From the trailers to the box art, and the opening cinematic I thought
for certain "Digimon World: Next Order" would be some sort of grand JRPG
adventure with game changing character involvement, a deep seeded plot,
and an endgame scenario. Instead it is being marketed as a monster
training/raising simulator with slight JRPG elements. The game itself
starts off as a JRPG would with an interesting interactive cinematic
battle that looks like it is going to set the stage for a later
climactic encounter between some heroes, and a formidable foe. Past the
female, and male protagonist selection though this foe is only hinted
at, and lost in what turns out to be a glorified Tomagatchi-like
experience. This raising, influencing, and evolving of digital monsters
that you are tasked with after the initial loss of your evolved Digimon
partners definitely feels like it's a bit lacking. It has you tending to two infantile Digimon who require
real-time attention in the form of feeding, discipline, caring, and
training. You even have to take these creatures to potty when a poop
icon floats above their head. It is a tedious undertaking wrought with
sub-par voice acting, and gameplay that is only made intricate by the
micro-management menu system that has you doing things for both your character, and
your Digimon in a simultaneous or individual sense. As far as plot
goes there are objectives, but even those are burdened, and dwarfed by
the parenting duties that have been forced upon you.
