GamerNode: Reviews - Digimon World: Dusk

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• Digimon World: Dusk
• Nintendo DS
• Bandai Namco Games
• Bandai Namco Games
• September 19th, 2007

 
With all these additions to strategy one would think Digimon World: Dusk trumps Pokemon when it comes to the battles. It does, in certain areas, but overall the experience just isn't as satisfying. The biggest negative is the presentation. First, players don't get to see their Digimon during combat, just their portraits which don't do the complicated pixel creations justice. Second, the user interface for the battle itself is downright ugly. Green, pink, and purple are not colors that should be slapped together. Add this to the busy UI, and one will quickly want stuff to be simplified. That is not to say the UI isn't functional. Everything is where it should be and is very easy to understand. But why they couldn't have toned down the whole interface is a mystery. The battles also don't feel as epic as other games of this genre -- at least at first. While the Digimon on screen do react convincingly to the damage they are dealt, it isn't until later in the game the really amazing attacks make their appearance. The beginning hours can feel like a boring chore, then the start of an adventure like Pokemon. This may turn some casual gamers away, and leave them missing out on some of the cooler content later on.

 
The other annoying aspect about Dusk is the dungeons. Populated with a tremendous amount of random battles the dungeons can also become a chore. The worst part is navigating the maze of pathways, some of which lead to no where. There is nothing worse than taking the time to pursue a certain pathway only to find that the path is either blocked, or is a dead end with not even a treasure chest to reward you for the effort. Imagine doing this with the large amounts of random battles.

 
One area which is enjoyable is leveling up the Digimon. It takes more then just a level cap to bring about the next evolutionary step. Digimon not only have to be a certain level, but also meet an amount of friendship with their trainer, and have the right amount and type of experience. Experience is awarded numerically regardless of who is fought, but what type of experience this is, varies on which type of monster was encountered. Take down machine monsters and machine exp is earned. Same withs with aqua Digimon and so forth. The specific requirements make the evolution feel more like an accomplishment when compared to the numbers crunch of Pokemon. Add in DigiFarm which lets you decide how the farm will effect Digimon placed thanks to customization via items and the leveling process doesn't become a bore. If there is one area where Digimon World: Dusk trumps the Pokemon franchise, this is it.

 
The same can't be said for the graphics and sound, though. To be blunt, the only cool part about the graphics are the Digimon designs. Everything else looks like a GBA game. This hurts the game substantially, no matter how detailed the on screen sprites look. When we know the abilities of the DS, and a developer doesn't take advantage of that power, it makes one scratched their head wondering why the extra time and care wasn't applied. The same can be said for the sound. It is fine, but not outstanding. Everything from the sound of the attacks, to the world music or battle score don't stand out. Know how one can hum the Pokemon themes? That won't be happening with Digimon World: Dusk.

 
Some may see it unfair to constantly compare Digimon World: Dusk to the Pokemon franchise, but there isn't any other standard to measure it against. Any FPS coming out now will obviously be weighed against Halo 3 and Half-Life 2, the "kings" of the genre. Why wouldn't we compare monster RPGs to Pokemon? Those who enjoyed the Pokemon franchise but are tired of experiencing the same gameplay mechanics, despite how polished they are, should definitely give Digimon World: Dusk a go. If you can get past the graphics, sound, and slow first few hours Digimon World: Dusk can become a rewarding experience. If the next Digimon game fixes some of the problems, then Pokemon might be sweating it out when the next game hits.

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