Digimon Survive

 Switch
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 391 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 281 out of 391
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 391
  3. Negative: 97 out of 391
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  1. Matt2790
    Sep 6, 2022
    6
    Average game with very little combat, and tons of texts which is ok since the game is actually more a visual novel than an rpg. Story was nice, had potential but it felt watered down by simple narrative with so much unnecessary dialogue and whiny annoying characters which I'll soon hopefully forget. Combat was the best part. I'm not saying is terrible game, just average. I ended upAverage game with very little combat, and tons of texts which is ok since the game is actually more a visual novel than an rpg. Story was nice, had potential but it felt watered down by simple narrative with so much unnecessary dialogue and whiny annoying characters which I'll soon hopefully forget. Combat was the best part. I'm not saying is terrible game, just average. I ended up skipping so much unnecessary dialogue. Final stretch was rather disappointing. If you're a Digimon fan, you'll probably gladly pay 60$ for it. Me, I don't believe it is worth it. Maybe 30$ would be much more reasonable for this.… Expand
  2. Aggregator
    Nov 14, 2022
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Digimon fans who are looking for a more grim take on the series will enjoy this, if they can accept the janky fusion between the Visual Novel and SRPG aspects.

    Full review:
    https://aggregatorreviews.com/was-digimon-survive-worth-it/    … Expand
  3. imaybestupid
    Aug 1, 2022
    5
    Digimon sSurvive does a wonderful job at immersing you in its narrative, with gorgeous art and a story that would stand comfortably alongside any season of Digimon. This is my first time playing a game that is primarily a visual novel and it really has me feeling like I was part of the story and l carefully selecting my responses . Alongside that is the tactical rpg gameplay, which IDigimon sSurvive does a wonderful job at immersing you in its narrative, with gorgeous art and a story that would stand comfortably alongside any season of Digimon. This is my first time playing a game that is primarily a visual novel and it really has me feeling like I was part of the story and l carefully selecting my responses . Alongside that is the tactical rpg gameplay, which I though complimented the Digimon franchise very well. Thanks to my investment in the narrative it made my choices in battle feel that much more important. I honestly haven’t had a gameplay experience quite like this before!… Expand
  4. Kyrios666
    Aug 31, 2022
    7
    I didn't have high hopes for this game but I bought this because I love the Digimon franchise and want them to continue making games. With the amount of potential it has with the sheer amount of Digimon and absurd levels of evolution possibilities you have to wonder why they don't make something akin to SMT (Cyber Sleuth and Hacker's Memory excluded). The visual novel art graphics ofI didn't have high hopes for this game but I bought this because I love the Digimon franchise and want them to continue making games. With the amount of potential it has with the sheer amount of Digimon and absurd levels of evolution possibilities you have to wonder why they don't make something akin to SMT (Cyber Sleuth and Hacker's Memory excluded). The visual novel art graphics of Survive is stunning with a memorable cast of characters. The karma system that plays into the VN which directly impacts the evolution your digimon takes is interesting and has potential in future games. The story is dark and is clearly meant for fans like myself who grew up watching Digimon adventure in the mornings before school. In terms of tactical gameplay - it is pretty underwhelming. The animations are slow and have a low frame-rate which makes it feel extremely sluggish. If they had the level of butter-smooth, fast gameplay like Disgaea, this would resolve a majority of the game's problems. Survive is a decent entry in the Digimon series but leaves much to be desired.… Expand
  5. Doomavanger
    Aug 8, 2022
    6
    Takes too **** long to get into actual gameplay. Its a visual novel first Digimon game second. Your dialogue have no real impact on the story other than to select a ending.
  6. JohnnySkyward
    Jul 31, 2022
    6
    So, i love digimon and couldn't wait to play this, but the realization hit me hard. This genre mashup don't work for me. I mean, the artstyle is quite nice and beautiful, but i wanted to fight with my digimon, run around and explore the world (not particular an open world). Here i have to watch the people talk in an stiff style, only to click them with the "a" button away. I am sad thatSo, i love digimon and couldn't wait to play this, but the realization hit me hard. This genre mashup don't work for me. I mean, the artstyle is quite nice and beautiful, but i wanted to fight with my digimon, run around and explore the world (not particular an open world). Here i have to watch the people talk in an stiff style, only to click them with the "a" button away. I am sad that the "managing your digimon" part is so low and short. It was the first red flag about a year sgo, after i watched preview videos and stuff. For me, i can't recommend it to anybody, but if you like A LOT of textboxes and very little actual strategy fighting gameplay, than you could maybe have fun. Sorry.… Expand
  7. Gremlinpirate
    Nov 19, 2022
    5
    I think I went into this for the wrong reasons. I honestly couldn't stand this game, I came into this wanting a fun Digimon tactical rpg, instead I got a Visual Novel. Maybe I'm just small brained or something but I just was not able to dig the story in this game, most of the characters were a bit too much and I never managed to grab onto anyone as a likeable character in my eyes. When theI think I went into this for the wrong reasons. I honestly couldn't stand this game, I came into this wanting a fun Digimon tactical rpg, instead I got a Visual Novel. Maybe I'm just small brained or something but I just was not able to dig the story in this game, most of the characters were a bit too much and I never managed to grab onto anyone as a likeable character in my eyes. When the game decided to actually let you play the tactical part of it, you were just given a barebones experience with no real meat to it. It felt like a chore for me to just rush to the end of the game just to say I beat it. And I genuinely hate games that want you to play it more than once to get the real ending. I honestly just don't think this game was made for me, I am happy for everyone who did enjoy it, I just couldn't.… Expand
  8. humulos
    Aug 18, 2022
    6
    5/10 if you don't care about Digimon, 7/10 if you do. A lot of folks focus on the idea that somehow this game is great as long as you recognize that it's a visual novel, but that's simply not the case. Not to say it's bad either, it's just a very middle of the road title. In all honesty, the story and characters are enjoyable, which is obviously a big plus for this sort of game. The5/10 if you don't care about Digimon, 7/10 if you do. A lot of folks focus on the idea that somehow this game is great as long as you recognize that it's a visual novel, but that's simply not the case. Not to say it's bad either, it's just a very middle of the road title. In all honesty, the story and characters are enjoyable, which is obviously a big plus for this sort of game. The presentation is also very easy on the eyes, with expertly drawn artwork, a mild amount of animations, and great looking Digimon rigs in battle. Some people may see the number of available Digimon and be disappointed when comparing to games with larger rosters, but the scope and progression of the game really make that a non-issue, the number of Digimon units you can recruit and evolve feels just right. However, where the game begins to lose points is in the gameplay itself, both the visual novel and tactics gameplay. Starting with the battles, there is absolutely nothing new brought to the table here. If you've played a strategy game on the PS1, then you know exactly what you are getting into. Maps are big but units don't always have movement options to account for that, so you can end up sending 4-5 turns just trying to reach an opponent, or more if said opponent is programmed to just run to the far corner of the map. It's pretty uninteresting overall, especially when playing on lower difficulty levels. I hear some people say that auto-battle makes that a non-issue, but if the preferred way to play a game is to not play it at all, then there is likely something wrong here. Similar to games like Fire Emblem, you can attempt to recruit opponents depending on the battle type, though this process is very tedious, and begs you to just use a guide. Whether you have the chance to recruit depends on whether you guess the right answers to 3 questions, with the mediocre translation making your responses nonsensical at times (a running theme in the game). Not that it matters, as there is absolutely nothing to indicate what the correct answer should be, it's a complete guess if this is your first time hearing that enemy give that question. Even if you do get every answer right, you can still lose out on recruiting simply because you only have a percentage chance to be successful, depending your character's current alignment, so some Digimon will always just be more difficult to get depending on the route you are attempting to take.

    Battles of course are only a third of the equation, possibly less depending on how you play. The game is first and foremost a visual novel and it really likes to draw that out. The scenarios exist largely to waste your time, as it can take a significant amount of time for anything meaningful to happen. Characters waste time repeating information constantly, and not just single sentences. A perfect example is chapter 4, where the exact same 5-minute situation plays out at least 3 times, with no progression of any kind, followed by the most drop-dead uninteresting exploration I've ever experienced. It's clear they were really trying to include gameplay elements for the sake of simply including gameplay elements, but these portions of the game would have been MORE interesting without needless player interaction. Meanwhile for cases where player choice does matter, the localization is once again very hit and miss, making it sometimes difficult to choose an answer you would actually agree with. The free-time segments are probably where the visual novel aspect shines, as despite the confusing translation, you generally do end up at least getting to know the characters better.

    All of these complaints are mostly harmless, but they do add up to make an experience that isn't by any means new or interesting. There are much better visual novels, there are much better tactics games, go play those instead if you haven't. If you really like Digimon (which I do), then you may at least find value in this being an enjoyable Digimon narrative.    … Expand
  9. CloudVentura
    Jul 30, 2022
    5
    A big hardpass for the fans of Digimon as a tamer game.
    Since its a jumble between 2 genres that are difficult to combine successfully (VN and Tactical RPG), which means that it cannot stand out surprisingly in both as if it were individually with each.
    As a graphic novel, the characters almost lack any animation or mobility, being NPG's that only move their mouths (and occasionally, the    A big hardpass for the fans of Digimon as a tamer game.
    Since its a jumble between 2 genres that are difficult to combine successfully (VN and Tactical RPG), which means that it cannot stand out surprisingly in both as if it were individually with each.
    As a graphic novel, the characters almost lack any animation or mobility, being NPG's that only move their mouths (and occasionally, the PNG is deformed to simulate movement), which would not be a problem if in the VN niche there are works made by fewer people who left behind those animation deficiencies..
    The finish, production values, and technical ambition resemble (no offense) that of an indie. Which is hardly justifiable in a main Digimon game.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

92
#92 Best Switch Game of 2022
9
#9 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. RPG Fan
    Jul 11, 2023
    75
    Digimon Survive should have a lot of depth, with partner Digimon evolving and devolving, free-roaming Digimon to recruit, and a vibrant cast of characters who, on the surface, are generally enjoyable. Looking at the game from afar, it truly captures a feeling of desolation and nostalgia. But it comes up just short when it comes to gameplay and story—the two most important things for an SRPG and visual novel hybrid. A “Truthful” path awaits as a New Game+ option, but the gameplay shortcomings, unfortunately, aren’t alleviated with repeat playthroughs. Digimon Survive‘s charms aren’t fleeting by any means, but neither are its disappointments.
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  2. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Dec 22, 2022
    80
    With its mature themes, Digimon Survive provides a refreshing take on the franchise and fits into the series' canon in a really cool way. I hope we get more Digimon games exploring new directions like this! [Issue #63 – January/February 2023, p. 73]
  3. Nintendo Insider
    Nov 18, 2022
    70
    I love visual novels, and I love strategy games. For a subsection of gamers, Digimon Survive will hit the perfect sweet spot between both of those. It’s got everything you’d expect from a digestible entry with a focus on presentation. However, I couldn’t help but feel that the game is just shy of greatness. Make no mistake, Digimon Survive is good. However, despite its best efforts, I found that the pacing drags and the combat mechanics are unremarkable. If you have enough patience to engage with its story and gameplay, the positives will far outweigh the negatives. It’s flawed, but the heart shines through and it goes down easy thanks to being one of the best-looking anime-style games released in years. Are there better SRPGs to play right now? Sure, but none offer Digimon’s unique brand of SRPG and I think it hits more than it misses.
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