By turning a blind eye because it's digimon, the game is nothing special, a narrative with a lot of blah blah, boring as can be, 2 stars and that's it...

Edit: 12/08/2023. I finished it and I don't change my mind about anything below.

Original Post:

First of all, I will say that I am halfway through the game, and once I complete it, I will see IF I need to edit my review and change my rating.

I am a big fan of Digimon. I was the one who used to wake up early in the morning as a child and wait in front of the TV to sing along to the Anime's intro before my favorite "kids" show started.

For anyone looking for a game like Cybersleuth/Hackers Memory or Digimon World, you've come to the wrong place.

The game is a visual novel with a simple combat/level up system and simple choices in questions, most of which don't have any ground-breaking results, at least NOT in the first playthrough, but I will reach that point.

The combat system is nothing special, it reminds me a lot of Super Robot Wars 30, just more simplified. You learn it relatively quickly and then start grinding for Digimon, leveling up, and items. Pay attention to grinding for items that upgrade your Digimon so you don't miss out later.

The graphics are okay for the game's style. The only complaint I have? I would like to see some animation for the attacks instead of just numbers. Maybe I've been spoiled too much by Hackers Memory and I'm asking for too much.

The music, for me, is generic, except for a few times when they want to give a WOW factor to the story. Maybe I'm judging it too harshly when I shouldn't, but I will explain the reason.

I accepted everything without any problem. I had absolutely no issue with the combat/music/animation of the game, which is why I bought it (30 euros on the day of purchase) because I love this Digimon universe so much. BUT I don't accept that I can't access the True Ending of the game from the first playthrough! For those who don't know, depending on your choices, the game has Good/Bad/True endings. BUT to get the true ending of the game, you have to finish it once and then go to New Game + and PLAY IT ALL AGAIN with the hope of making the right choices to get the True ending.

It's not a game with a duration of 8-10 hours where you can say, "Okay, let's go for a replay." We're talking about a game that takes at least 30-40 hours for a single playthrough, in a style of game that doesn't offer anything else beyond the True Ending. So for me, it's a 3/5. If the situation improves later, I will come back to add whether it's worth it or not.

Despite the 3-year delay, I finally played the new Digimon title. What people need to understand is that the game is not an Action gameplay but a Visual Novel Hybrid, where you mainly sit and watch - read the story. Of course, Digimon without battles is not possible, so we also have the Tactical RPG Battle System, which, although important, is not the core of the game.

The game will not resemble Next Order or Cyber Sleuth, so those who decide to buy it should be aware of this and accept the fact that it is a kind of game we have not seen before in the franchise.

Now, for those who decide to buy it, personally, as a big Digi-Fan, I really enjoyed it. Although the story has many good elements from the Anime, it is also much darker, which I believe will satisfy a more mature audience. The game kept me engaged for about 40 hours in the first playthrough, and it can easily keep someone for longer if they try to achieve the different endings that the story has.

For me, it is a good game, but unfortunately not for everyone

I hope those who buy it have done a little research on what Digimon Survive is and don't start complaining because they expected something else. The game is a visual novel that combines strategy gameplay with exploration (within the framework of a VN, not just wandering around). I'm not a fan of movie-games, but I think this one managed to combine everything in such a way that you won't get bored easily, as long as you are a Digimon fan. There is mystery, deaths, a wide variety of Digimon, and 4 different endings depending on the answers you give during the game (the evolutions of certain Digimon are also determined by the route you choose in each playthrough. If you go with the "red" answers, for example, you will become Greymon, with the yellow ones Tyrannomon, and with the green ones Tuskmon).

In my opinion, it's worth buying for someone who is a fan of Digimon and is willing to experience the game FIRST as a visual novel and then whatever they enjoy from the gameplay. The ratio is 70-30 VN - gameplay, but if you ask me, I would say it felt more like 60-40. The only negative thing I will add is the Japanese tropes, such as the excessive analysis of each situation and how everyone has to express their opinion five times for the story to progress. They are clichés and stereotypes of Japanese Hello Kitty culture that we know and have grown tired of.