As the game’s launch inches ever closer, we got to try out another demo of Digimon Story: Time Stranger. This time, our demo was a bit longer, giving us a better idea of what to expect in this long-awaited Digimon title.
Back in June, we got to try out the game, though only for half an hour. In our latest demo of Time Stranger, we were able to experience more of what the game has to offer, including the beginning parts of the game in Shinjuku, as well as a sequence that happens later, featuring a big boss fight.
In our previous demo, we thought that this new Digimon Story game is set to delight fans, all while being a promising title for those who haven’t played any of the Digimon Story games (or any Digimon game for that matter). This is thanks to the game’s turn-based combat system that should be familiar to JRPG fans.
Experiencing a Bigger Slice of the Game
Our latest demo of the game began at Time Stranger’s beginning stages in Shinjuku. Specifically, it takes place near the Shinjuku station area, where you can see the famous 3D Cat Billboard in real life. Walking around this area in games is always fun for us, especially so in this game, as it recreates Shinjuku quite accurately. From a visual standpoint, the real-world parts of the game are promising, and we can’t wait to see more of it (we know that Akihabara is another key location).
While we wanted to feel the Shinjuku vibe a bit more, we had to progress the story, and that meant we had to go underground. In the game’s story, a Digimon has been spotted in Shinjuku, and this intro part that we played explored that.
We didn’t spend too long here, but we did get to choose our starter Digimon, and we tried out some combat encounters. From what we’ve played, the opening parts of the game should teach the turn-based mechanics to players well, though we imagine that most JRPG players should feel right at home with the elemental weakness-based combat system.
After some more time here, we switched to a new save file. For this part of the demo, we explored the Abyss Area, a place that consists of colorful floating islands. What followed was some story parts involving more Digimon, as well as exploration of the Abyss Area, punctuated by more fights.
This part of the demo also saw us face off against Sharkmon, a boss fight that seems to be more challenging than our Parrotmon fight in the previous demo. We were able to get through the fight though, thanks in part to how intuitive the core combat mechanics are.
After that, our demo ended, and after collecting our thoughts, we can say that fans can expect a big experience, both in terms of scope and mechanics. On the flip side, this aspect of the game can be a bit much for newer players.
Its Deep Mechanics are Set to Delight Fans
To be more specific, Digimon Story: Time Stranger’s gameplay mechanics are reminiscent of titles like Shin Megami Tensei, especially given the focus on elemental weaknesses. As such, SMT fans (and JRPG fans in general) should get up to speed with Time Stranger’s combat fairly quickly. Although the fact that you need to consider Attributes and Elements can take some time to get used to. After all, there are the multiple Attributes that have a rock-paper-scissors kind of relationship and even the many Elements. This means there’s a lot of depth, but you’ll need to be willing to learn them if you’re not already a fan of Digimon.
There’s also the fact that leveling up your Digimon is another key mechanic, which again, has plenty of complexities. Not only can you evolve Digimon, but you can also devolve them, among other options. Much like the interplay of Attributes and Elements, the fact that there are a lot of options and terminologies to learn can be a lot (or even too much) for some players. On the flip side, this is great for fans as the level of depth here is quite impressive.
Learning the game should be fun if you get invested in the story or the Digimon themselves, though during our demo, we wished that the game’s music and presentation were a bit stronger. That’s not to say that this looks bad, as Time Stranger does have a nice visual style, coupled with nice character and monster designs.
It’s just that the music and some parts of the game’s presentation seemed a bit plain. For instance, getting your first / starter Digimon at the beginning of the game felt rather unceremonious. There was also a chase scene in one part of the demo that looked great but the music and the vibe didn’t seem to match the situation. In general, the music isn’t particularly memorable; this is a bit of a miss for us, as many JRPGs are enhanced greatly by memorable background and battle music.
Of course, this is based on the slice of the game we tried, which is still fairly small in the grand scheme of things. As such, we’re hoping that the other parts and areas of the game have more memorable music and have a more eye-catching presentation.
Digimon Story: Time Stranger Initial Impressions
For the most part, our thoughts remain the same for Digimon Story: Time Stranger. This promises to be a great experience for long-time Digimon fans. This is thanks to its deep JRPG and Digimon leveling mechanics, coupled with its intriguing story and nice mix of real and digital world areas.
What changed a bit was our outlook on it for newcomers. While the JRPG mechanics should make parts of the combat feel familiar, the sheer breadth and depth of what you can do can make it hard to follow for fans. Though this might be due to the nature of the demo we played (as the second part of the demo happens much later compared to the initial stage).
Overall, there’s still a lot to be excited about for Time Stranger, especially for series fans. Plus, the full game will likely have a smoother onboarding experience for newcomers, and we hope that’s the case.
Digimon Story: Time Stranger will be released on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on October 3, 2025.