Digimon Survive Reviews

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A Grand Adventure, Digimon Survive is a visual novel with tactical role-playing elements developed by Hyde and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment as a great entry into the series of Digimon games, also reminding fans why the series is beloved.

Digimon Survive is a good — and surprisingly dark — visual novel, with a mediocre turn-based battle system.

Digimon Survive is an exciting alternate take on the tone and style of the Digimon series. It doesn't execute things flawlessly - those opening chapters are a bit of a chore and the tactics gameplay is simple with a capital 'S'. Still, when things kick off and the story starts to come together, it's a suspenseful and gripping journey that I'm glad I got to experience.

In the end, I’m glad I yanked back my expectations for this game. Digimon Survive offers a unique spin on the franchise and one that I can appreciate, but it’s a shame the final product turned out like this after all this time. Still, I did find myself compelled to progress through the game’s story if not to see how things would turn. It’s certainly a crazy scenario for the ‘mon, after all. If you’re a Digimon fan, you’ll likely already own this game way past reading this review, but I can only recommend this game on a sale.

The art in Digimon Survive is quite sharp, evoking a more mature sensation than most of the more friendly and expressive anime series. Both styles are excellent, but this one better suits the more consistently harsh and almost oppressive atmosphere that Digimon Survive comes to use. It helps that the featured Digimon all sport excellent designs, which is one of the series’ strong suits. The voice acting and music are both wonderful, with a lot of real passion going into the dialogue.

Digimon Survive comes as a surprise in many ways and delivers an incredibly enjoyable Digimon storyline told in visual novel style with serviceable SRPG combat.

Digimon Survive blends visual novel adventure with strategic combat. Though it's exploration and sporadic battles fail to impress, strong art and a superb story help raise it up.

Being a visual novel, Digimon Survive isn’t for everyone. For those with the patience for it though, we can’t help but recommend it. Whether you’re a fan of the Digimon franchise or not, there’s a thoroughly intriguing story here, backed up with attractive visuals, an enjoyable soundtrack, and some tense battles. This may be a departure for the series, but it’s paid off.

For a game that places so much weight on its cast and writing , Digimon Survive struggles to engage with poor characterization and weak storytelling.

Digimon Survive stumbles with its tactical combat but manages to recover with its compelling visual novel storytelling.

Digimon Survive feels like it was made with every kid who wanted to be a DigiDestined. It’s a darker twist on a fan favorite story. While the story is amazing, it is brought down by okay combat. 10 percent of the gameplay weighs down the other 90 percent.

Digimon Survive has been through a rough development. Initially announced in 2018 to celebrate 20 years of Digimon, the visual novel suffered multiple delays due to a global pandemic, a complete studio switch, and an engine overhaul. Now celebrating the 25th anniversary of the anime, Digimon Survive offers an engaging story in the beloved world with familiar characters and series surprises.

Gathered after a tragedy befalls our group, I attempt to calm down and plea that we should trust one another. Blood’s been spilled, and tensions are at an all-time high for this lost party of teens trapped in a dangerous land. That’s not quite the scene I had imagined going into Digimon Survive, a tactical RPG by way of a visual novel based on the sometimes-kid-friendly monster franchise. The dramatic dynamics at play are gripping, but the grid-based battles left me snoozing, souring what could have been a compelling, complete package.

When I reviewed Digimon Survive, I started out thinking it would be a playable Digimon anime. I was absolutely correct. But it’s a Digimon anime that ventures pretty deep into the horror genre. Some scenes look like something straight out of Silent Hill. The game opens with a grayscale prologue that feels downright nightmarish. As someone who watched Digimon Adventure as a kid, this whole sequence was a hell of a wake-up call.

Digimon Survive is a masterclass Visual Novel that hooks its teeth into you and doesn’t pull out until you hit the credits screen. That is if you are a fan of Visual Novel games that attract through Japanese voice acting and only a little Tactical RPG battles to set the mood. Music, atmosphere and story is top tier and makes you feel like you are literally inside the anime, if the anime had more death looming over your every decision.

What do you get when you mix Stranger Things, Shin Megami Tensei, and classic Digimon? Hyde and Bandai Namco’s Digimon Survive is here to answer the question. While playing through this dark and unique entry in the Digimon game pantheon, I went through flurries of excitement, sadness, and frustration. The extent to which you’ll experience those emotions may vary depending on whether you’re interested in and ready to play through a visual novel and strategy game hybrid that often slacks on the tactical front.

Since its first announcement in 2018, I’ve been excited for Digimon Survive. As you can imagine, the incessant delays that followed were like daggers penetrating my heart. Signs pointed to this title being relegated to development hell. Then, the pandemic hit, and that only perpetuated my fears. The world began slowing, and with it, my hype was dying an agonizing death. Yet, in all my hopelessness, a glimmer remained.

Digimon Survive is first and foremost a visual novel. While it has a bit of a slow start, by the end of "Part 1," the mysterious situation our protagonists find themselves in is more than enough to keep you going, even if you're new to the series.

Digimon Survive isn't quite the game anyone was expecting based on the marketing. As expected, the story is engrossing, blending darker moments with the character drama that made for excellent viewing in some of Digimon's best seasons. The visual novel aspect of the game is rather good by allowing players to form intimate connections with the other characters and partner Digimon. When the story works, it works amazingly well. When pacing issues do arise, however, they bring all that momentum to a halt. Combat is interesting and can be visually exciting, but it lacks the depth and complexity needed to carry the lengthy run time. It also frequently butts heads with the story when it comes to the partner Digimon, with the story emphasizing the bond but combat emphasizing recruits. It's a combat system that ultimately feels tacked on and a side activity to the main course, the visual novel. Digimon Survive is a strange combination of genres that, taken as a whole, is enjoyable, even though the sum of its parts doesn't wholly mesh. Digimon Survive is a worthwhile adventure for those looking for a strong story, but expect things to move slowly and not much actual gameplay.

Digimon Survive goes against the grain by being essentially four parts visual novel and one part tactical RPG, which may not be everyone's cup of tea. The compelling story is the real standout here, which is complemented nicely by the enjoyable, if fairly basic, tactical combat system. If you can manage to make it through the first few hours of exposition, Digimon Survive is well worth checking out - whether or not you're a fan of the franchise.

A unique direction for the Digimon franchise comes with growing pains and flashes of greatness in equal measure.

Digimon Survive leans heavily into the Visual Novel genre and it pays off. For fans of VN or Digimon this story is one of the best out there. Combat is enjoyable but some mechanics don't stick the landing.

When the issues of a game are rolled and stomped by its greatness, then it’s something to invest on if you have some spare.

Digimon Survive is one of the best visual novels to come out so far this year, with plenty of heart and tension to carry you through to the final act. Fans looking for an engaging story with well-written and presented characters that deal with life-and-death situations will enjoy the ride, while players focused on the combat will probably find that the game comes up short. Despite its sluggish, padded start, Digimon Survive is well worth the long wait.