Digimon Survive – Review
Digimon video games have always included a diverse selection of gameplay styles. Many of the games in the Digimon video game series are simulations in which you’ll need to give your Digimon the right kind of care for it to reach its full potential; others are full role-playing adventures; and the series has even dabbled in racing games and trading card games. Digimon Survive’s innovative combination of Visual Novel and Strategy makes it the first game of its kind. But how well would Digimon work as a Visual Novel?
For those who are already familiar with the Digimon series, the plot of Digimon Survive will feel very familiar. While at camp, a group of children is abducted to a terrifying alien world. Together with their partner Digimon, they explore this strange new world in search of a way to save it. The journey as a whole, and several of the story beats along the way, almost too closely follow the pattern of a Digimon anime plot. Digimon Survive excels in changing the dynamic of the group and expanding the backstories of its individual members by capitalising on the time spent in conversations with characters through Visual Novel interactions and moments where your connections are limited.
And for those who have seen the anime, there are a handful of story elements that almost exactly replicate what happened in the original. Upon their arrival in the amusement park, the selected youngsters find that one of them has been crowned Queen and is the centre of attention for many different Digimon. Seeing this place makes it hard not to recall the whimsical vibe of the Primary Village or the plot of the first Digimon Adventure, in which Mimi is crowned Queen by a group of Numemon. These instances are faithful enough to evoke a sense of familiarity and appreciation for the source material without coming off as a slavish rip-off or detracting from the narrative achievements of Digimon Survive.
The cast of children includes a wide variety of stock characters common to anime. There’s the level-headed main character, the best buddy who brings the comedic relief, the girly-girl in pink, and even a brother-sister combination in which the bigger brother lets his fury get the best of him while trying to defend his little sister. You learn about the comic relief friend’s insecurities and how they’ve influenced his personality through your interactions with him. The more time you spend with and get emotionally invested in these characters, the more they will develop from flat archetypes into three-dimensional people.
The fact that there are eight main characters means that you won’t get to know each of them as well as you’d like. By the end of my first playthrough, I was extremely close to three characters (affinity of 50 or above), but I was only mildly close to others (affinity of 7 or lower). Digimon’s overall strength is proportional to the number of points gained through dialogue and making the best choices for that character. Some characters’ development suffered since they weren’t given enough attention. Like the Persona series and other games that place a premium on making connections between characters, this one may require more than one playthrough to properly complete.
Another way Digimon Survive improves upon the model is by gradually increasing the suspense and introducing more violent plot moments. By sprinkling major character developments among a series of talks, you can get a feel for something brewing long before it actually occurs. Conflicts amongst the kids who are having trouble adjusting to the Digimon world are a major part of the “red flag” tale setup. Whereas in previous Digimon stories you might have expected a happy conclusion or a change of heart because “how could they make a Digimon story that dismal,” Digimon Survive doubles down on such circumstances. In terms of quality, it’s the best writing we’ve seen since Digimon Tamers wrapped up. It skirts the edge of being too dark, but succeeds in walking the line between that and becoming an adult-oriented Digimon tale.
The bulk of your time in Digimon Survive will be spent on the Visual Novel gameplay, exploration, and plot, but you’ll also spend some time engaging in strategic fights. Players can get their Digimon some exercise by challenging the local Digimon during pivotal plot points or by selecting free fight. These fights typically involve obliterating the opposite side, but they may also feature unique win conditions that alter the player’s approach. After choosing their Digimon, both teams will take turns using their Digimon to move, attack, or defend.
Digimon Survive does a nice job of offering several novel twists on standard strategic battles, though not all of them succeed. Being a Digimon game, Digivolution is a playable mechanic, allowing your Agumon to transform into a MetalGreymon in the middle of a fight. Interestingly, this process only applies to the Partner Digimon, since all the other recruited Digimon only undergo a single evolution before remaining unchanged. Even though it’s comforting to know that your strongest Digimon will always be strong when you send it out, this ability has a negative knock-on effect on the usefulness of your Partner Digimon, who would otherwise lag behind the rest of the pack due to their Rookie speed stats.
The inclusion of more damaging side and back assaults is also problematic. Whereas most battlefields offer nothing in the way of defensive impediments or cover from even one side, once you’re close enough to an opposing Digimon, you may always move to its side or behind it. After a couple of rounds of fighting, both Digimon will likely resort to attacking each other from behind.
Digimon may be recruited via dialogue, and this is a feature that Digimon Survive gets right. The player must use their knowledge of the Digimon and their potential responses to the three questions in order to win the Digimon’s favour and recruit it to their squad. To go into combat against a formidable foe and emerge with an ally on your side is a pleasant experience. Being able to acquire these Digimon through Free Battles and having the opportunity to preview who Digimon will emerge in any fight had me continually checking to see who I might have a chance to meet. Digimon Survive may not have the most Digimon in its cast, but the ones that are there are a nice blend of old favourites and fresh ideas that keep things from getting stale.
Having also played it on Nintendo Switch, I can attest to the game’s instability: it suffers from numerous performance concerns. The loading screen’s fog effects are choppy, and the level-up screen lags behind the game when experience bars climb at the end of battle. Controls and menu selections don’t feel particularly responsive. Apparently this is more of a problem with the Switch version, but I can’t say that I expected performance problems of this magnitude from a Visual Novel.
Digimon Survive stands out among other Digimon games for its impressive ability to provide a fresh and exciting gameplay experience. The story that Survive presents is a mature one, full of both humorous instances of teamwork and some of the darkest situations in the Digimon canon. The Visual Novel mechanics do a great job of nailing the growth of these relationships, resulting in a compelling tale replete with Easter eggs for longtime Digimon fans. Digimon Survive tries to put its own Digimon spin on tactical battle, and while it succeeds in certain aspects, it also leaves you wanting more. If you like Digimon stories or Visual Novel games, then you should definitely check this out, but if you’re just looking for a standard role-playing game, then you might be disappointed.
