‘Digimon Story: Time Stranger' Embraces Olympos XII Focus With Digi-Ride Feature & Travel Between Worlds
The vast evolution (pun intended) of the Digimon franchise makes it easy to forget its humble roots as a series of virtual pets, intended as an alternative to Tamagotchi, especially as it started to branch out into a harder-edged style and darker narratives as development progressed over time. But its momentum in the gaming space wouldn't have reached current heights without Digital World , originally released in Japan in 1999, then a year later in the Western world.
Boasting a fair share of antiquated quirks and jank, the adventure wouldn't be a good fit for modern audiences, and yet, there's something to be said about its willingness to explore uncharted territory. After all, it was this spirit of experimentation that turned the title into a subseries and kicked off other offshoots, including the Digimon Story games, which have built a reputation for non-linear Digivolution, monster collection, and, more recently, mature storytelling elements.
Making a highly anticipated return to the role-playing game (RPG) space is Digimon Story: Time Stranger , coming eight years after Hacker's Memory . The first entry in the series on Xbox and debuting an official English dub, it continues to flesh out established lore across the wide-spanning universe, while tapping into existing elements woven into its core identity. For starters, Olympos XII is now at the front and centre of the upcoming jaunt, allowing the team at Media.Vision to weave a distinctive, fairy tale-flavoured look into the Digital World (or Digi-World), a parallel reality where the Digimon live.
'For this new game, we focused on Olympos XII, so Digimon will play a central role in the story,' shares producer Ryosuke Hara in an exclusive interview held for select Southeast Asian media. 'When we crafted the worldview of the digital world, we paid attention to modelling it after a mythical setting.'
The association doesn't come as a surprise, considering the group's etymological connection to Roman and Greek mythos. In Digimon jargon, the Olympos XII refers to 12 Mega-level Deity or Shaman, otherwise known as God Man, Digimon modelled after the Roman version of the 12 Olympians from Greek mythology, which manage the Digital World: Iliad – itself a nod to Homer's classic literary Greek epic – that exists on a different Server from the Digital World ruled by Yggrasill.
While Digimon Story: Time Stranger is far from the first to highlight their significance, the Olympos XII focus offers the opportunity to further explore the bond between humans and Digimon, and incorporate new features at the same time. Where artificial cyberspace served as the focal point in its predecessor, the forthcoming entry divides its attention between the real world and Digital World: Iliad, such that its protagonist, an agent of the Special Investigation Bureau ADAMAS, can travel between space and time to solve the mystery behind a city-levelling disaster in Tokyo.
As gleaned from a 15-minute hands-on preview, the Digi-World is shaping up to be a promising easter egg hunt for longtime enthusiasts, showcasing a crowded marketplace teeming with Digimon across various media and designs, from Digimon Tamers ' Terriermon and Gargomon to Devimon, which debuted in the Digimon Adventure anime series, and ToyAgumon. This time, however, the fun doesn't just lie in capturing and collecting critters – in a series first, players will be able to mount Digimon via the Digi-Ride feature and traverse the world at large.
'This came from the perspective of a fan, and I thought it would be good to have such a feature,' says Hara. 'To choose the Digimon for riding, we used an animation where they appeared as reference, and thought about which would be fun to ride on,' he adds, pointing to Beelzemon and Mechanorimon specifically.
It remains to be seen if the ability extends to flying Digimon, as only Garurumon could be accessed during the hands-on session. The mechanic worked well enough in practice, despite a stiff quality to turning manoeuvres as opposed to natural movement, with the producer highlighting details like varying the action of getting on and riding, as well as the speeds, for different species. Adding to the shine, Digivolution and Degeneration can now be carried out anywhere, bringing more versatility into the mix-and-match process that welcomes its biggest roster to date.
Indeed, there will be plenty of room to toy around here. Digimon Story: Time Stranger boasts a whopping 450 Digimon, all impressively made from scratch. As Hara explains, the team had to build from the skeleton up and 'make thorough changes' to the models that were developed for the PlayStation Vita, to match current console standards. Alongside the visual polish, the difference is also seen in combat, which inherits the series' signature turn-based system founded on a rock-paper-scissors framework.
Essentially, certain monsters will be resistant to attacks of specific types and weak to others, presented in the familiar Data, Vaccine, and Virus format. Each Digimon is categorised into one of these three types, and enemies can have either resistance, vulnerability or neither to them. Depending on the Digimon, attacks may include elements or follow-up execution with quick-time event (QTE) elements, where players have to input the corresponding key in time. Three main critters will take to the battlefield, accompanied by three back-ups to swap to mid-fight, and up to three Guest Digimon.
Expect 'more depth' for boss battles, too. According to Hara, Digimon Story: Time Stranger includes new attachments equipped with additional skills, allowing players to 'combine the different Digimon with the skills they want to use'. The mash-up of the new and old honours a long-standing tradition that dates back to the franchise's early days, with Hara highlighting how combat comes into play:
'In terms of improvement, we have three different elements – adventure, training, and battle – and these are the constant or unchanging themes of Digimon .'
Coming in almost a decade after the previous outing subjects Digimon Story: Time Stranger to another challenge. Returning fans are a given, but the game needs to be accessible for newcomers, especially with its Xbox debut and the rise of new technology in its absence. To that end, it puts players in the same position as the protagonist, who doesn't know anything about the Digi-World and its inhabitants, eliminating the prerequisite of prior understanding. On the flip side, series veterans will appreciate the little tie-ins to lore, starting with Agumon's role in the overarching narrative.
'The reason why we decided to feature Agumon is because he has a very close association with Olympos XII, and I believe those who have been following the series will probably know why we have Agumon appear at this time,' he teases.
Digimon Story: Time Story is set to launch for Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PC on 3 October.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really. Bandai Namco Digimon Digimon Story: Time Stranger Geek Interview
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