Release Date: October 3, 2025
Platforms: PC (Steam), Xbox Series, PS5
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: Media.Vision
Price: $69.99
Bandai Namco and developer Media.Vision have shared new gameplay details for Digimon Story: Time Stranger, highlighting its expanded combat mechanics, new training systems, and the role of the player as an ADAMAS agent.
Core Concept
Set across the human world, the Digital World of Iliad, and the flow of time itself, Time Stranger casts players as an agent of ADAMAS, a covert organization investigating supernatural disturbances.
As in previous entries, the core gameplay focuses on raising Digimon, engaging in strategic turn-based battles, and evolving monsters along branching paths—now with several new systems introduced.
Attribute + Element System
Combat builds on a familiar attribute triangle, but now layers in elemental resistances for deeper planning:
- Attributes: Vaccine, Virus, Data, Free, Variable, etc.
- Elements: Fire, Water, Plant, and others (11 in total)
For example, a Vaccine-type attacking a Virus-type yields a 2x damage bonus—made even stronger if the skill also targets an elemental weakness. The reverse is also true: wrong matchups can cripple your output.
Players will need to strategically use Conversion, Digivolution, and De-digivolution to adapt their team to different situations.
Digimon Personalities
Each Digimon now has one of 16 personality types, which influence stat growth, learned skills, and Digivolution paths.
- A Daring Digimon, for example, gains faster Attack and Defense growth and learns more aggressive skills.
While a Digimon’s personality is set when converted, it can be changed later through training or Digifarm items—allowing two of the same species to fill different combat roles.
Agent Skills & Cross Arts
Players also level up through their Agent Rank, unlocking Agent Skills that grant passive bonuses like:
- Faster XP gain
- Buffs for certain personality types
- Reduced evolution requirements
Also new are Cross Arts, special techniques that fuse the player’s Digivice with a Digimon’s power mid-battle. These can trigger support effects like stat boosts or assist attacks, adding another layer to combat strategy.
Editor’s Take
Digimon Story: Time Stranger is shaping up to be one of the strongest entries in the series to date—which says a lot considering how well Cyber Sleuth was received. Once again, Bandai Namco brings back composer Masafumi Takada and artist Suzuhito Yasuda, two key creatives who helped define the tone and aesthetic of the last two titles.
With more flexible evolution paths, customizable personalities, and deeper training tools, the systems here look like a real leap forward. We’re looking forward to the October release—especially to hear what Takada brings to the soundtrack this time around.
Source: Information via Playstation.Blog
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