Digimon Story: Time Stranger Review
The latest Digimon game delivers a complex JRPG with strategic depth and emotional storytelling that stands apart from its monster-collecting competition
Digimon Story: Time Stranger. Credit: Media.Vision / Bandai Namco
Digimon Story: Time Stranger from developer Media.Vision and publisher Bandai Namco was my first Digimon title, despite the franchise’s long history. I expected a straightforward Pokémon clone but was surprised by the complexity of its systems and more mature storytelling. The game features deep customization mechanics, strategic turn-based combat, and a time-traveling narrative that takes itself seriously. For someone who's only ever known early Pokémon's approach to monster collecting, Time Stranger feels like discovering there's been a whole other side to the genre I'd been missing. To the game’s credit, I didn't feel like I needed context from previous Digimon games to understand what was happening.
You play as an agent of ADAMAS, a secret organization investigating anomalous phenomena involving mysterious digital creatures called Digimon. During an investigation in a sealed-off, destroyed Shinjuku district, you're caught in a massive explosion and wake up eight years in the past. You must uncover the origins of the catastrophic event and find a way to prevent the world's collapse. The story spans both the human world and the Digital World, ruled by the Olympos XII—powerful Digimon inspired by Greek mythology.
Digimon Story: Time Stranger. Credit: Media.Vision / Bandai Namco
The story is my favorite part of the game. The time travel setup is cleverly executed, with your investigation gradually revealing connections between past events and the future. What really impressed me was the depth given to the Digimon characters themselves, after my expectations driven by Pokémon. Digimon are not just pets or tools; some have deeper personalities and their own motivations, going through their own character arcs. Aegiomon in particular becomes a compelling companion. I just wish the protagonist had more personality instead of being a silent character, which proves to be the weakest part of the narrative. Dialogue in general could have stood some additional polish.
The turn-based combat was satisfying and surprisingly strategic. Basic enemy battles are fairly easy, and I appreciated the easily activated high-speed options to get through the simplest ones more quickly. But bosses are a genuine treat that requires careful planning. Combat is at its best when you're forced to carefully consider both the attributes (Vaccine, Virus, Data, etc) and many elements (Fire, Water, Plant, etc.) to exploit weaknesses and get the highest damage multipliers possible while minimizing your own catastrophic damage during an extended battle. It was a nice touch that using items doesn’t consume turns, which adds another tactical layer when you're in trouble. After a battle, if you stand still for a few seconds, your Digimon heal automatically. While I appreciate not needing items constantly, it feels like an unnecessary waste of time that stalls momentum. The game should just heal everyone after fights and be done with it.
Digimon Story: Time Stranger. Credit: Media.Vision / Bandai Namco
Digimon evolution is remarkably flexible, with multiple nonlinear paths for each creature. You can even de-evolve to earlier forms to explore different builds and stat optimization. The 16 personality types system adds fascinating depth, influencing stat growth, skill acquisition, and even evolution conditions. The menu UIs for managing and evolving Digimon could have been streamlined significantly. It was confusing at first, then just felt like I was juggling too many menus to accomplish simple tasks.
The minigames are another weak point. The Jogmon card game lacks depth. It claims that card level and attribute advantages matter, but the heavy RNG means a level 1 card can randomly beat your level 6 with type advantage. There's no actual strategy, just random card draws and hoping probability works in your favor. The Digifarm system also feels oddly bland and is boring to use. It lets you train Digimon passively and adjust their personalities, but since boxed Digimon not in your main party get the same experience anyway, the farm's benefits feel minimal unless you're specifically grinding stats. It’s just tedious.
Digimon Story: Time Stranger. Credit: Media.Vision / Bandai Namco
The various biomes are interesting to explore, though dungeon design gets repetitive and bland with similar-looking corridors and chambers that blend together, a problem that plagues many modern JRPGs. The story kept me invested when some of the exploration didn't.
The 3D graphics sport a solid anime style that fits the game’s vibe. In terms of art direction, I’m most fascinated by the Digimons’ looks. I've always been a big admirer of Pokémon creature design and the quality behind it. Comparatively, Digimon designs are uneven; some are genuinely cool, while others are bizarre or downright ugly, but I actually appreciate that range. Some Digimon can be humanoid, others are monstrous, and a few are just weird. It gives the roster more personality than the consistently polished Pokémon designs.
Digimon Story: Time Stranger. Credit: Media.Vision / Bandai Namco
Digimon Story: Time Stranger pleasantly surprised me. The story is its strongest point, delivering an emotionally engaging time travel mystery with compelling character relationships. The combat system has real depth when you engage with its attribute and element interactions, and the flexible evolution system offers satisfying customization. The minigames and some UI decisions hold it back, but the core experience is strong enough to overcome those flaws. If you've been curious about Digimon games but intimidated by the franchise's history, this is an excellent entry point.
Digimon Story: Time Stranger is available now on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Overall Score: 8/10
Played on: PS5
