The Best Digital Worlds In Digimon Games

Key Takeaways

• Digimon
  games offer rich worlds and deep leveling systems, distinguishing it from
  Pokemon.
• Different
  Digimon
  games introduce unique gameplay elements and narrative shifts, appealing to fans.
• Digimon Survive
  game stands out with its heart-wrenching narrative and mature themes, offering a unique experience.

Digimon has long been branded as an offshoot of Nintendo‘s juggernaut franchise Pokemon, but aside from the obvious suffix the similarities between the two series are threadbare. Digimon is more focused on the actual raising of the titular creatures true to its Tamagotchi roots, and in video game form at least, has much more in common with traditional JRPG series like Megami Tensei.

The Digimon games have consistently reinvented themselves, producing a variety of rich worlds, complex characters, and in-depth leveling-up systems. They haven’t often achieved widespread critical success but many of the Digital Worlds represented in games have endeared themselves to fans and are still worth exploring.

10 Digimon World 3

An Inspirational Story

Digimon World 3 has the largest disparity between critics and fans. It suffered from trying to do a lot with a relatively small budget. While it’s guilty of some bloat and chasing trends by reverting to a 1v1 style of turn-based combat, the game would go on to be very influential for the series.

The sprites and world design are charming and the retro aesthetic and chiptune-inspired music make it a delight to return to. The meta-narrative, the layered leveling, and the streamlined battle system provided the blueprint for the more popular Digimon Story series. Digimon World 3 has become more appreciated over time, with its popularity still growing among new fans.

9 Digimon World DS (Digimon Story)

Start Of A New Journey

Branded Digimon Story outside of US markets, Digimon World DS marked an important shift into a new series that runs counter to Digimon World. The first two entries on the DS are as close to Pokemon as the series ever got, with players primarily aspiring to be a top Digimon tamer. The game offers new gameplay elements that help make up for a lack of a compelling narrative.

Acquiring the most powerful Digimon requires evolving and devolving the player’s team in order to unlock new evolution paths, which is a satisfyingly deep system for fans to sink their teeth into. The introduction of the Digimon farm also provides a welcome break from dungeon crawling and allows players to make a personal connection team outside of battle.

8 Digimon World Dusk And Digimon World Dawn

New Levels Of Evolution

Following on directly from Digimon World DS, Digimon World Dusk and Dawn were released in tandem, featuring narrative and roster tweaks of the same game. Improving on its predecessor, the games add new depth to the leveling system with the inclusion of DNA and Armor Digivolving.

That makes for a stacked roster of branching evolution lines players could put dozens of hours into maxing. The sprites are also gorgeous, the animations are emotive, and the story remains engaging throughout its runtime. It’s one of the most compact and pleasant games in the series, although grinding is prevalent to achieve the aforementioned powerful Digimon.

7 Digimon World Re:Digitize

Go East For A New Adventure

Digimon has always been more popular in its native Japan, meaning a number of its properties never get official Western versions. There is a fan translation available of Digimon World Re:Digitize and it’s worth seeking out for fans that have never experienced it.

Digimon World Re:Digitize focuses on the relationship with partner Digimon and the automated battle mechanics help flesh them out as individual beings separate from the player. The character design is some of the best in the series, ensuring the game tugs just a little harder at those heartstrings after a partner Digimon’s eventual death.

6 Digimon World

The Original Monster

Digimon World’s aesthetic holds up surprisingly well for a 25-year-old game, with quaint character models and vibrant battle animations. What really makes it worth revisiting though is the sheer scope of the game, built around the hub world of File City.

As players complete story moments, new Digimon arrive in town adding features like shops and arenas. Digimon World also features an internal calendar complete with day and night cycles and date-specific events. It’s a charming world that players can kick back and spend hours in.

5 Digimon World: Next Order

The Latest In The Evolutionary Line

Digimon World: Next Order marked the most recent attempt for Bandai Namco to deliver the core Tamogtchi-like experience and benefits from those that came before it. The game’s central focus is on raising and caring for partner Digimon but the expansive roster provides a more unique character experience than in previous games.

How a Digimon‘s personal needs are met and how a player chooses to communicate with them drastically changes the evolutionary path they will take. Players probably can’t get their favorite Digimonwithout an expansive guide but allowing the Digimon to grow organically and become who they are makes them feel more like virtual pets than ever before.

4 Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory

A Worthy Imitation

Hacker’s Memory has the smallest disparity between critical and fan reception of any game in the series. Like Digimon World: Next Order it largely succeeds by combining and developing the games that came before it, borrowing a lot asset-wise from the previous entry Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth.

That familiarity will provide comfort to fans but it does take the shine off a little. Hacker’s Memory deserves its place among the best Digital Worlds for an all-around balance of world-building, colorful characters, and deeply satisfying JRPG gameplay, even if it doesn’t exactly stand out with its own identity.

3 Digimon Adventure

Return Of The DigiDestined

Another Japan exclusive release unfortunately Digimon Adventure was released to coincide with the anniversary of the original anime series of the same name and follows along the same plot. Digimon Adventure dealt with some mature themes that subsequent seasons of the anime would gradually do away with in favor of appealing to a younger audience.

That’s why for many fans, Digimon Adventure remains the seminal story within the Digimon universe and Digimon Adventure presents the chance to relive those defining moments first-hand.

2 Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth

An Intriguing Digital Mystery

The epitome of the Digimon Story series and to many fans the very best Digimon game. The narrative focus keeps the player engaged in a weaving mystery that delivers a satisfying payoff. This adds a layer beyond the usual Digimon training but still, it’s the Digivolution mechanics that elevate Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth above the other games in the series.

It sacrifices the personality of specific partner Digimon in favor of a huge roster of routes to explore in search of powerful Mega-level Digimon. Players can spend hundreds of hours refining their perfect Digimon team, in a world to truly get lost in.

1 Digimon Survive

A Heart-Wrenching Interactive Novel

Digimon Survive is the most narrative-focused game in the series, closer to an interactive novel but Bandai Namco took full advantage, crafting a truly hard-hitting story. It begins with familiar trappings but takes a much more mature route as it’s the human members of the party that are susceptible to perma-death.

Player choices determine who lives or dies and some death scenes are genuinely shocking. The remaining characters are forced to confront the loss of a childhood friend or sibling, finding it increasingly difficult to muster the grit to fight their way out of the Digital World. It’s a pretty harrowing world but it’s one worth exploring nonetheless.

• 

  Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth

  Released

  February 2, 2016

  Developer(s)

  Media Vision

• 

  Released

  January 27, 2017

  Developer(s)

  B.B. Studio

• 

  Released

  July 28, 2022

  Developer(s)

  hyde