Got a whole bunch of backlogged movie reviews again, and now some video game ones as well.  I figured I’d start with this one since it’s the latest addition to my collection.  I usually shy away from games based on television shows and movies because I feel like they tend to lack substance in the plot department, but the previews for Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth (DSCS) seemed promising, so I decided to take a chance on it.  (Not to mention I just needed something to keep me distracted until Fire Emblem Fates releases later this month!)

The game definitely doesn’t disappoint.  At least, not for my tastes, anyway.  After only a few minutes in, the gameplay immediately reminded me of the Shin Megami Tensei (SMT), Persona, Megaman Battle Network (MMBN), and some of the older Final Fantasy games.  The plot also reminded me of the .hack//Sign anime.

I’ll start with saying that I appreciate the fact that after only 3 days since purchasing the game, I found myself still only about a quarter of the way through the game.  I can’t remember off the top of my head, but if memory serves, I believe there’s about 20 to 22 “chapters” in the game.  (Don’t have the game in front of me right now, but I think I’m still only on chapter 5 or 6.)

In my opinion, the gameplay is closest to the Megaman Battle Network series, though one of the differences are the playable character serves as their own avatar on the Internet, instead of having a Navi program.  The sprites look more like Final Fantasy X, but the whole “logging into the net” and fighting “viruses” is very much MMBN.

For those familiar with SMT’s Devil Survivor series, DSCS also sometimes allows players to make “choices” at certain points in the dialogue, and there’s also interactive email.  Unlike SMT though, I don’t think the choices the players choose really impacts the ending of the game nearly as much, if at all.  The “Digivolution” feature is almost similar to “Demon Fusion,” although instead of combining Digimon together, it’s more like certain requirements need to be met in order to produce certain Digimon.  (Those who are familiar with and SMT or Persona games should know what I’m talking about by all this.)

I vaguely remember playing some Digimon-themed games on other systems when I was younger, and I don’t remember it being nearly as fun.  I could be remembering wrong, but I don’t think there was as much of a plot for those games.  As I stated earlier in this write-up, DSCS has a plot that is reminiscent of the .hack//Sign anime.  I can’t comment on the ending since I haven’t gotten there yet, but I can say that what I have seen so far of the story has me curious.  I have a few theories of how things might pan out, but that’s about it.

This game can be purchased as a digital copy from Sony’s Playstation Network store (I think it’s available both on the PS4 and PSVita—I own my copy on the Vita).  Cross-saving is available between platforms.  I haven’t tried it though, since I don’t own a PS4.  It can also be purchased from most of your usual retailers (i.e. Best Buy, Amazon, GameStop, etc.), and for those who need links, I’ve got those below.

$59.99 MSRP

Retailers:
PSN (PS4, PSVita) – $59.99 for PS4, $39.99 for PSVita; both are launch bundles
GameStop (PS4 only)
Best Buy (PS4 only)
Amazon (PS4 only) – priced at $58.99 as of the date of this entry
Target (PS4 only)
Walmart (PS4 only) – priced at $58.99 as of the date of this entry