think about relationships, decisions and the whole idea of these worlds. One of the team said at my preview that Media Vision makes it really easy to put humans and Digimon on the same level, and by bringing these two worlds together, the game creates some interesting points where they overlap and where they’re different.
The tension established is not simply with foes, but with the past and the possibilities it unlocks. The story behind Digimon Story: Time Stranger feels full of depth, and for fans of the series, there are many threads that make it a unique new entry without treading on well-worn ground. I have to say, it felt deep enough to draw both new and old players into the world, and I’m excited to see how it expands as you progress through the game.
I was told during my demo that Time Stranger boasts more than 450 Digimon available for collection and training, making this the largest roster in the history of the franchise. The monster designs seem to respect the source material’s established hierarchy while offering new forms and evolutionary paths, elevating strategy through complexity rather than convolution. Each Digimon is accurately animated to reflect its true scale, with the world feeling densely inhabited by both familiar favourites and lesser-known species.
“The story behind Digimon Story: Time Stranger feels full of depth, and for fans of the series, there are many threads that make it a unique new entry without treading on well-worn ground.”
The scope of Digimon Story: Time Stranger feels staggering, with so many generations of Digimon represented. Speaking with producer Hara Ryosuke about the game and everything they included, he made it clear that very little was left on the cutting room floor.
“So, you asked about what we cut out. We had a long development time, so I don’t think we cut anything out—it’s all in there. A long-standing theme for Digimon, for anything Digimon, has been the bond between humans and Digimon. So we really focused on that and really developed the setting, the world around that, so that people—both old fans and new—can fully enjoy the story of Digimon and its Digimon story.”
Players start with one of three partners — Patamon, Gomamon or DemiDevimon — and are encouraged to assemble a team by exploring, battling and capturing new recruits. The Scan Rate system, which increases as Digimon are encountered and defeated, governs the ability to recruit them. Reaching a Scan Rate of 100 percent allows recruitment, while a Scan Rate of 200 percent results in bonus stats and higher level caps, encouraging deeper engagement with even common encounters.
From what I’ve played, I felt very much at home with the combat and overall design of how the gameplay works. Digimon Story: Time Stranger’s combat adheres to the turn-based conventions that have long defined Japanese role-playing games. It deploys the recognizable attribute triangle: Virus triumphs over Data, Data conquers Vaccine and Vaccine counters Virus. This mechanic is simple at first glance, but is enhanced by elemental affinities, buffs and careful management of party composition.
Battles feature up to four active Digimon — three from the player’s own squad and one guest Digimon, who acts independently and adds unpredictability to skirmishes. A reserve of three extra Digimon can be swapped in at any moment without penalizing the player’s momentum, allowing for both tactical flexibility and experimentation. Guest members, such as Aegiomon or Minervamon in the preview builds, cannot be directly controlled, challenging players to adapt and strategize on the fly.
One exciting feature the team showed off during the demo was the new nonlinear evolution system. This means Digimon can evolve along multiple paths and even devolve to earlier forms to branch into new evolutions. This flexibility not only provides greater agency but also encourages players to revisit previous choices and perfect their party across different arcs.
Ryosuke-san explained the scale of Digimon in the game clearly: “In terms of, like, the game side of it, I think the previous title for Digimon Story had around 330 Digimon. For this one, we wanted to up that number to 450, because we know that Digimon fans are always curious about which Digimon are going to show up in the game. That’s something we really wanted to focus on.”
“The scope of Digimon Story: Time Stranger feels staggering…”
For fans of the series, this feels like a major step and one that could refresh gameplay in new and exciting ways. I’m curious how it will all work in the final experience, but from what was shown, it feels intuitive and robust — something I’d be excited to see longtime fans try when they dive in.
Several mechanics were added to accommodate players across the spectrum of experience. Battle speed is adjustable between one and five times normal, letting players expedite animations for efficiency or slow them down to savour the details. An auto-battle and auto-win system becomes available once a significant level gap forms, sparing players from repetitive encounters and supporting those with less patience for grinding.
The entire game features a full English voice cast — a first for the franchise — while supporting eleven languages for its text. This accessibility underscores the developers’ aim to reach both long-time fans and those for whom Digimon Story: Time Stranger will serve as an introduction to Digimon.
Striking a balance between nostalgia and novelty, Digimon Story: Time Stranger’s environments pulse with energy: Central Town’s patchwork jungle of metal and glass rises amid clusters of Digimon who engage in conversation, skirmish or simply watch the city’s bustle with curiosity. These moments are not mere backdrop but part of an ecosystem in which the player belongs, reinforcing the sense that Iliad and its denizens are more than set dressing.
Digimon Story: Time Stranger feels like a love letter to the franchise, and the developers have added a series of Easter eggs and nods to past anime and games—something special for longtime fans. Ryosuke-san touches on this when talking about what fans should expect when they dive in:
“So, for a long time Digimon fan, as they’re playing through the game and going into the different maps, they’ll notice a lot of, like, homages made to past Digimon games and anime. I don’t know if we mentioned this earlier, but there’s that place in Central Town where the second season of the Digimon Adventure cast is all gathered up. So yeah, there’s a lot of stuff like that, where people who have played, or people who are very familiar with Digimon, will notice these things.”
Digimon Story: Time Stranger feels like a solid evolution for the franchise, seamlessly blending story-driven progression, deep creature collecting and turn-based strategy. It stands as an accessible, engaging gateway for new fans and a rewarding dive for those who have grown up with its world. The game never loses sight of what makes monster-collecting RPGs so enduring, yet delivers new systems and narrative directions that ensure its relevance. For fans of Digimon new and old, Digimon Story: Time Stranger seems like a great new entry point in the series — one packed with content waiting to be explored and experienced by lovers of the franchise.
