Digimon Surviveis the latest upcoming title in theDigimonfranchise and it appears to be an interesting departure from previous entries. With the recent success of the narrative drivenDigimon Storygames, it looks likeDigimon Survivewill also feature a heavier emphasis on the story alongside difficult decisions and strategic battles.
One of the more interesting concepts introduced in theDigimon Survivepreviews is that players will be presented with branching narrative choices that will affect both the story and endings. Furthermore, not only will these choices influence the direction of the story, they will also potentially change the evolution branches of Digimon in the game. Though the finer details have yet to be revealed, these choices and their subsequent consequences could drastically influence futureDigimongames and the franchise as a whole.
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The Mature Storytelling of the Digimon Franchise
Over the years, theDigimonseries has become associated with mature, darker themesin storytelling despite being marketed towards children. The franchise has regularly explored themes of death, survivor’s guilt, isolation, and trauma through the lens of kids trapped in a digital world surrounded by terrifying monsters. Over the years,Digimonhas slowly shifted its primary target audience to teenagers and adults, almost as if to appeal to the people who grew up with the franchise as children. As a result, the games and anime series often go in darker directions and this enablesDigimon Surviveto have fatal consequences alongside the difficult decisions.
Similar to other games and anime series in theDigimonfranchise,Digimon Surviveplaces players in the role of Takuma Momotsuka, a student who gets lost in a parallel digital world while attending a picnic. He soon encounters Agumon, who tries to help Takuma find his way home while surviving the digital world infested with monsters. Though thepremise ofDigimon Surviveremains similarto other games in the franchise, it appears that players will have a much larger role in determining the ultimate fate of Takuma.
The Focus on Choice and Its Subsequent Consequences
Designed as a survival strategy RPG,DigimonSurvivehas a heavy emphasis on choicesthat players will make throughout the game. Split into multiple kinds of gameplay,Digimon Survivewill often feature “Drama Parts” where the story is presented to players as a visual novel. Much like other games in the genre, players will interact with other characters and make choices that will branch the narrative through different paths. Multiple playthroughs will result in different stories, endings, and will even affect the evolution of certain Digimon. It seems that player choice will play a big role in shaping the narrative ofDigimon Surviveand the final ending for Takuma.
However, players will also need to be cautious with the choices that they make during the game.Choices inDigimon Survivecan have potentially disastrous consequenceswith characters being killed off. As a result, players will have to carefully deliberate their decisions during the story to find a way to survive. This unique emphasis on player choice is something new for theDigimonfranchise and feels like a natural extension of the mature storytelling themes that have become commonplace in the series. Though fans will have to wait to see if this risky departure works out forDigimon Survive,it’s exciting to see howDigimoncontinues to innovate and evolve.
Digimon Surviveis currently in development for PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.
