Short Thought: Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory

Recently I was invited to a Bandai Namco press event where I got to try out a bunch of games they’re releasing in the coming months. One of them is: Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory. Although I am a fan of the franchise, I never actually played a single game from it. Despite my regular consumption of its media, I was hesitant to see if I liked it. My main gripe would be the combat not quite living up to what I would expect from a Digimon game. Typically the franchise revolves around a group of digidestined with their companion Digimon, so the whole collection of different Digimon feels alien to me. Regardless, the demo on hand was fun and engaging reminding me of classic turn-based JRPGs like the classic Final Fantasy.

I can't be the only person to think those eyes aren't the tiniest bit sinister

The UI, whilst nice to look at, felt unhelpful. Given my lack of experience with the games in general, the symbols are probably explained in the previous iterations, but as far as the overall experience is concerned, it felt complete. Following on from the previous game with its setting and mechanics, the demo was more a showcase of its new Digimon and its new game mode. Due to the brief nature of demos, the new story wasn’t experienced during the event. Lukewarm is my best description, but honestly it could easily turn into a 99+ hour game for me. If you enjoyed the previous installment, chances are you’ll enjoy this as well.