Digimon World: Next Order

Digimon World: Next Order is a challenging and nostalgic RPG that faithfully revives the essence of the original Digimon World on PS1. Players raise and train two Digimon simultaneously, navigating a semi-open world filled with tough battles and strategic growth mechanics. The game is noted for its depth, requiring patience and dedication to overcome its grind-heavy progression and complex stat systems. While the graphics maintain an anime aesthetic that has aged well, some players find the world design repetitive and the UI clunky. The story ties into the broader Digimon universe, appealing especially to longtime fans with its character callbacks and evolving Digimon lineage.

Despite its strengths, the game can be frustrating due to its grind, occasional bugs, and unintuitive mechanics like the lack of a load command and limited map functionality. However, the immersive music, nostalgic appeal, and rewarding gameplay loop keep many players engaged for dozens of hours. It’s best suited for Digimon enthusiasts willing to embrace its difficulty and time investment.

Highlights

The game excels in delivering a deep and rewarding gameplay loop where raising and evolving Digimon through multiple generations is satisfying.

Players praise its nostalgic connection to the original Digimon World, featuring a wide roster of Digimon and DNA evolution mechanics.

The anime-style graphics are well-received for their charm and timeless aesthetic, complemented by fitting music and voice acting.

The open-world exploration and rebuilding the Digimon city add layers of engagement.

The story and character development resonate well with fans, providing a meaningful narrative experience.

Criticisms

Common criticisms focus on the game’s heavy grind and time-consuming mechanics, which can deter casual players.

The battle system’s limited player control and occasional bugs causing softlocks frustrate some users.

UI and quality-of-life issues such as the lack of a quick load feature, inefficient material exchanges, and limited map zoom options interrupt flow.

Some find the world design repetitive and the pacing slow, with tedious resource gathering and care duties for Digimon.

The sexualization of certain characters and lack of modern PC optimization were also noted negatively.