For decades, Digimon has lived in the shadow of Pokémon, never quite achieving the same notoriety both in video games and animation. But that’s honestly fine, because it’s allowed Digimon to take a much different approach to its works — one that more often than not feels incredibly experimental. Digimon Survive is the kind of game that you’d simply never see from Pokémon: a dark and serious take on the franchise that manages to pack in some fun tactical combat to boot. It’s one of the most fascinating Digimon games you’ll ever play, and it’s easier than ever to get into, with its addition to PlayStation Plus.
Digimon Survive starts much like any other entry in the series, with a group of middle school students embarking on a extracurricular activities camp during spring break. You primarily play as Takuma Momozuka, a headstrong young boy trying to make the most of his school trip and get along with the ten other students there, including his friends. One day the group decides to investigate a temple dedicated to the so-called Beast Gods, and meets a mysterious man known only as the Professor. Seconds later the group is attacked by vicious Digimon, while friendlier creatures come to save them.
