Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition

Genre: Compilation / Turn-Based Monster Collecting JRPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition is a compilation of two games originally released on Sony systems in 2015 and 2017 respectively: Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth and Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory, with Hacker’s Memory being a direct follow-up that takes place at the same time as the first game (but assumes you’ve played the original Cyber Sleuth first). Both games use the same monster-collecting and fighting gameplay and the same locations (with this release adding into the first game the expanded monsters and features that were added into Hacker’s Memory), and really the story is the main thing that sets these two games apart.

Before I get into things, it’s time for another one of my time-honored confessions: I have never before played a Digimon game. So if you’re looking for me to compare these games to other titles in the series, or even the original releases on PlayStation 4 and Vita, I can’t help you. However, if you’re looking for a fresh take, maybe get an idea how well these games cater to newcomers, or how they compare to the Pokemon games, you’ve come to the right place.

The presentation here is pretty slick and modern, depicting a near-future Tokyo in much the same way as Tokyo Mirage Sessions does, albeit maybe without quite the same level of style. However, this is supplemented with areas that take place within an amalgamated virtual reality/internet interface called Eden, that uses some slick visuals to represent that digital simulation. it’s nothing super-impressive, but with detailed subtly cel-shaded anime-styled character designs and a great sense of overall style, it’s still nice to look at even if it doesn’t break any molds. Really, the two biggest complaints I have about the graphics is that the game has a lot of talking that takes place in fairly static cutscenes that re-use the same animations over and over again, and the actual environments themselves can feel a bit empty.

These solid visuals are paired with a decent synth soundtrack that works well for the game’s modern, slightly-futuristic tone. The game also features voice acting for the majority of its major characters’ lines… though all of it is in Japanese (thankfully with English text).

Both game’s stories involve characters trying to uncover a personal mystery, with them looking into multiple smaller ones along the way. The original Cyber Sleuth has a plot that feels pulled right out of an anime like dot Hack or Sword Art Online – After an encounter with a shady character in the shady part of the interne- err, Eden, the player’s character finds themselves the victim of an attack that leaves them trapped in a semi-digital state while their body remains comatose in the real world. In Hacker’s Memory, a different character finds themselves framed for a crime and must dive into the Eden to clear their name. Both stories are compelling enough to drive the game, but most seem to agree that the original is the better of the two.

As a Digimon newcomer, I can say that Cyber Sleuth does a good job welcoming newbies like me into its world. In fact, most of the characters here are just as clueless when it comes to Digimon as I am, with these titular digital monsters representing sentient anthropomorphized computer viruses and hacking tools that the average person sees as being associated with disreputable hackers.

The gameplay here has a lot in common with the Pokemon games, with players collecting, training, and forming the perfect fighting team of monsters, although the devil’s in the details and a lot of the mechanics here are different enough to distinguish this game from Nintendo’s franchise. In addition to the futuristic real-world setting, Cyber Sleuth has players scanning monsters as they encounter them rather than capturing them outright, and players can evolve and de-evolve them at will to get the right blend of stats and “memory” cost (with the player’s party size limited by this cost). I would say that this game doesn’t quite have the same level of depth as Pokemon, but its game systems are a bit more malleable.

There are a few other flaws that keep this game from being quite as impressive as Nintendo’s beast of a franchise. The game’s maps are often confusing, and the player is not allowed to do much with the camera. The game’s campaign is also pretty linear, meaning that while Pokemon has you exploring different areas to fill out your collection, Digimon mainly just has players grinding. As far as grinding goes, the freedom players have to alter their monster team makes it less of a terrible slog, but it’s still disappointing that the game presents such an amazing, interesting world and doesn’t really give players any real ability to explore it.

Overall, players looking for a good alternative to Pokemon will find Cyber Sleuth to be a solid choice, and there’s a lot to like here, including a lot of unique elements that set it apart from the Pokemon series. Plus, newbies like me will be happy to hear that no prior knowledge of the series is necessary to enjoy this game’s well-done anime-style stories. Definitely worth a look.

tl;dr – Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition is a collection of two Pokemon-style Monster-Collecting JRPGs set in a slightly-futuristic Tokyo where players dive into a virtual reality/internet to fight with monsters and get to the bottom of the game’s mysteries. This is a solid alternative to Pokemon, and different enough from those games to distinguish itself, although it’s not without its flaws.

Grade: B+

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