Pokémon Isn’t the Only Monster-Catching RPG You Should Play This Month
A Digivolved entry.
For decades, Pokémon has dominated the monster-catching scene, and everyone else has simply tried to play catch-up. But while others have tried to copy Pokémon’s homework, one series has flourished by doing its own weird thing and expertly leaning into it. Few series have managed to carve out a niche like Digimon, and that’s become more and more true in recent years. Digimon Story: Time Stranger is the next evolution of that idea — a confident RPG that celebrates the strangeness of Digimon, while feeling like a throwback to the PS2 era in all the right ways. It’s one of the standout surprises of the year, and a monster-catcher that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Time Stranger is technically the seventh game in the “Story” subseries, following in the footsteps of 2017’s Cyber Sleuth — Hacker’s Memory. That’s a pretty long gap between games, but the wait has genuinely been worth it as Time Stranger is a fairly monumental improvement. But it’s important to note that this is a largely standalone game; you don’t need to have played any of the other Story games, or even know Digimon at all. But if you enjoy building a party of charming little creatures, and riding said creatures through a bizarro world — this is the game for you.
In Time Stranger, you play as an “agent” of ADAMAS, a secret organization tasked with investigating and solving anomalous and supernatural phenomena throughout Japan. Your silent protagonists encounter a “Digimon” while investigating a section of Shinjuku sealed off by authorities, and get caught in an explosion that sends them through time and digital space.
That time travel twist is a huge part of what makes Time Stranger’s story stand out, bolstered by a cast of lovable characters, both human and Digimon. As you explore the past to save the future, you meet a schoolgirl named Inori Misono, who befriends a mysterious Digimon named Aegiomon. The two form an instant bond, and both play a central role in the story. It’s admittedly a bit “power of friendship” trope-y, but Time Stranger’s narrative actually goes to some surprising places — and really fleshes out the relationship between its main cast.
And part of what’s so interesting here, compared to many games like Pokémon, is how active a role Digimon play in the story itself. The main crux of the narrative revolves around exploring real-world Tokyo and the Digital World of Illiad, where you meet a group of Mega-level Digimon called Olympus XII.
Time Stranger smartly leans into the personalities of its cuddly, and sometimes fearsome, creatures.
These quirky Digimon almost feel like a pantheon of Greek Gods in how their divergent personalities play out — and equally the Digital World itself feels like a living place that’s given a ton of thought and care. And, like many recent Digimon projects, there’s a layer of weirdness and whimsy layered into the script that injects the game with a ton of personality — like Agumon telling you he wants to become “an adorable mascot character.” There’s a delicate balancing act of humor and emotional heft that the game pulls off well.
But the other side of the formula is the combat and monster catching, both of which feel equally fleshed out and reinforce what the story does well — leaning into the unique aspects of each Digimon. Instead of outright capturing new Digimon, as you fight monsters, you build a meter that lets you “convert” them into your own version to join the party. You can convert them at 100 percent, but waiting until they reach 200 percent will give you a powered-up version.
Much like Persona, the game’s turn-based combat revolves around exploiting the elemental weaknesses of enemies, while using moves to buff your own party. Each Digimon has its own type, unique moves, and most can Digivolve into a number of more powerful creatures as they level up.
Your Digimon will follow you around like the most bizarre set of groupies.
And while combat in Time Stranger is your typical turn-based affair, the sheer amount of options the game gives you for customizing your party is where things really shine. On top of converting and Digivolving hundreds of Digimon, you can put equipment on each one, or teach new moves using consumable items. On top of that, each Digimon has a personality type that affects its stats and skills — like an Enlightened personality gaining more SP and Intellect. You can alter your Digimon’s personalities by talking to them, and the Agent also has a massive set of skill trees to boost the parameters of personality types. Outside of that, there’s the series’ Digifarm system, where you can leave Digimon not in your party to train and level up independently. The number of options always at your fingertips in Time Stranger is genuinely incredible, providing real depth in its monster-catching systems if you want to engage with it.
It’s that level of customization, mixed with the game’s personality and surprisingly fun story, that really helps Time Stranger stand out. It’s pretty clear this game has taken some inspiration from the Shin Megami Tensei series with its systems, real-world setting, and story, but it works well.
But it’s also worth noting how drastically improved the presentation of Time Stranger feels over past games. Characters and Digimon are all rendered in a colorful art style that pops, with flashy moves in combat. There’s definitely a layer of jankiness to the whole thing still, especially in terms of moving around the world, but it’s more charming than anything this time around.
Time Stranger’s combat doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but provides a great amount of depth and customization.
A particularly nice touch is how Time Stranger calls back to the PS2 era by using high-quality cutscenes as a kind of reward. Interspersed across the game, at key story moments or after big battles, you’ll be treated to these lavish cutscenes that are noticeably higher quality than anything else. It makes these moments feel like real events that stand out, and a clear, intentional decision.
More than anything, Time Stranger manages to capture that same sense of whimsy that the older anime series, like Adventure or Tamers, managed to capture. It’s an adventure filled with heart, and even if its combat and systems can feel a little rote at times, the personality of the Digital World is enough to make up for it.
Digimon has quietly been plugging away with video games over the last couple of decades, but Time Stranger feels like a statement that the series is here to stay — and might even give Pokémon a bit of much-needed competition in the process.
