Never have I liked a game so much while also finding a game so difficult to recommend.
This is probably the best Digimon game, full stop. If you're a fan of the series, even casually, this is basically a full series of the anime, with some excellent writing and a shockingly adult tone. Digimon as a franchise is fascinating because, unlike Pokemon, it constantly evolves to age up with its fanbase. I watched the first season of the show when I was like 10, and I'm now 33. Survive is absolutely aimed at an adult audience.
But its biggest flaw is its structure and mechanics. Do not play this game without a guide. It advertises itself as a sort of CYOA visual novel, but in reality, there are only 4 routes, and 1 of them, the true ending, is completely inaccessible on your first play. I found that incredibly frustrating to discover after getting several hours in, but once I accepted that concession, I enjoyed the game more for it. The true ending, in fact, requires New Game +, because without the boosted affinity values in NG+, it is impossible to save a main character early in the game. Which drove me absolutely insane when I first played, because he and his Digimon were my favourite characters.
Despite the structure, the writing in this game is shockingly great - especially compared to what I'd consider to be awful writing in the Digimon Story games. The route the guide recommended for my first play (Harmony) absolutely broke me. It was a genuinely devastating story, dealing with themes of abuse, anger, and the impact that has on people around you. And it hit extremely close to home for me. The true ending, thankfully, was a lot more optimistic, and does a much better job of explaining the lore of the world. But this is a script that will kick you in the balls when it needs to, and make you laugh other times. I was not expecting a licensed game to actually hit me in the feels, but this one did big time, and that is rare for a man as hardened as myself.
Contrary to what the general zeitgeist says, this game is not strictly a visual novel... The VN trapping really only apply to dialogue and story structure. The actual combat is a turn-based SRPG, and that system is... Fine. Perfectly adequate. It's not exceptional, nor particularly deep, but it has lots of variety and two rock-paper-scissors weakness systems that give it just enough spice to carry it - though the fast-forward system in these battles (holding X) was very much appreciated when some of the damage spongy enemies appear late-game.
Otherwise, navigation and exploration occurs in an adventure game style format, where you will select locations from a menu and move your cursor to inspect points of interest. You can also find hidden items by using your phone's camera to inspect digital anomalies in each screen. It's definitely a low-budget way to handle movement, but in a game as lengthy as this one can be, it certainly cuts out what could have been monotonous backtracking and open world exploration - which I came to value.
If this game sounds interesting to you, it's luckily come down quite a lot in price. I see the PS4 version going for around $35CDN brand new, and the Switch version about 5 bucks more. Gotta love the Nintendo Tax.
I played the entirety of this game via PS5 remote play, and as there are really no action elements, I found the perceptible lag to be completely acceptable. It was a great way to hammer through some of the more monotonous segments while dividing attention with the TV.
So who would love this game? People who can enjoy or tolerate all this game's quirks. If you want a game with great writing and some massive emotional highs and lows, this is a winner for sure. If you love Digimon, especially when it veers into darker territory, I think there's a lot to love here. But unless you're an absolute pro with visual novel tropes, for the love of Azulongmon do not play this without a guide. It's not at all accessible to casual players, and it is not great at setting expectations. There's a lot to love, but you gotta work to get there - and that will absolutely deter some players.
