Digimon Survive will be the next installment in the Digimon video game franchise, and it's going to be quite different from both of the Digimon World and Digimon Story series. For one, Digimon Survive will boast a tactical battle system similar to that of the Fire Emblem and Disgaea games. It will also include a narrative that is driven through a visual novel style, with the player's choices being the deciding factor among various outcomes.

This includes the life or death fate of the other human characters that tag along with the player, though it hasn't been revealed if Digimon can die permanently or not. Unlike similar series such as Pokemon, death isn't a taboo subject in Digimon, as it is an occurring theme in the Digimon anime.

In the Digimon anime, whenever a Digimon dies, they are typically brought back, though this isn't always the case. In Digimon Adventures, T.K.'s partner Angemon uses up all his strength in the fight against Devimon, and as a result, dies. This process reverts T.K.'s partner Digimon back into a Digiegg so that Angemon can start the Digivolution process over again at its earliest stage. Other Digimon are seen having died, such as Etemon and Leomon, but it is explained that they will spawn again as Digieggs in Primary Village where all Digieggs are protected.

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Leomon's Role in the Franchise

Beelzemon kills Leomon in Tamers

Digimon Survive will feature around 100 Digimon for the player to interact with, though as the game is still in development, this could change. Still, it hasn't been confirmed yet but Leomon has a long-standing history with the series as the "noble hero" character and would make a perfect fit in Digimon Survive. Leomon and his various forms have almost all died in just about every iteration of the anime in tragic fashion, most notably in Digimon Tamers.

Leomon was usually the helpful side character to the Digidestined, though in Digimon Tamers, Leomon was the partner to Jeri. Leomon met his fate when he took on Beelzemon and failed to stop him. This was the first time a Digidestined's partner was killed off permanently. At this point, it's almost a running joke with the series to kill off a form of Leomon, and Digimon Survive would be the perfect game to include this Leomon trope.

Because Digimon Survive relies heavily on its darker branching narrative, alongside its beautifully rendered visual novel artwork, it would be fitting to have the lion hero make an appearance. Digimon Survive can tell a more impactful story much closer in line with the anime than the Digimon World or Digimon Story games due to their visual direction.

How Leomon Could Improve Digimon Survive

leomon

With a game so reliant on player choice, it wouldn't be too difficult to imagine a scenario where the player has to choose between the survival of Leomon and another, much like a typical Telltale game. This would be in line with how the game emphasizes surviving, which could relate to scavenging for survival materials or making life or death decisions. If a Leomon isn't introduced as a side character, the next best thing would be the option to have a partner Digimon Digivolve into Leomon.

Then, through player choice the human character could be killed off alongside their Leomon, recreating the anime trope that will probably continue as new series come out. After all, Leomon was brutally killed in Digimon Adventure Tri, and most recently he has shown up as a character in the reboot of Digimon Adventure, where he might meet the same fate as before, so only time will tell.

Digimon Survive is currently in development for PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.

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