Digimon Survive is a surprising departure from the Digimon games of the past few years, offering a shockingly dark take on the Digital World. Though Digimon games have always been reliably eclectic, this new direction for the franchise could be its most dramatic shift.
Digimon Survive has been in the works since 2018, but a few pandemic-related delays have kept it out of the limelight. Not much has been revealed so far, but the trailer promises that "death and danger await." The Digimon TV series always had some measure of both these ingredients, but this is the first time they're being touted as a selling point. Bandai Namco has been playing with more adult themes in Digimon TV shows for years now, but Digimon Survive marks the first time they'll appear in a video game.
What to Expect in Digimon Survive
The premise of Digimon Survive is quite similar to that of the first anime series. It follows four teenagers who get lost on a camping trip and end up in the Digital World. They'll befriend and battle Digimon as they try to make their way to safety. The game will have branching narrative paths, with permadeath as a possible outcome. It's unclear if this includes human characters or just their Digimon companions, but given the game's theme it doesn't seem like anyone is safe.
The gameplay is going to be split into different components, with some sections requiring the player to fight battles and gain resources. Other sections will give players limited time to choose between building bonds with their fellow party members and training their Digimon to be stronger combatants. Combat will take the form of turn-based battles played out on a grid. So far, it looks like a mixture between a Telltale game, a monster collector, and Final Fantasy Tactics, and it's hard to tell how well those elements may fit together.
Digimon Has Always Been Dark
Though Digimon Survive is being marketed as an edgy tale, it's worth remembering that darkness has always been an element of the series. The first season of the Digimon TV show also featured children trying not to starve in the wilderness, but the English dub that aired on Fox Kids focused less heavily on the the horror of the situation. Over the years, Digimon has addressed surprisingly mature themes for a children's TV show, dealing directly with divorce, depression, isolation, and insecurity.
The stakes in Digimon have always been life and death, and the more recent Digimon Adventure tri. series delves into that further. Premiering in 2015, the six-part series of animated films follows the characters from the first two seasons of Digimon Adventure as they try to navigate adulthood. The series examines the repercussions of insanely powerful monsters wreaking havoc on the world, and deals with themes like trauma and survivor's guilt. Though it's still ultimately a show about cute, colorful monsters, Digimon has matured alongside its fans.
Back to the Beginning
The very first Digimon video game was Digimon World, which came out for the original Playstation in 1999. The game draws inspiration from Digimon's origin as a Tamagotchi-like keychain pet, asking players to take care of mundane tasks like cleaning up after their Digimon, feeding them, and making sure they go to sleep on time. It was a surprisingly punishing take on the genre, and players who fell behind on care to the slightest degree could expect their companion to transform into a terrifying pile of sentient poop. Battles could result in injury and even death, making the Digital World feel like a dangerous, unpredictable place.
It might have ruined a lot of Christmases, but one thing that Digimon World did well was make its characters feel like living creatures. Digimon weren't piles of stats that could be endlessly smashed into each other, but loving, loyal pets that needed protection. Digimon Survive might be able to replicate this tone, bringing a sense of stakes back to Digimon video games. It's a risky departure from what's worked well for more recent Digimon games, but fans of the franchise are excited to see where it can go next.
Digimon Survive is currently in development for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
