Digimon World: Next Order review

Reviewed on: PS4

Digi-Destined. I haven’t heard that word in a long time. And a long time after having played Digimon World on the PSX, I come across what may be its direct evolution (or digivolution).

It’s comforting, for those who played back then, to understand that Digimon are more “alive” creatures than their rivals, the Pokémon. Digimon are affected by the training they go through, by the behavior they show, by weight, by hunger, by the need to go to the bathroom.

And all these parameters are managed by the player.

Unlike the original, this version of the pocket monsters digital monsters is more forgiving. Now every moment of interaction with the Digimon (where you praise, scold or ignore) gives a small piece of information about the creature’s possible evolutions.

In the image beside this, I achieved the feat of making a Black Agumon and a Black Gabumon become the same Saberdramon.

But your mistakes are expected, and each Digimon has a life cycle of 10 in-game days (this time increases depending on the creature’s evolution stage). After the first blunder, you start doing different training focused on the information you already have about the Digimon. The creatures’ simple evolution is an exceptional mechanic of the game, and one that can simply make it impossible for you to move forward in the story, without the slightest mercy.

And speaking of mercy, the game has none. Even in two-versus-one battles, I’ve lost count of how many wipes I took until I learned which way to go. And it was no way at all.

Speaking of which way to go, the game gives you vague guidance on what to do (gather the Digimon scattered across the plains), and that’s great in a world full of giant arrows and map markers.

Honestly, DW Next Order is one of the hardest RPGs I’ve ever played. Understand: RPGs. A genre that has been coddling players for a while now. And I recommend every minute of it. Managing to get the best evolution of the species is very rewarding, especially if you knew what you were doing.

Now for the technical aspects, here we go.

Gameplay is the game’s strong suit, and once you get the hang of it, everything feels natural.

The Graphics and Music are also satisfactory. Both stand out for not getting in your way, and for delivering massive doses of nostalgia at every moment of play.

The game’s story is short and to the point. You want to know more about what happens, and that motivates you to keep playing.

All in all, tallying up:

Gameplay – 10

Audiovisual – 9

Story – 9

And that’s it.

PlayStation 4 version