Hands-On Impressions of Digimon Story: Time Stranger at SGF 2025
A Gateway Between Worlds—that’s the impression I garnered after a 30-minute hands-on experience with Bandai Namco’s anticipated monster-taming JRPG, Digimon Story: Time Stranger. My familiarity with the series is limited to the original Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth on the PlayStation Vita, but Bandai Namco has reassured fans that this latest installment stands alone, much like others in the franchise.
Diving into Digimon Story: Time Stranger, the first things that caught my attention were its art and character designs. With renowned artist Suzuhito Yasuda returning as the character designer, the game features animated portraits and character profiles that exhibit the highest quality representations of his previous work with Bandai Namco. The character models stand out vividly against the subdued hues of the digital landscape, lending the JRPG a unique aesthetic. Notably, the introduction of symbol encounters allows players to see enemy Digimon in the field, enabling strategic battle selections rather than relying on random encounters.
The game’s narrative intricately weaves between the real-world settings of Japan—primarily Shinjuku and Akihabara—and the expansive digital realm inhabited by Digimon, set approximately eight years in the past. Although my preview centered on the digital realm, Bandai Namco hinted at a dynamic story progression that allows players to traverse between the two worlds. The potential for time-related events and their consequences is tantalizingly ambiguous, but a recent story trailer featuring a citywide explosion hints at significant developments that will draw players back into the real world.
Each entry in the Digimon franchise introduces unique gameplay elements. Players familiar with Digimon Survive will recall its blend of visual novel storytelling and strategic, grid-based combat. In contrast, Digimon Story: Time Stranger adheres to the classic turn-based battles seen in earlier titles. Here, players can deploy up to four Digimon at once, alongside guest characters, creating a need for tactical planning. Thankfully, in the initial stages of the game, managing Digimon abilities is simplified; each has a set of skills that align with its elemental type, including attack, buffs, and debuffs. Notably, players can use items before executing actions, allowing for strategic flexibility.
With a diversity of nearly a dozen elements and seven attributes—though Bandai Namco showcased only Data, Vaccine, and Virus during the demo—the game’s combat system presents numerous strategic variables. Players will need to test different attacks on enemies to discover their elemental affinities, determining whether an attack is merely effective or devastatingly strong, depending on the target’s weaknesses.
Boasting a roster of over 450 digital monsters, Digimon Story: Time Stranger promises a wealth of discoveries for both novices and veterans of the franchise. A distinctive feature of Digimon games is the non-linear evolution chains, allowing different players to assemble significantly varied party compositions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRCH0qPHYzoVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Digimon Story Time Stranger – Release Date Trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRCH0qPHYzo)Mark your calendars: Digimon Story: Time Stranger is set to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC on October 3, 2025.
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