Digimon Time Stranger - Reviews Thread

Draugoth

Draugoth

Gold Member


Digimon-Story-Time-Stranger.webp


Game Title: Digimon Story: Time Stranger​

Platforms:

  • Xbox Series X/S (Oct 2, 2025)
  • PlayStation 5 (Oct 2, 2025)
  • PC (Oct 2, 2025)
Trailer:

Developer: Media.Vision Inc.

Publisher: Bandai Namco



Critic Reviews

Analog Stick Gaming - Rebecca Stapleton - 8.5 / 10

I have loved my time spent in Digimon Story: Time Stranger. It was a fun JRPG that was built with love and care that really showed and was felt wherever you and your partners bravely adventured. I honestly will recommend this title to anyone who loves JRPGs, monster friend themes, and generally anyone who will listen. Please give it a shot, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I and my newfound digifriends have!
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But Why Tho? - Kyle Foley - 9 / 10

Digimon Story: Time Stranger is a perfect entry point for newcomers to the Digimon world, without alienating long-time fans.
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CGMagazine - Zubi Khan - 7 / 10

Digimon Story Time Stranger is here, giving fans of the multimedia juggernaut another solid JRPG experience in the vein of the Cyber Sleuth series.
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Cerealkillerz - Gabriel Bogdan - German - 8.6 / 10

When I received the confirmation that I was allowed to review this game, I was "fine" with it. A Digimon game that reminds me of my childhood? A JRPG that might feel a little like Persona? But then came the letdown – the introduction. I was genuinely disappointed and really had to push myself through the first two hours. After the tutorial, however, it turned out to be probably the best JRPG I've had the chance to play this year. It's not just a good Digimon game, but also a truly excellent JRPG with a mature story and beautiful animations.
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Digitale Anime - Mehdi Belhamra - Arabic - 8.5 / 10

"The most complete Digimon experience yet" Digimon Story Time Stranger isn't just a nostalgia-driven game; it's a complete JRPG that redefines what monster collecting means in 2025. With its mature narrative, strategic combat system, and rich progression through Digifarm, it proves to be a solid title that stands alongside the genre's heavyweights. Despite some repetition in collecting mechanics and a challenging start for beginners, the deep content and hundreds of hours of challenges make it a standout achievement in the series. It's a game no JRPG fan should miss.
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GameGrin - Bex Prouse - 9.5 / 10

Digimon Story Time Stranger combines nostalgia for fans of the anime series with fun combat and an emotional rollercoaster of a storyline. It's the perfect entry point for new fans, and one that shouldn't be overlooked.
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Gameliner - Claudia Tjia - Dutch - 3 / 5

Digimon Story Time Stranger is a deep and mature RPG with engaging combat and evolution systems, but its linearity and heavy microtransactions may deter those seeking a more relaxed or open experience.
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Manual dos Games - Luiz Henrique Silva - Portuguese - 9 / 10

Digimon Story Time Stranger delivers on its promise to take the Digimon Story franchise to new heights offering a story filled with charismatic characters that balances action and drama, a well-explained Digivolution system accessible to new players, and refined battle mechanics, making Time Stranger the best game in the entire Digimon Story series.
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MonsterVine - Spencer Legacy - 5 / 5

Digimon Story: Time Stranger represents the peak of creature-collecting RPGs. It takes everything that worked in the Cyber Sleuth franchise and takes it to the next level in interesting and streamlined ways, all while including great new additions as well. Once again, the first English theme song has been proven true – Digimon are the Champions.
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Pizza Fria - Filipe Villela Barroso - Portuguese - 8.8 / 10

Digimon Story Time Stranger is one of the most promising JRPGs in the franchise, managing to combine the classic essence of digital monsters with modern systems that resemble today's giants.
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PlayStation Universe - Mark Kriska - 9.5 / 10

Digimon Story: Time Stranger is a must-play game for anyone who has ever wanted to be a DigiDestin. From deep and engaging combat to a Digivolving system that I became addicted to again, like I did with Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth and Hacker's Memory. Time Stanger took every system, element, and pixel from the first games and built something truly amazing. Running around Japan, the Digital World, or just a sewer, you feel a rush of excitement. Every new encounter, skill upgrade, Digivolution, and new area feels right and bursting with fun. I cannot recommend this game highly enough to anyone, and if you have never experienced Digimon before, this is the perfect time to jump in. The Digiwater is fine.
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Push Square - Robert Ramsey - 6 / 10

If Digimon Story Time Stranger just sat back and allowed its largely fantastic RPG systems to breathe, it could be counted amongst the finest of Digimon games. But instead, it gets bogged down in disappointingly linear design that limits combat and party-based progression at almost every turn.Despite being packed with such clear potential, Time Stranger ends up feeling like a frustrating misfire.
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Restart.run - Jesse Vitelli - 4 / 5

By the time I finished Digimon Story: Time Stranger, I enjoyed it far more than when I started. It takes a lot of time to get going, but once the wheels start spinning, it's a series of twists and turns that has a strong emotional core attached to it. The final boss fight is a perfect encapsulation of tying thematic ideas to mechanical systems and one that might go down as my favorite for the year.
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Shacknews - Lucas White - 9 / 10

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TechRaptor - Andrew Stretch - 9 / 10

Digimon Story: Time Stranger delivers an excellent narrative, with some weaker side-quests, that builds a living and breathing Digital World where you get to grow with allies. Combat is filled with limitless possibilities and hundreds of cool monsters to grow. It's a fantastic evolution for current Digimon fans, and also a great jumping-on point for those new to the franchise.
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The Outerhaven Productions - Scott Adams - 5 / 5

Digimon Story: Time Stranger is a must-play video game for fans of the series and newcomers alike. It has extreme complexity in the Digivolution and Personality system, but it is also super easy to get your hands on and play.
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TheSixthAxis - Jason Coles - 8 / 10

I really, really like Digimon Story Time Stranger. While it's hardly upending the monster collection and battling genre, it's a really comfortable and enjoyable game that feels reminiscent of watching Saturday morning cartoons as a kid. It's an awful lot of fun, and is right up there as one of my favourite games of the year.
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Worth Playing - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus - 7.5 / 10

Overall, Digimon Story Time Stranger is everything I could imagine a Digimon fan wanting. It's a fun adventure through a digital world, and all of your favorite collectible monsters are there for the ride. The combat system is fun and clear-cut, and it has just enough teeth to feel compelling. Customizing and creating your ideal Digimon is a whole lot of fun. The only real negative is that it feels a bit unpolished in places, and you need to have some of fondness for Digimon to get into the game. It's an excellent experience for fans, but perhaps it's one worth waiting until a few patches have rolled out.
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Zoomg - Mohammad Hossein Khalaji - Persian - 8 / 10

Bandai Namco intended Digimon Story Time Stranger to be both a welcoming entry point for newcomers and an enjoyable experience for long-time fans. After playing the game, it's fair to say the studio has largely succeeded: the improved combat system, a twist-filled storyline, and the journey across the human and Digimon worlds make for a solid outcome. However, the outdated graphics and the weak, repetitive level design stand out as the game's biggest shortcomings.
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The lack of 60 fps and the body type everytime I open the option was definitively a turn down for me. Hope it gets better as time passes.
 
Saber said:
The lack of 60 fps and the body type everytime I open the option was definitively a turn down for me. Hope it gets better as time passes.
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I could buy it on PC, but this is a game i really wanted to play on my big TV, the lack of 60 has made it a no buy for me. There is no reason a game that looks like this needs to be 30 on a PS5 Pro other than utter incompetence.

Il wait for the PS6 complete edition with all DLC at a discounted price in 3 years time. Excited to play it then, but Namco Bandai just keep fumbling the ball, especially with the pricing, they want £105 for the edition with the season pass, it should be closer to £70 stop charging more than most AAA studios for your A-AA titles.
 
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So is there no 60fps in the final console release?
I saw some conflicting reports, at first they said no, then apparently they said there would be one after all?
 
STARSBarry said:
I could buy it on PC, but this is a game i really wanted to play on my big TV, the lack of 60 has made it a no buy for me. There is no reason a game that looks like this needs to be 30 on a PS5 Pro other than utter incompetence.

Il wait for the PS6 complete edition with all DLC at a discounted price in 3 years time. Excited to play it then, but Namco Bandai just keep fumbling the ball, especially with the pricing, they want £105 for the edition with the season pass, it should be closer to £70 stop charging more than most AAA studios for your A-AA titles.
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same i hope a patch comes out at some point.
 

a review on the other end of spectrum he actually hated it because the tutorial was too long
 
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I'm so happy for the team that this is scoring so well. It just feels like they really had a creative drive behind this game. I was a fan of those original Digimon anime but never got around to any of the games. I've heard good things about the Digimon Story games and I'll be playing this one.
 
For everybody who is still not sure if you should buy it or not, there is a demo available for all platforms.

I will probably buy it on a sale.
The demo wasnt able to convince me to buy it for Day 1
 
Digimon games do not get enough credit for how consistently good they are even going back to the PSX days
 
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Looking forward to this. The demo was great.

Lots of complaints about it not running at 60 fps on the PS5. Who gives a f*ck? It's a turn-based JRPG, not an action game. Besides, I can't imagine not playing a game because I didn't like the framerate.
 
the main character male design reminds me to cyborg 009 which I like.
Sadly, I still don't have time for a new game, but I'm planning to buy this later.
 
Poppinfresh said:
Looking forward to this. The demo was great.

Lots of complaints about it not running at 60 fps on the PS5. Who gives a f*ck? It's a turn-based JRPG, not an action game. Besides, I can't imagine not playing a game because I didn't like the framerate.
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The 60fps complaint on a jrpg is just weird, especially on a turn-based jrpg.
 
Poppinfresh said:
I think it's weird on any game that isn't a competitive multiplayer, but it's doubly weird on a turn-based JRPG.
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It's probably good for fast paced movement and reaction in action games. It's never been a big deal for me since I don't play much multiplayer or first-person shooters.
 
NahaNago said:
The 60fps complaint on a jrpg is just weird, especially on a turn-based jrpg.
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Why? 60fps isn't only about input response, games also look a lot better at 60fps with smoother looking animations and camera movement. And traversal/exploration still feels better, it's not all just menu based gameplay.

Besides they are charging a full $70 for a game that looks like it could have released on Ps3 with a few tweaks, the least they should offer is good performance.
Take a note from Falcom, their games might look dated too but they run great on Ps5. The Trails in the Sky remake runs at 60fps with good image quality and it even has an optional 120fps mode.
 
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Poppinfresh said:
Looking forward to this. The demo was great.

Lots of complaints about it not running at 60 fps on the PS5. Who gives a f*ck? It's a turn-based JRPG, not an action game. Besides, I can't imagine not playing a game because I didn't like the framerate.
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NahaNago said:
The 60fps complaint on a jrpg is just weird, especially on a turn-based jrpg.
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Poppinfresh said:
I think it's weird on any game that isn't a competitive multiplayer, but it's doubly weird on a turn-based JRPG.
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NahaNago said:
It's probably good for fast paced movement and reaction in action games. It's never been a big deal for me since I don't play much multiplayer or first-person shooters.
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I would agree with these takes if Digimon was a graphical showpiece for the PS5.

demon-soul-ps5.gif
 
I'm not a digimon fan but I am so happy Media.Vision is still knocking it out of the park nearly 30 years later.
 
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I could be wrong, but it seems like people are questioning why this game is 30FPS.

It doesn't look like it's technically demanding enough to warrant locking it at 30 on a PS5.
 
ShadyAcshuns said:
Y'all care more about specs than story, characters, plot, aesthetics, originality and fun etc.
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Consoles are getting fucking expensive, WTF are you talking about?

What I see is a bunch of apologists. I priorize story and gameplay than anything else, that doesn't mean I need to play dumb. The game is not pushing any graphics, visuals, resolution, high texture... nothing. So, there is no excuse for a $70 game that is so simple to run at 30 fps.
 
Fake said:
Consoles are getting fucking expensive, WTF are you talking about?

What I see is a bunch of apologists. I priorize story and gameplay than anything else, that doesn't mean I need to play dumb. The game is not pushing any graphics, visuals, resolution, high texture... nothing. So, there is no excuse for a $70 game that is so simple to run at 30 fps.
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Then don't get the game and stop complaining. We don't care.
 
ShadyAcshuns said:
Then don't get the game and stop complaining. We don't care.
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You don't speak for everyone. If you like mediocrity good for you. I don't. Gonna wait for a patch for a 60 fps in the future and until there I'll not recommend.
Do your thing and pretend that in 2025 nobody give a shit about 60fps.
 
Poppinfresh said:
I personally don't care about 30 vs 60 vs whatever FPS and think that the way some people react, namely "It's 30 fps? I'm not playing it" is childish.

I'd play a game with much lower than 30 fps if it were interesting and fun
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I also play many games that are 30 FPS, which is why I think it's ridiculous to claim there's no difference just because it's a JRPG

It doesn't bug me as I still play retro games that perform even worse but to pretend it isn't noticeable is silly

People defending games like this running at 30 FPS on a PS5 are much worse than the people avoiding this game. Stop rewarding poorly optimized shit. This is why Capcom gets away with releasing MH Wilds with no worries about the fact that it runs like shit. Because people like you defend this
 
I collect VHS tapes said:
People defending games like this running at 30 FPS on a PS5 are much worse than the people avoiding this game. Stop rewarding poorly optimized shit.
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I just don't care. The difference between 30 and 60 fps is insignificant for most games, but reading these forums, you'd think that playing a game at 30 fps was like being forced to play a game with CGA graphics while having bamboo shoots shoved under your fingernails.

Lokaum D+ said:
have fun at your 30fps...
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I will.

I have a PC with a 5090 and a monitor capable of 120 Hz. I decided to buy and play this game on PS5 Pro, and my gameplay experience will be virtually identical to playing it on PC
 
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