Digimon Survive has received a lot of attention for its surprisingly mature story, but the title's lore implications are equally compelling. Instead of whisking its teenage protagonists away to the Digital World, Digimon Survive will take them to an entirely new realm. This creates a lot of opportunity to explore new ideas and environments, which could ultimately pave the way for future games in the series.

There are quite a few similarities between Digimon Survive and the Digimon Adventure anime series, but the change in setting will allow for a more mysterious tone. Digimon fans have already encountered dozens of iterations of the Digital World, so they already know what to expect from that location. Players will have less information to draw from when making difficult decisions throughout Digimon Survive, which will make it much more difficult to achieve the "best" endings.

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In previous Digimon entries, the titular creatures have been portrayed as programs and viruses that were spontaneously created by computers. Digimon are typically thought of as collections of data rather than living, breathing organisms. Digimon Survive will leave that identity behind, instead portraying the monsters as ancient spirits that have been around for millennia. Humans are able to perceive Digimon through the use of digital devices, but are no longer thought to be responsible for their creation.

The Digimon who appear in Survive will be explored through the lens of Japanese folklore, which immediately raises the stakes. Players will be exploring a realm inhabited by spirits, rather than a computer's innards. A tech whiz like Digimon Adventure's Izzy wouldn't be able to save the day by pounding the keyboard, and that proves how much of a change this is. Instead, the teens in Digimon Survive will need to navigate a world that isn't meant for mortals.

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth featured over 300 Digimon, all of which could be collected by players. This system reinforced the idea that the Digital World could be understood and controlled by humans, which ultimately made it far less scary. Most problems could be solved by grinding experience and piecing together a optimized team of Digimon.

The world of Digimon Survive is much more hostile, making it far less conducive to building a perfectly balanced lineup. Only 100 Digimon will appear in the game and it's unclear how many will ultimately be playable. Time is a limited resource, so players will need to choose between training their Digimon and building bonds with their fellow party members. An optimized Digivolution path might be a flashy reward, but could come at the cost of another character's life, speculatively based on what's been revealed so far.

The more dangerous setting allows Digimon Survive to eschew a trope that has plagued countless JRPGs. Instead of giving players endless time to grind experience or check off side quests, Digimon Survive makes every moment count. The change in structure challenges the very idea of what a Digimon game can be, which might lead to even more experimentation in the future. Digimon has evolved alongside its audience for decades, but Survive might be the franchise's boldest entry yet. By continuing to defy expectations, Digimon has the potential to keep fans engaged for years to come.

Digimon Survive is currently in development for PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.

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