Digimon Story Time Stranger

For gamers only familiar with Pokémon, Digimon Story: Time Stranger might be a revelation. Turns out there are other high-quality monster battlers after all. Digimon Story: Time Stranger is an excellent introduction to the franchise. It isn’t a game that depends on bleeding-edge graphics, so the Switch 2 visuals look just fine. It’s a shame that the release didn’t include the DLC as an extra incentive. Still, the base game offers a lot of content and replayability.

Just like in its original release, the technical aspect is a luxury when considering the limitations of the Switch 2. In addition, this version arrives with the improvements from the patches that the other platforms are already enjoying. Being able to play anywhere without issues with loading screens or FPS drops puts it practically on the same level as the rest of the consoles. It is a more than enjoyable experience, although in handheld mode a higher-quality screen would be appreciated.

I’m splitting hairs with these critiques, but they highlight why I ever-so-slightly prefer the Pokémon games over Digimon here. This is a very good, entertaining JRPG in its own right, and plays (and looks) gorgeous on the Nintendo Switch 2). It’s moreish, like the monster-collecting RPGs are at their best. It just ever-so-slightly lacks the X-factor that Game Freak’s property has. It’s not quite as charming or quite as refined. But there’s no shame in coming second to Pokémon, the biggest IP in the world, and this is arguably the best Digimon title we’ve ever seen.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger makes a strong jump to Nintendo Switch 2, offering smooth 60 FPS performance, great handheld play, and an experience that feels uncompromised next to its PC, PS5, and Xbox counterparts. The story takes a while to fully land, and issues like repetitive dialogue, inconsistent voice acting, and underwhelming DLC keep it from being flawless. Still, this is a fantastic port of one of the best Digimon Story entries to date.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger for Nintendo Switch 2 is one of the best ports for the Big N's hybrid console that keeps the quality of the base game intact, along with the advantage of being able to enjoy it both on the TV and in handheld mode, without breaking a sweat along the way. Fans of creature collecting will find here one of the best offerings on the market.

Digimon lands on Nintendo Switch 2 with one of its best games, that also gets a great port, featuring graphics modes and a fantastic portable experience at 60 fps. It’s an addictive game that you can now take anywhere with your console.

The latest entry in the Digimon franchise was well worth the wait, arriving on Switch 2 in fine form with a performance standard that puts its closest rival to shame. Digimon Story Time Stranger's monster-battling is as fun as ever, and the time-hopping, dimension-crossing story is a blast from start to finish.

This is certainly something Pokémon should emulate in terms of visuals, though it doesn't necessarily need to worry about the game's mechanics or structure. A solid game? Yes. A revolution? Not necessarily. Thanks to that simple system for creating new companions, I never felt the same kind of bond with them that I do with the competition's creatures - even though the relationship with the Digimon here is somewhat forced upon the player through conversation mechanics or the Digifarm. Exploration and level design in this game are lackluster. The dungeons are poor and linear, while Tokyo—though nicely recreated - is chopped up into very small segments interrupted by loading screens.