Digimon Survive tells a refreshingly mature story, if you’re willing to wait – Review

gamepur.com:

With long-running franchises, especially those with a devoted fanbase and a specific and established style, it’s important to set clear expectations. This is especially true for Digimon Survive, which in more ways than one, isn’t the usual kind of Digimon game. First, it eschews its usual RPG format in favor of a visual novel with a side of tactical, turn-based combat. Second, it operates on a vastly different emotional wavelength than the rest of the series. It’s darker by a wide margin, functioning as something between a teen mystery and a horror story, and pulling none of its thematic punches.

The visual novel sections serve to highlight Digimon Survive’s new and radical tone shift, one that feels appropriate for a franchise that’s been releasing games since the late 90s. They’re also far and away the best part of the game. The writing and dialogue are solid, and although some players might miss an English dub, the subtitled translation is smooth and lively. Choices of many kinds come along often, and they feel appropriately weighty since siding with one character usually involves making an active decision to ignore another. Frequent time constraints lead you to prioritize certain threads while leaving others dangling. In this way, playing the part of a heroic leader or a caring friend will still lead to messy, and sometimes painful, results. The cast is also compelling and nuanced, so that even when your party members make ugly or misguided choices of their own, you can understand and even sympathize with their motivations.

The art direction in these sections is also vibrant and striking. Although environments and animations are a touch sparse, there’s plenty to like where it counts — in the character