Apart from an amazing mod in Pokémon Sword and Shield, Digimon fans haven't had many good video games lately. Bandai Namco Entertainment is hoping to change that with the upcoming survival strategy role-playing game Digimon Survive, an RPG that will feature multiple endings, with player choices influencing the direction of the story.
Bandai Namco has recently posted some new information and screenshots from Digimon Survive, introducing a new character named Shuji Kayama and his partner Lopmon. Bandai Namco also shared some information on a new gameplay system centered around the in-game smartphone camera.
Bandai Namco, the same publisher that released Digimon ReArise globally in 2019, describes Shuji as a "kind, gentle, and nice person" who everyone else trusts. The other characters consider him a dependable leader until they get lost in another world. That's when the others discover that he tends to prioritize enthusiasm over stamina and blames other people and the environment when things go wrong. This might be partially due to his upbringing, feeling pressure from his strict father's educational policy and brilliant older brother.
His partner Digimon is Lopmon, who should look familiar to fans of Digimon Tamers. Lopmon is a Beast-type monster that looks very similar to Terriermon, but with three horns on its head instead of just one. Its innocent and youthful personality clash with Shuji's more ambitious personality, who just sees the Digimon as lazy and neglects it. This not only makes the cute little Digimon lonely but could easily push Shuji to be the most hated character in the game.
Bandai Namco also took this time to talk about how the smartphone camera would be used in-game. Early in the game, one of the characters notices their camera screen getting jammed by noise. Apparently, there are things in the Digital World that can't be seen with the naked eye and can only be detected with electrical devices. During gameplay, players can use their camera to investigate suspicious places and find keys, items, and even monsters hidden in the area.
Already Digimon Survive looks to be in a whole different league from previous games released in the franchise. Bandai Namco is really pushing the importance of player choice in the game, warning that wrong choices will lead to characters being killed off. The gameplay is divided into different genres, being part text adventure, part survival, and part tactical RPG. If this new game and the Digimon anime reboot do well, then it will once again be a great time to be a Digimon fan.
Digimon Survive will release in 2020 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Source: RPG Site