Pokémon is the king of monster-catching, right? It’s the franchise that sold consoles, spawned a trading card empire, and gave us that theme song that still slaps in karaoke. But if you’ve been laser-focused on Pikachu for the last two decades, you’ve missed something important: Digimon Story has quietly been doing everything Pokémon does – only better, braver, and way more stylish. And with Digimon Story: Time Stranger coming in October, now is the time to finally admit it.
I know, I know – Pokémon is comfort food. It’s safe, it’s familiar, and it’ll keep trucking forever. But when you sit down and really compare what Digimon Story brings to the table, you start to realise Game Freak’s golden goose has been serving us watered-down broth while Bandai Namco’s Story team has been cooking a five-course meal. Let me explain.
A Story That Actually Means Something
Let’s be honest: Pokémon’s plots have always been the equivalent of a Saturday morning cartoon filler episode. You get your gym badges, you slap Team Rocket (or Team Yell, or Team Star, or whatever flavour-of-the-month evil squad is around), and you become champion. Boom. Done. Charming? Sure. Groundbreaking? Not at all.
Now let’s look at Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth. Released back in 2015, it gave us a mature, layered narrative about cybercrime, identity, and what happens when the digital world bleeds into reality. People literally fall into comas thanks to a disease called EDEN Syndrome, caused by overexposure to a VR network. That’s basically a Black Mirror episode wrapped inside a JRPG. Add in themes of family, friendship, and self-worth, and suddenly you’re not just grinding random battles: you’re actually invested in saving the world.
And Hacker’s Memory doubled down, showing the same timeline from another perspective. Instead of rehashing the same kid-becomes-champion arc, it showed us how everyday hackers and outcasts dealt with living in a society fractured by digital chaos. It wasn’t perfect, sure, but it felt ambitious in a way Pokémon hasn’t been in years.
Now, Time Stranger looks set to push things even further. Set directly in the Digital World instead of mostly Tokyo, it promises a more mythic story tying into the legendary Olympos XII Digimon – literal digital gods. Think about it: Pokémon is still trying to sell you on “What if a lizard had wheels?” while Digimon’s gearing up to tackle gods, time, and multiversal stakes. Which sounds more exciting to you?
Digivolution Beats Evolution Every Time
I’ll give Pokémon this: evolving your Charmander into a Charizard will always feel iconic. But let’s be real: Pokémon’s evolution system is shallow. Hit a level, sometimes slap on a stone, and boom you’ve got your next form. No going back, no branching, no experimentation.
Digimon Story? That’s a different beast entirely. In Cyber Sleuth, every Digimon can branch off into multiple forms depending on stats, friendship levels, and other requirements. Sometimes you even have to de-digivolve literally regress your monster to unlock the right evolution path. It’s like a puzzle wrapped inside an RPG system, rewarding tinkering and long-term planning.
You don’t just raise a Digimon; you engineer its destiny. You might take a basic Agumon and spin it into a Greymon, or twist it down a darker line towards SkullGreymon. That freedom gives the series so much replayability. And with Time Stranger confirmed to expand the roster (reportedly over 400 Digimon at launch), the possibilities are mind-blowing.
Pokémon fans are out here begging for branching evolutions like Eeveelutions every generation. Digimon fans have been swimming in that luxury for decades.
Combat With Real Bite
Pokémon battles are iconic, but let’s be honest: they’re also stuck in the past. We’re still on a four-move system, most fights devolve into “hit weakness, win instantly,” and the AI might as well be a Magikarp flopping on land.
Digimon Story’s turn-based system is smarter, faster, and far more strategic. You can bring three Digimon into battle at once, with reserves ready to swap in. Types (Data, Vaccine, Virus, Free) and elemental affinities force you to think beyond simple rock-paper-scissors. Turn order can be manipulated, buffs and debuffs actually matter, and boss fights demand proper tactics instead of brute force.
It feels like what Pokémon battles should have evolved into years ago. The Cyber Sleuth Complete Edition on Switch and PC showed how engaging a “classic JRPG” battle system can be when it’s actually designed with depth in mind.
Presentation That Actually Respects the Fans
Let’s talk graphics. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet looked like they’d been put together by unpaid interns during lunch breaks. We’re talking pop-in worse than Skyrim mods from 2012, Pokémon clipping through the floor, and environments that looked like PlayStation 2 leftovers.
Meanwhile, Cyber Sleuth (a PlayStation Vita game, mind you) still looks stylish and slick today. The art direction is sharp, the cyberspace environments are surreal and gorgeous, and the character designs are dripping with personality. The Switch Complete Edition looked better than Scarlet and Violet did at launch, and that’s a handheld port of a 2015 title.
If early screenshots are anything to go by, Time Stranger looks absolutely stunning; vivid Digital World landscapes, crisp animations, and Digimon models that put Game Freak’s jaggy models to shame. When you compare the two side by side, one feels like a love letter to fans and the other feels like a rush job to meet a holiday deadline.
A Community That Cares
Pokémon has gone mainstream to the point where Game Freak can release mediocrity and still break records. That’s both a blessing and a curse. It means less incentive to innovate. Meanwhile, Digimon fans have kept the flame alive through lean years, and Bandai Namco has rewarded that loyalty with games that keep improving.
The Cyber Sleuth Complete Edition was basically fan service turned into a full package. And the upcoming Time Stranger feels like Bandai’s first true attempt to put Digimon Story in the spotlight as a AAA-worthy RPG release across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. This is the moment Digimon fans have been waiting for a shot to prove the series can hang with the big dogs.
Why Time Stranger Could Be the Best Yet
So what do we know so far about Time Stranger?
- It’s set directly in the Digital World, letting Bandai flex their creativity on environments.
- The Olympos XII Digimon, some of the most powerful in the franchise, are central to the plot.
- Over 400 Digimon are expected, with branching paths galore.
- Combat is being tweaked with even more focus on tactical depth.
- Bandai has promised a darker, more mythic tone, closer to JRPG epics like Persona and Shin Megami Tensei.
If they pull this off, we could be looking at the definitive monster-raising RPG of this generation.
Closing Thoughts
Look I’m not saying Pokémon doesn’t have a place. It’s comfort gaming, nostalgia, and a guaranteed seller. But the cracks are showing. Game Freak is coasting, and fans know it.
Meanwhile, the Digimon Story series has been steadily raising the bar. It offers deeper mechanics, more meaningful stories, better presentation, and genuine respect for the audience. Time Stranger has the potential to be the game that finally makes people stop asking, “Wait, is Digimon still around?” and start asking, “Why isn’t Pokémon this good?”
So yeah, I’ll say it loud: Digimon Story is better than Pokémon. And if you care at all about monster RPGs, you need to be paying attention to Time Stranger. This isn’t just another Digimon gameit could be the moment the underdog finally outshines the king.
October can’t come soon enough.
