Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Review

Despite being an anime I enjoyed, I honestly didn’t get past the second season of Digimon when it aired in the UK. By the time the third season came on, I was “no longer watching anime made for kids, man!”. Little did I know, there are few anime which are meant only for a young audience, and it doesn’t need fist fights or harems (I’m looking at you, Dragon Ball Z and Tenchi Muyo!) to be enjoyed. It certainly didn’t help that season two seemed to be a rehash of season one -- DigiDestined are dragged into the Digital World against their wills, to fight against some threat...

Wait, did I just say it wasn't for kids...?

I checked in on Digimon a few years ago with Digimon Tamers, and found it was completely different from what I knew. In the same way that the recent series of The Flash is the same as the one from the ‘90s, that’s how the different seasons of Digimon are -- mostly in name only, with some references and guest appearances. And so we come to the RPG Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth.

In the world of the game, everything is connected to the internet. A company called Kamishiro runs EDEN, the world’s biggest internet service, which allows people to interact with each other through use of avatars which usually look like they do in real life. A hacker contacts the main character Aiba (can be male or female, so I’ll refer to them by their last name) and their friends, convincing them to go to the dark side of EDEN, known as Kowloon. The hacker basically mugs each of their Digivice’s (futuristic mobile phones), and installs a Digimon Capture program, which they are unable to uninstall, and which makes them hackers just by association. Digimon are programs used by hackers, after all -- at least as far as the characters know...

This is Kwoloon, and no I have no idea who designed it...

It’s not all doom and gloom for Aiba and their friend Arata, but the third member of the group Nokia begins to freak out. Yes, her name is Nokia… Arata runs off and Aiba explores Kowloon a little, before encountering the leader of the a big hacker group. He introduces her to three Digimon, and you have to choose one -- yes, just like the start of any Pokémon title. After choosing, Aiba is attacked by a powerful Digimon -- soon to become known as an Eater. Making an attempt to logout, it grabs them and…

Did... Did I not mention the tentacles...?

In the middle of a street, Aiba awakes. Now able to digitally enter any access point, they team up with a private investigator, and work together to find out what happened, and where these Digimon viruses originated…

With names like WarGreymon and IceDevimon here, why wouldn't you think they're viruses?

It’s quite hard to sum up the storyline for Cyber Sleuth, as you might be able to tell, but it’s not exactly a straightforward game. It’s easy to understand, but explaining it is another matter. It’s like a cross between Mega Man Battle Network and Pokémon, which after all this time I’m sure Digimon is tired of being compared to…

Though Pokémon never has such ugly textures...

As Aiba is digital, they can do a Digital Jump into any access point such as phones, air conditioning units and of course computers, much like MegaMan.exe can. Once you go digital, the three Digimon that make up your battle team will appear alongside you which is a nice touch. You can have more than three Digimon with you, but until you can upgrade your Memory after certain missions, you can’t have too many of the stronger ones.

Starmon, Tankmon and Renamon with Ami

Although there are 500 different Digimon of various types, shapes and sizes, the game only features a scant 242. However, unlike Pokémon’s “x turns into y”, each Digimon can digivolve into several at each stage of their lives. After hatching from a digiegg they become Training I, then digivolve to Training II, followed by Rookie, Champion, Ultimate and finally Mega forms. Each one is bigger and more powerful than the last, and of course use more memory, and there are a couple of secret digivolutions. You’re never in danger of going into battle with fewer than three Digimon, though, as you gradually collect scan data which allows you to hatch new Digimon. Each form has a maximum level, meaning you pretty much have to digivolve them or risk wasting all of those lovely experience points.

All of the Training I & II, with some Rookies - the black Agumon is literally called Black Agumon...

You may be wondering what happens to the newly hatched Digimon -- well they get sent to the farm. No, they don’t die and the game lies to you about it like that time with your goldfish Goldie! Very early on, you get access to the Digifarm, which allows you to send Digimon there to train, build power-up items and investigate cases as well as level up.

The Digifarm in the Digisky, where they can romp and frolic -- and level up!

Yes, until now I haven’t found a way to wedge in the investigation angle of the game. Which is at odds with how the game presents itself because quite interestingly, it’s a detective game which happens to also be a Digimon-based RPG. Of course, without the Digimon angle it would be markedly different, but let’s not quibble.

The investigation board

The main storyline is that you are trying to find out what the Eaters have to do with the so-called EDEN Syndrome which is resulting in comatose patients filling up the special wing of the hospital. However, to earn your keep in Kyoko Kuremi’s detective agency (and your cushy job title of Cyber Sleuth), you have to run some cases for her. Most of these are side quests, but others are required to move the plot forwards. As you will know, should you run your own private investigation firm, there are a lot of lost items making up your jobs, with a large portion of finding people and the occasional aiding the police. These won’t tax your brain too hard, but they are good ways to earn money and experience. There are no quest markers to show you where to go, but there is usually someone you can speak to to find out -- and whomever you need to speak to will have a big speech bubble above them.

Admittedly you'll regret talking to some of them...

The main problem you will encounter during cases is the dialogue. Everyone refers to you as the male, even a bloke who’s selling an equivalent of Real Girl Dolls and keeps trying to sell her her ‘dream girl’, and even your own best friend. Several times the things she says infer that she thinks you two would make a good couple. It’s not all misallocated genders, either, as there are typos and smatterings of Engrish all over the place. It’s most noticeable when Digimon which are on the farm send you questions. This would be a great way to help people learn about the Digimon and Japan itself, but even selecting the right answer can tell you that you’re wrong -- or that you guessed the right thing, despite selecting the wrong answer!

"I'm straight, Nokia!" - Ami, if what she said was ever subtitled, instead of repeated by whomever she's speaking to...

As mentioned, the game goes out of its way to explain things, such as myths and proper Japanese etiquette amongst other things. It’s very informative -- at one point it even explains the difference between masers and phonon masers! I didn’t even know what a phonon maser was, let alone that it relied “on amplified phonons, which makes their properties fundamentally different”. Before you hit up Google, a phonon is a vibrating particle wave, and masers use microwaves.

Also this, the correct way to eat sushi, and etiquette when addressing serving staff

Some cases have you investigating spooky phenomenon, which is probably why they based the game in the real Japan instead of a fake one, to give it that edge. I can’t verify whether everything you're told is true, but your dealings with the Occult Research Club are certainly creepy enough without being based in reality. It’s a great touch, but along with a few instances of bad language I can see why PEGI gave Cyber Sleuth a 12 rating. Creepy Japanese girls with their hair over their eyes have terrified me since Ringu...

Also, this is how you meet the detective...

The storyline is a little hit-and-miss, with some very obvious things masquerading as twists, but it serves its purpose to move you from place to place. The voice acting is all in Japanese, and of course done well, but the music is very bland and uninspired. It suits the tone of the game with an upbeat J-pop vibe, but it is very repetitive, especially since you have to revisit areas often.

They do look fantastic, however...

As I already mentioned, Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth is very reminiscent of the Mega Man Battle Network series, and has really made me miss it. Being a detective is a great angle to take in a world that relies heavily on everything being wirelessly accessible, and you do actually have to think about things as you progress. If the music and subtitles were improved, I would quite like to see a sequel to this. It’s simple and fun to play, and without the New Game + you’re looking at around 40 hours of gameplay -- then you’re going to want to go through every Digivolution and collect every medal! This is a packed game, and if you can look over its flaws you will have a great time.