- Introduction to Title
Digimon World: Next Order is a JRPG developed by B.B Studios and published by Bandai Namco (Dragon Ball Xenoverse, Dark Souls, “Tales of” series). It was released on the PS Vita in Japan in March 2016, internationally on the PS4 in January 2017 and is a sequel of sorts to “Digimon World”, which was itself released in 1999.
At the time of writing (28/04/2020) there has recently been a “Big in Japan” sale on the Playstation Online Store, and that’s where I came across this title, at a greatly reduced price. I was initially very curious because I remember playing the original “Digimon World” back on the PS1 when I was a kid, and seeing “Next Order” in the sales made a bunch of fond childhood memories come flooding back.
Admittedly, I’m not up to date at all with the Digimon series, be that the games or the anime, as over the years I felt like I had “out-grown” it. I think the last Digimon game I played was “Digimon Rumble Arena” back in 2002. Well that ends now. In my nostalgia-fuelled state, and since the game was heavily discounted, I thought “why not?” and bought it. I was interested to see if there would be any similarities to the PS1 original, and what improvements or alterations there would be to that established formula. Without any further ado, let’s talk about Digimon World: Next Order!
- Story
You follow one of two potential main protagonists, either Takuto or Shiki, who are Japanese third-year high school students. One day, they are seemingly sucked into their toy digivice and mysteriously transported to the “Digital World”, a place inhabited by creatures known as Digimon.
A Digimon known as Jijimon finds you unconscious and takes you to Floatia City. When you awake, he lets you know that the world is being terrorised by an evil Machinedramon, and most of the city’s residents have fled in fear. Your role is simple; travel across the Digital World convincing Digimon to go back to Floatia City, uncover the mysteries behind the Machinedramon, & find a way back home to the real world. It’s a straight-forward plot that doesn’t require much thought, and pretty much the same as the original “Digimon World” game. In fact, with the plot being so similar, it almost feels like lazy writing on the part of the developers. It is still engaging enough to get you invested, however.
- Graphics & Sound
The game has a very bold and vibrant anime-esque art style. The world isn’t super detailed but given the style that the developers have opted to go for, you don’t expect it to be. Colours and shading are used to good effect and really help all the characters and environments “pop”. It’s an art styles that I think will age well.
There is a good mix of locations to explore, all with their own individual quirks and charms. A fun thing to note is that each area is dynamic. They change depending on the time of year and whether it’s day or night. This feature helps give each area a unique personality and makes them feel alive. Another thing I like is that even though each map is self-contained, with barriers and loading screens separating them, you can see adjacent areas in the distance, making the world feel bigger and more connected.
There isn’t much to say about the character models. The human characters all have that standard Japanese anime style to them, and although the Digimon you encounter on your journey are very true to their original designs, I noticed that some of them have very low-resolution and pixelated parts to them, which is a shame considering how good the environments look.
Digimon World: N.O does contain some voice acting but again, it’s nothing too note-worthy. In classic anime fashion, the delivery can often be quite loud and over the top. Some people may find that endearing, but I found it to be, at times, quite irritating.
The game may fall short with the voice-acting, but it makes up for it with the actual soundtrack. I found that the music fits the tone of any given situation quite well. It’s very relaxing and calm when you’re in Floatia City, fills you with a sense of wonder & adventure when you go out into the world, and makes you feel unbeatable when you go into battle. In fact, all the music that I’ve heard so far is captivating in its own way.
- Gameplay
Let’s just jump right into it. The unique thing about this game is the way that you care for and raise your Digimon. They don’t level up and get stronger as you progress through the game in the traditional sense. It’s your responsibility to look after them and shape them, from birth to the grave. You must feed them, take them to the toilet, train them to increase stats, rest them if they’re tired, and even discipline them if need be. All these factors, as well as a few others, influence the bond between you, and determine how long they live and how strong they can become. It is a complex and dynamic system that does an excellent job at making you feel attached to your Digimon. Because of this system, there is also a lot of variety in the Digimon you can potentially get.
The rest of the gameplay is standard RPG affair really. There are a couple of things that set Digimon World: N.O apart from the crowd, however. In battle, you don’t directly control your Digimon. They fight automatically and you just support them and issue occasional commands. It’s a fun approach to combat but requires some practise to get used to. Also, an internal clock is implemented, and to good effect. Time doesn’t flow in real time, but it does flow constantly. There is a day/night cycle, and the time of day determines what Digimon you’ll see out in the wild and what items you’ll find. Certain events can also only be triggered at certain points in the day.
One negative I must mention though is the difficulty of the game, especially early on when you’re just getting to grips with the mechanics. Apart from a few quick tutorials at the beginning, the game expects you to figure things out on your own. This itself isn’t a bad thing, but straight from the get-go you’ll come across some strong wild Digimon that you can’t beat. Even later when you’re comfortably going through the game, you’ll occasionally encounter Digimon that are much stronger than you, and often you can’t run from the battle. This means that you’ll probably die, a lot, and I can see this frustrating and putting off new players.
- Replayability
Outside of the main story, there is plenty to keep you coming back for more. You can take on the side quests, called “EX Chapters”, that typically pit you against extremely strong Digimon, but reward you with rare items. You can travel the land, completing Digimon requests and convincing them to go back to Floatia City. You could even just spend countless hours raising and spending time with your Digimon. Speaking of raising Digimon, there is a register that fills out as you get more, and it is quite big, so completionists could have fun trying to complete this register.
- Conclusion
Overall, I find Digimon World: New Order to be a very charming experience. So far, I’ve played for about 30 hours, but I think I’ve only just scratched the surface of the games story. I often find myself getting lost in exploring, fishing, & raising my Digimon and the main story seems to take a back seat. A game that can immerse me that much is obviously doing something right.
It hits enough of the same beats that the original “Digimon World” did to feel familiar and stir my inner child but adds just enough fresh elements to stop it from feeling like I’m re-treading old ground. None of the locations from the original are recycled (at least that I’ve come across) so it feels like I’m exploring the Digital World for the very first time, but with a sense that I’ve been here before. It’s almost like déjà vu, but in a good way. It’s very heart-warming.
I definitely recommend this game if you’ve played the 1999 original, are a fan of the Digimon series, or if you’re a fan of JRPGs in general. Even if you’re new to JRPGs, Digimon World: N.O is charming and friendly enough that it might just get you hooked, although I do appreciate that it won’t be for everyone. Just be aware that there is a steep learning curve.
Overall score: 8/10.