Bandai Namco’sDigimongames have come a long way since the release of the Japan-exclusiveDigital Monster Ver. S: Digimon Tamersin 1998. Between theDigimon Worldseries, theDigimon Storyseries, and several other spin-off games, the IP includes dozens of entries.Digimongames have almost aslong a history as thePokemongames, yetDigimonnever reached the same heights. Perhaps, theDigimongames need a new vision to expand its universe, andDigimon Survivecould help the series gain some prominence.
Digimon Survive,which is set to release this year unless delays hit, promises to takethe franchise into its darkest storyline yet. The game’s setting is reminiscent of the originalDigimon Adventureanime where several teenagers on a camping trip are transported into a digital world, and must fend for themselves while fostering a bond with their digital monsters.
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What Digimon Con 2022 Revealed
Yesterday saw the Digimon Con 2022 livestream whereDigimon Survive producer Kazumasa Habu revealed more detailsabout the game’s story.Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuthfeatured Digimon appearing in the real world, but that presented some inconsistencies between what the digital world is and the nature of Digimon. After all, if Digimon are just an amalgamation of data, so they could be considered lines of code rather than proper lifeforms.
To clear up this discrepancy, the canonical story will henceforth depict Digimon as ethereal life forms from the digital world. According to Habu, it was the director of the first two seasons ofDigimon Adventure,Hiroyuki Kakudo, who told him that this was the true nature of Digimon.
Dealing With Permanent Death in Digimon
A recurring adage in theDigimonfranchise is that Digimon never really die. When Digimon are defeated, they take the form of a Digi-Egg and are essentially reincarnated in Primary Village. A Digimon can be considered dead permanently if their data is destroyed, which happens very rarely. That said,Digimon Survive’s darker turn also involves permanent death, but not only for Digimon; human characters can also die. Therefore,Digimon Survivecould go beyond simply exploring the theme of loss, but also dealing with overcoming grief and accepting death.
Permanent death also adds a new dimension to any branched narrative, with four different endings available based on choices the player makes.Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuthhad a linear narrative that guided players toward a single ending,butDigimon Survive’s visual novel formatcould take the story in any number of directions. For example, a single character surviving could trigger a bad ending where the lone survivor of a calamity recounts the story as its narrator, as Ishmael did inMoby Dick. Considering all the potentially gruesome outcomes, the game’s producer confirmedDigimon Survive’s target audience would be adults.
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Fighting Against Evil Digimon
Over the years,Digimonhas tackled increasingly serious topics from survivor’s guilt to childhood trauma, as if growing alongside its audience. However, this newfocus on choice throughSurvive’s branched narrativenot only expands the potential themes the franchise could touch upon, but also adds to gameplay elements.Digimonhas long had a cast of antagonist Digimon with monstruous features such as Andromon, a cyborg with grotesque flesh appendages; or Kuwagomon, a giant flying insect. However, these seemingly villainous Digimon often happened to be manipulated by an exterior force, whether a human with nefarious goals, a virus, or an evil Digimon.
Digimonhas always had iconic villains, butSurvivecould add to its bleak setting with the inclusion of evil Digimon. Such Digimon would not only be driven by an instinct to protect their territory, or subject to outside manipulation. They would have truly pernicious intentions, and would themselves manipulate other lesser Digimon into doing their bidding. For instance, the final antagonist of theDigimon Adventureseries, Apocalymon, was literally created by the cumulation of negative, dark thoughts. With such a backstory, he would be a perfect addition toDigimon Survive.
Dark Digivolution Triggered By Emotion
Moreover, Digimon isknown for its complicated digivolution lines, with a single Rookie-level digimon potentially having different paths to several Mega-level variations. This is, in part, because of special digivolution types. In addition to normal digivolution, Digimon can Armor digivolve, DNA digivolve, Warp digivolve, Warp DNA digivolve, and more. One special digivolution rarely touched upon is Dark digivolution.
Dark digivolution occurs when a tamer attempts to forcefully digivolve their Digimon through strong emotions such as a lust for power or extreme sadness. For example, when Takato Matsuki saw Jeri’s Leomon die inDigimon Tamers, his rage willed WarGrowlmon to Dark digivolve into Megidramon; a Digimon so powerful that it threatened the destruction of the digital world.Digimon Surviveappears to be the perfect game to include this category of special digivolution.
In the end,Digimon Survivelooks close to being ready after some delays, which isn’t unexpected for aDigimongame. While there is a lot of anticipation for this latest installment, many do wonder whether the release could only be theflashpoint for additionalDigimonentries down the line. After all, there are still many games that are only available in Japan and could potentially be localized.
Moreover, the olderDigimon Worldseries entries could use a remasterto give those games a new life. Perhaps it would even be in Bandai Namco’s best interest to do so. IfDigimon Surviveis to expand upon the franchise’s universe, all the other games could give players a more holistic view of what Digimon, and the digital world they inhabit, really are all about.
Digimon Surviveis scheduled for release in 2022 on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
