REVIEW

Digimon Story: Cyber-Sleuth Review

by Dominic Coles, February 21st, 2016

There were many great TV shows we grew up with in the 90s. You have Pokémon which is now in its very successful 20th anniversary and even Yu-Gi-Oh that last year had a new video game release. But one show in particular hasn’t had a video game adaptation come over to the west in quite some time; Digimon. The show’s popularity seemed to decline over here, but as the Japanese audiences gained a new Digimon game, gamers were quick to fight for its western release. Namco Bandai heard the call and helped bring Digimon Story: Cyber-Sleuth to the west. But does the game stand up to our expectations?

Cyber-Sleuth begins by introducing you to the world of EDEN, a digital world that people can travel to and interact with other people. It is also inhabited by hackers, who have a bad reputation in an area of EDEN known as Kowloon. You get invited to Kowloon only to be given the power to capture Digimon and to be introduced to these strange creatures that have been putting innocent people into comas. If you are a fan of anime such as Sword Art Online or games such as .Hack you will instantly see this as a narrative that lacks originality. But while the premise lacks initial tension, the later portions of the game help to diversify the story from the initial reveal by introducing new concepts that suit the world of Digimon. Speaking of the monsters themselves, their link to the story right away is very hard to piece together as the characters just ‘happen’ to be crossing into EDEN. This is explained later on in the story, but overall the initial introduction to the plot is both basic and lacking innovation.

From that however, the voice acting and humour of the game’s characters is on point. You can tell that a character is meant to be the strong, bitchy type or the dark, broody type simply from the tone of their dialogue. As for the humour, it both has hints at the old days of Digimon as well as referring to other games and linking to modern tropes such as selfies and abbreviated text speech. The only thing holding this all back is the lack of an English dub version of the dialogue. Although fans of the series as well as those of the new Digimon Tri may not be bothered by the Japanese vocals, those who are looking for a fully translated experience might just be put off by this choice.

The gameplay is very reminiscent of the Shin Megami Tensei series both in how combat works and with difficulty. In combat you have a turn-based battle system that has your Digimon go against wild and tamed monsters with whomever is the fastest battling first. You will go against everyone from babies to mega-level Digimon, adding to the challenge that awaits you as the game progresses. Too bad that about 8-10 hours into the game you will see a lack of champion and higher Digimon, that give out the best experience in order to level up your team mates. This does make the levelling situation when you hit this stage very cumbersome and an annoyance if you are looking to get that new ultimate or mega-level Digimon on your side. However, there is a balance to this as the game explains with how to Digivolve and De-Digivolve your allies.

This mechanic is a core part of the gameplay and is what you need to master in order to both acquire every Digimon in the game as well as construct the ultimate team. First off, gaining new monsters is as simple as finding them in the wild or when you go into battle against a boss. Once the scanner has reached 100% you can convert the data into the monster itself, adding it to your bank. Once you have it levelled up, you can then Digivolve it up the levels by acquire specific stats to make it the strongest, however later on when you hit ultimates and megas you will need more of a stat known as ABI. To increase this stat, you must get your Digimon to Digivolve and De-Digivolve over the course of the game to acquire many different abilities. This links in to what was said about the lack of tougher enemies part way through the game as if you are simply levelling straight up to ultimate, you will miss out on the ABI necessary to turn mega come to the level 50s. This alone makes the construction of your team engaging as you constantly switch between different monsters to get the skills necessary to create your perfect team, whilst also trying out all the game has to offer to see which Digimon are your favourites.

Of course levelling up your Digimon is a crucial part of the game and grinding can be very tiresome if you have to constantly level them up whenever you Digivolve. To combat this, the game gives you access to farms that let you level up your Digimon and help you find new cases whilst you are out and about. This helps tremendously with the levelling process and you will receive notifications to when training sessions end and when Digimon reach their maximum level. Speaking of cases, these are a very important part of the game; after all you are a Cyber-Sleuth and detective work should come into play somehow. Throughout the story you will go on many cases that will take you all over Japan and the world of EDEN, but some of these cases can only be accessed by letting your farmed Digimon search for them. Finding these and completing them is necessary if you wish to earn the rank of Master Sleuth near the end of the game, plus they give you nice rewards to assist in the tougher quests and battles.

Cyber-Sleuth’s soundtrack is also an amazing piece of work, combining digitised effects to the EDEN areas as well as making some very great scores during both epic and humorous moments. If you are a fan of the soundtrack of the Danganronpa games, you will instantly notice that this game has the same composer behind it. Adding the much-needed anime flair that the game thrives on taking advantage of. Animations in Digimon Cyber-Sleuth also assist this decision with full on 3D-rendered cutscenes that are reminiscent of games like Sword Art Online: Lost Song. They stand out and help emphasise the games style, which in turn is beautiful. The real world aesthetics of locations like Akihabara and Shinjuku are well depicted as the digital world is very well stylised with static, digitised building blocks and a bright blue overtone of the locations. They help make the main character as well as your following party members stand out against the location, making you concentrate more on the games puzzles rather than its intricate details. That for most part covers the levels of Kowloon, as the other locations such as the social hubs and faction HQs are made to represent the character and personality of whom they represent.

The last point that I have to discuss about Digimon Story: Cyber-Sleuth comes with its audience. The game is heavily targeted at those that are long time fans of the show growing up. Those who have done just that and even kept up with the Japanese releases will be happy with all the content the game includes. Those who have been out of the loop for years or who have never played or seen Digimon before may just be overwhelmed. There are a lot of different Digimon in the game ranging from the show, movies and the latest adaptations that can engulf new players to the series. Unlike Pokémon where every new game/generation introduces you as if you are new to the world, this game intends for you to understand at least the basics of the digital world and the inhabitants of it, Including how human technology can manipulate Digimon to go crazy and act completely different to intended. It is as if the game is intentionally alienating the newcomers in the audience, making access to this game more difficult to those who have no background on Digimon as a whole.

Digimon Story: Cyber-Sleuth is the game that fans of the series have been waiting for since Digimon World 3. The beautiful art style, graphics, gameplay and variations keep the game fresh as well as the characters keeping the title more enjoyable and humorous. However, the accessibility to the title with its dedication to fans, expectations of knowledge and the Japanese voice acting can and may deter players from the experience. Is this the best title to get your hands on if you are new to the Digimon series? Probably not. But is this a great sign that the games are just as great now as they were back in the early 2000s? Absolutely. Hopefully the success of this title, despite its flaws, convinces the developers to bring future titles over to the west. As the digital world is just as prominent now as other competitors to the Pokémon series are popping up and doing just as well.

What are your thoughts on Digimon Story: Cyber-Sleuth? Is it the perfect blend of Digimon and detective gameplay or is it simply an experience best left in the digital world? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.