Digimon Story: Time Stranger is the latest installment in the Digimon franchise. The story and unique character monsters from the Digimon world do not require knowledge from previous Digimon Story games, making Time Stranger accessible to anyone, regardless of their familiarity with the popular franchise.
We had our first hands-on experience during Anime Expo earlier this year and were quite impressed by what we saw. At PAX West, Bandai Namco gave us a three-hour demo of the game to delve deeper into it, and it is clear that fans of Digimon and turn-based games will enjoy it.
A New World Collides
Before you begin playing, you will be given the option to choose between two characters. The figure itself cannot be changed afterwards, but the character name and appearance can be altered later in the game. Their default outfits are colorful and resemble the attire of airline flight attendants from the 1970s. Whichever character you choose, it will not change the storyline or gameplay stats. Instead, the character you did not choose will serve as your colleague you’ll communicate throughout the game.
At the start of the game, you are introduced as a member of a secret organization that hunts down urban legends, like the Loch Ness Monster. A strange phenomenon is now occurring, and you must investigate it. You will explore the town, getting to know how to control your character before the adventure starts. Eventually, you will encounter “phase electron lifeforms”, also known as “Digital Monsters” or simply “Digimon”. The storytelling surrounding their introduction to you makes it easy for newcomers to jump in and explore.
Making the Dream Team
Before your first encounter with a wild Digimon, you will be given a Digimon to help in battle. Players must choose between Patamon, DemiDevimon, and Gomamon. This may sound familiar to another popular game, but players should not worry too much as these monsters can be found later in the game.
Time Stranger utilizes Attributes and Elements to determine the strength and weaknesses of each Digimon. Attributes such as Vaccine, Virus, and Data play a significant role. THey function in a rock-paper-scissors dynamic, with Vaccine beats Virus, Virus beating Data, and Data beating Vaccine.
Elements such as water, fire, lightning, and wind also play a role. For example, if you have a Virus Digimon, weak against fire, and a Vaccine Digimon that uses fire attacks, the damage can increase to 300%, as opposed to a lower percentage with a different Attribute. It may seem overwhelming to consider more than just elemental attacks, but it adds depth to the game. Players will need to build a larger team to handle various types of foes, giving them access to a wide variety of Digimon.
To add more Digimon to your lineup, players must battle them multiple times to gather their data. For instance, encountering Gomamon several times will allow you to collect at least 100% data to create one. Going over 100% will enhance the Digimon’s stats. Perfectionists may aim to max out the stats of every Digimon on their team. Once prepared, players can “Convert” the data to create a new Digimon. With over 450 Digimon available, players will have their hands full trying to collect them all, many of which are based on evolution.
When a Digimon is ready to evolve, players can choose between different evolutions that lead to new forms. Players also have the option to devolve their Digimon if they want to try a different form, making it easier than creating a new Digimon for every evolution.
If a player no longer wants a Digimon, they can transfer it as experience points to other Digimon in their party. Every Digimon serves a purpose in your party.
Party of Many
In battles, you can have up to six Digimon in your lineup, not including guest fighters, with three of them on the front lines dealing and taking damage. You can swap to any of the three different Digimon on your bench without using a turn in battle. Understanding Attributes and Elements is essential for winning battles efficiently.
During certain points in battle, you can use X-Arts, a special move that your human character can call upon based on your Digimon lineup. This also does not take a turn away from your Digimon. X-Arts can deal additional damage to enemies or heal your team, essentially providing a bonus turn.
Similar to other role-playing games, each fighter takes a turn, and players can use the timeline on the right side of the screen to keep track. Players can increase the battle speed to 5x to skip animations. This feature is essential for any turn-based game, and it’s great to see that Bandai Namco included it. Auto-battle is also available if you want to take a break from commanding your team in battles.
Random battles occur when you or wild Digimon encounter your human character or Digimon. Players can launch an attack with their Digimon before the wild Digimon can act. Depending on your Digimon party’s levels, you can either avoid the battle sequence and earn experience points immediately or land a first strike on the enemy in battle.
While exploring, your human character can search for hidden areas and treasures with the “scan” tool. If there is debris blocking your path or treasure, players can use their Digimon to clear it out.
Let’s Go Farming
One of the side perks players can enjoy if they want to raise Digimon’s levels and stats is using the Digifarm. It is an alternate world in the game where you can drop off your Digimon and give it objectives to increase its stats. This is an alternate way to raise Digimon without relying solely on random battles. While your Digimon is training, you can leave it for hours or spend in-game currency to speed up the process. There is a limit on how many Digimon you can place so choose accordingly.
Difficult to Put Down
The most difficult thing about Digimon Story: Time Stranger was putting down the controller. The three hours played during PAX West felt shorter. The battle sequences felt smooth and user-friendly. The user interface was clean, stylish, easy to follow, and didn’t overwhelm the screen. Roaming outside of battles felt good and the opportunity to earn experience points without having to go through battle sequences is great, without disrupting the flow too much. The game’s producer, Ryosuke Hara, and the team have done an excellent job.
Whether you’ve played previous Digimon Story titles or any other Digimon game, Digimon Story: Time Strangers so far appears to be a solid entry for those looking to alternate Pokémon games and those who enjoy classic role-playing games.
Digimon Story: Time Strangers releases on October 3, 2025 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Fans can visit the game’s official website for additional information and pre-order options.