Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker's Memory

This is a safe bet: if you like the original you will find more of that here. It's a good RPG, but there aren't many surprises here.

By limiting itself to increasing the already high number of unlockable creatures, which in this case has established a real record, the developer Media.Vision has not made substantial changes to the dated technical sector, recycling rather blatantly textures and polygonal models of a game launched on the Japanese market three years ago.

A chapter that lacks originality but would please fans with a new plot and 87 new monsters.

Despite some of the shortcomings I found in the narrative and its inability to simply impress when it came to the conclusion of most cases, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker’s Memory manages to hold its weight. It's saying something when compared to other RPGs in the fighting monster team genre. The true stars of the show are the digimon, as they indeed should be, and there’s enough zaniness in the rest of the game to keep you entertained throughout its long running time. There’s room for improvement, though, and should the developers choose to keep this side of Digimon series going, we could see something truly amazing in the future. As it stands now, Hacker’s Memory is not a bad way to hang out with some of my new favorite digital friends.

The battling is very accessible, meaning that the fantastic story can be accessed by anyone.

Hacker’s Memory is a solid addition to the original Cyber Sleuth, but as its own game it has little in the way of substance.

This is a sequel to the original Cyber Sleuth game, but it doesn't feel that way. The game offers a new 50+ hour story, a total of over 300 Digimon and a few new elements. But next to that it is exactly the same as the last Digimon game.

It feels so much like the original that even its few new additions like new Digimon and Dominion Battles start to slowly but surely feel less impactful over time. All the same charm, quirks, and missteps of the original game are captured all over again in Hacker’s Memory but for a full $59.99 price tag it just feels like this sequel could have, and should have, brought more to the table.

Hacker's Memory mostly builds upon its capable predecessor, but despite an interesting cast, some tedious content holds it back from true greatness.

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory will trigger plenty of fond memories of the franchise. Unfortunately, the game does not pack enough of its own punch to make them lasting.

This is more Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth which is great but also has a lot of reused assets sadly.

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory may not be a true sequel to the 2016 original, but it’s a better version of a familiar experience. The visuals don’t shine as brightly on PS4 and players will have to wander through a lot of recycled content before encountering much new. While it would have been nice to have new areas, Hacker’s Memory is carried by its profoundly personal story, engrossing combat and progression mechanics, and various quality of life improvements. While newcomers may find the experience a little confusing, returning players will appreciate meeting up with returning characters and experiencing the enhancements implemented to improve the experience. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory may not be a true sequel, but the quality put into the story, combat and progression make it a worthy successor.

An impressive take on the monster collecting Japanese RPG format. Collecting and levelling up the digimon may seem a little too simple for die hard genre enthusiasts, but the typing, elements, and memory limit all help to add extra layers of depth to the gameplay. The DigiFarm and the interactions with your monsters also help create a bond, making them more than just tools at your disposal - something that other similar games miss. Hacker’s Memory is an enjoyable romp overall for both Digimon fans and non-fans alike.

Same old, same old... Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Hacker's Memory delivers more of the same and is therefore more than good enough... The incredibly slow starting hours, however, do kind of hurt the overall experience.

The biggest part of this game, like the environments or the 3D models, is the same that we've found in its predecessor. The story is afflicted by a lot of exhausting dialogues and the narration can be enjoyed only by a youngest ones. Luckily the growing and the combat systems are solid and funny, recommended to all Digimons' fans impatient to create they're own group of killing machines.

Digimon strikes back with another JRPG adventure plenty of digital worlds to explore, creatures to collect and battles to engage. Not the best or the most original game around, but a good one indeed.

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory is basically the same game as its predecessor. It features almost no improvements and seems to be created for PlayStation Vita, so the versions for PlayStation 4 feel like a missed opportunity.

Fans of Digimon and the first Cyber Sleuth will surely love Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory, where the digital monsters are the undisputed stars of the film. On the bad side, it's almost exactly like the original game (some locations are the same, and even the soundtrack is reused), and for an JRPG it's pretty average.

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory brings back too many elements from its predecessor, and in the end it feels like the developers forgot to give their new creature a personality of its own.

Hacker's Memory is a sequel that can only be enjoyed by gamers who played the original Cyber Sleuth. The lack of direction makes it tough to recommend to newcomers and the repeated content will hamper the fun factor for existing fans. However, if you're a long-time fan and only play the games for their in-depth monster customization then it's surely worth picking up.

It hasn't evolved enough to deal a critical hit to the competition. [Apr 2018, p.95]

There is a neat story to be told in this world, despite the world being mostly recycled from the last game, however if you don’t find joy in the grinding and collecting elements you’ll probably find yourself too frustrated with the pace and general gameplay to bother.