Di, di, di: Digimon World Next Order review | Technobubble

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Remember the Tamagotchi craze?

Back when the Spice Girls dominated the airwaves and Tickle Me Elmo ruled store shelves, a tiny egg-shaped gadget won the hearts and minds of kids everywhere. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Tamagotchi had worldwide appeal.

In fact, the toy was so popular that the shoe store I worked at in the mall back in college also started selling cheap knockoffs of the thing. Much to my surprise, people actually bought them. Lots of them. It was definitely an easier sell than the darn shoe cleaners and waterproofing sprays we were hawking at the store. Who would have thought that taking care of the daily needs of a virtual pet, including feeding it and cleaning its poop, would take off that much?

It’s a phenomenon I soon remembered while playing Digimon World: Next Order on the PlayStation 4. After a serious bout of training at the Digimon gym, one of my adorable creatures decided to, well, relieve itself. I guess you can say it felt pooped from all that strenuous activity.

The incident would prove to be a sign of Next Order’s old-school approach. After all, Digimon was part of the virtual pet craze as well with the release of the Tamagotchi-style Digital Monster Virtual Pet Device in 1997. Also, whereas Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth hewed to a turn-based JRPG formula, Next Order harkens back to the first Digimon World game released on the original PlayStation way back in 1999. From its plot about digital monsters turning wild to its mechanics involving the micromanagement of Digimon that you hatch and re-hatch from eggs, Next Order’s similarities to Digimon World are unmistakable. It’s practically gaming comfort food for folks who grew up playing the beloved fan favorite.

The story also sticks closely to the traditional Digimon formula. In this case, your character is a former hotshot Digimon trainer who decides to turn on his or her Digi device after a long break from the game. Naturally, some unexpectedly strange occurrence happens and the protagonist gets teleported to the Digital World. Following a tense initial battle, you find out that the Digimon home world is suffering from an onslaught of aggressive Machinedramons. Your job is to figure out the cause behind the phenomenon as well as a way back home.

Following the game’s initial exposition, the meat of Next Order begins. You start out with two eggs and have the option of picking baby versions of the main Digimon from the original anime series —  a nice touch for fans of the cartoon. Oh, Agumon, Gabumon, Patamon and friends, how I’ve missed you so. Once you’ve settled on your two Pokemon, the grind begins in earnest, with the game serving up more than 200 Digimon overall.

Your first order of business is to evolve and strengthen your monster pair so they can hold their own out in the wild. Seriously, properly training your Digimon is more than half the battle for succeeding in this game. See, Next Order’s world is teeming with unfriendly creatures, and bringing your under-leveled monsters to challenge them is a recipe for getting your Digi-butt kicked vigorously. You’ll need to venture out, too, as your progress in the game depends on it. The game’s open world segments like to throw various missions and side quests your way from item collection to tracking down Digimon to recruit to your town. Along the way, you can improve and build out your town hub, which gets livelier with more Digimon and also gives you access to more services and options.

Fortunately, the gym makes it easy to train up your creatures, which is done via a simple user interface that shows both of your creatures. Following each session, you can also aim for bonuses via a timing-based minigame to further help you out. Do keep in mind that the game requires you to pay close attention to how you train your Digimon. Failure to do so could lead you to getting Digivolved creatures that you don’t want, including the dreaded turd of a slug known as Numemon. To avoid the latter, all I’ll say is just make sure you let your Digimon go potty when it has to. It’s also a good idea to keep track of your digital buddies’ hunger and fatigue levels if you want to keep them happy and well adjusted.

Stats such as speed, strength, wisdom and stamina also play a role in Digimon evolutions, which follow the progression path of Rookie, Champion, Ultimate and Mega. While it feels good to evolve your Digimon to a higher form, creatures in this game have a limited lifespan just like the original Digimon World. This means you will have to constantly train and re-train your creatures as you go through the game.

There are a lot of nuances in the game as well, including the relationship between your creatures. Your Digimon have a sync rating, for example, which shows their relationship to each other. Even that has extra mechanics to it, though, that you’ll need to keep in mind. While having a high sync rate between your creatures sounds like something you would want, for example, being out of sync actually provides a growth bonus that can be quite helpful in a creature’s progression. Next Order is filled with all sorts of details such as this so it’s a lot more technical than, say, Pokemon even when you factor the latter’s hidden values.

Combat, meanwhile, uses a fusion of real-time fighting and some turn-based mechanics. You can bark commands at your creatures and also use items for healing or triggering certain effects. The AI then enacts your commands on the battlefield. In addition to regular and special attacks, your creatures can join forces via combinations as well. Other battle mechanics include your ability to cheer on your Digimon, which you will want to time to get the maximum effect as opposed to just spamming it when it becomes available.

Although fans of Digimon World will find gameplay familiar and fun, it definitely won’t be for everybody. Folks who prefer more modern gaming conventions might find the mechanics of the game dated and archaic. It also requires a lot of grinding, whether it be training or adventuring in its open world. I know some players who love the gaming grind but folks who do not will find that part of the game to be tedious. The

Add its technical aspects and micromanaging, and it’s easy to feel like a parent or babysitter sometimes. I’m sure hardcore Digimon fans will adore this aspect of the game, but it also makes it less accessible and, at times, downright stressful for non-fans or casual players — especially when you factor in your creatures’ lifespan. The game’s training and progression mechanics can definitely be complex, so newcomers might feel overwhelmed when they initially play the game.

As such, enjoyment of this game heavily depends on what type of player you are. If you loved the old Digimon World games and thirst for an updated version of that formula, then Next Order will be just what you’re looking for. If you desire a more streamlined game or more traditional JRPG-style experience, however, then Next Order can feel like a slog. If that’s the case, then it might be better to satisfy your Digimon fix by playing Cyber Sleuth instead.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Digimon World: Next Order is a throwback to Digimon World from the original PlayStation, complete with its town-building aspects and limited lifespans for your creatures. Its grindy nature and technical aspects for training can make it less accessible for newcomers and more casual players. If you like old-school Digimon gameplay, however, this is gaming comfort food that’s a blast from the past.

• Rating: 7 out of 10​
• Cost: $59.99, PS4​
• www.bandainamcoent.com/games/digimon-world-next-order