5 Reasons Why You Should Check Out Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition

Nintendo owners rejoice, for Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition was released on 18th October 2019 courtesy of Bandai Namco. It has been quite some time since the Digimon name has graced Nintendo systems, with Digimon World Dusk and Dawn in 2007 for Nintendo DS in America and 2005's Digimon World 4 on GameCube for Europe.

Though it may have been many years for some of you, the brand has remained strong in Japan and is having something of a resurgence thanks to the six part film series Digimon Adventure tri, setting our original anime heroes on a much darker journey along the digital landscape. This revitalisation of the series has seen the first games to come to the west in a long time in Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth and Hacker's Memory, detective stories set in the real world as it meshes with the digital world springing digital monsters upon a new generation.

Here are some reasons why you should give Digimon Story a go if you missed it the first time around.

1. It comes with the sequel Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition comes bundled with its 2018 sequel, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory. Like many remasters of older games, this comes with two titles. Not only is the original Cyber Sleuth somewhat of a cult classic, Hacker's Memory continues the story running behind the scenes with a new cast and is just as good as its predecessor.

You're not just buying one game but two of the very best japanese RPGs of this generation for a system that's seemingly focussed on bringing you the best JRPGs from across gaming's history.

2. It has an amazing soundtrack

You may not believe me but Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth has an amazing soundtrack. Composer Masafumi Takada famous for his work on Killer7, No More Heroes and the Danganronpa series brings his best here, blending a mixture of glitchy industrial techno beats with more traditional detective noir style instrumentals and a sprinkling of acid jazz. The title screen embodies everything great about this soundtrack with its wailing electric guitars, static electronics and a brass section stolen straight from the 50s, while the digital world can often sound like a modern Nine Inch Nails record with a more electro influence. The music in this game is a ridiculous stroke of genius from Takada and the fusion of genres is clearly inspired by composer Shoji Meguro of Persona fame.

3. It is Persona-lite

Back in 2016 I said that Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth is Persona lite and is the perfect game to tide you over until Persona 5 is released. In 2019, I can say that Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition is Persona-lite and will be the perfect game to tide you over until Persona 5: Royal is released in Spring. Set in real world Shibuya, Japan, exploring the world of Cyber Sleuth is giving you a sneak peak at exactly the same city you will be living in during your time with Persona 5, not only this but Digimon prepares you for a deeper more personal narrative within these fantasy settings. Getting to know a city you will be spending hundreds if not thousands of hours in is essential and considering how emotionally engaging Persona 5 is, you will need the time spent in this lighter faire to be aware of what is coming later. Persona 5 is potentially my favourite game of the generation and decade, for Digimon Story to be considered near that game is high praise indeed.

4. It is shaping up to be better than Pokémon Sword and Shield

As mentioned before, when you buy Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition you get two games for the price of one. If the simple maths doesn't persuade you then how about the allegations of Game Freak's reused animations, poor implementation of mechanics and lazy attitude towards development. Pokémaniacs are allegedly set to be disappointed when Sword and Shield hits stores as it seems Game Freak are using the majority of its resources to deliver their own Little Town Hero, putting the monster collecting juggernaut on the backburner and it shows. The Cyber Sleuth games have no such controversy attached, these games look great, are smoothly animated and deliver the full console experience as opposed to feeling like an upgraded handheld game.

5. To prepare yourself for Digimon Survive

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition is a re-release, even if it is the first game to come to Nintendo platforms in over 10 years. The next game is Digimon Survive, releasing worldwide next year on all platforms and is set to be a much more exciting experience. Listed as a survival RPG, Survive is going to be something special. Players choices change the outcome of the story, with multiple story paths, endings and even character deaths depending on your decisions. Why not take this opportunity to familiarise yourself with a franchise that's coming back strong.

Whether you're a Digimon fan already or you've never touched the series there's no better place to start and with a future as bright as it seems I can't think of any reason not to start now!

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition is available on Nintendo Switch and PC.