Digimon Story: Time Stranger: 5 Things To Know Before Starting

"Easily the most frustrating thing I encountered in my first playthrough of Time Stranger was the way it gates side quests. Without getting into spoilers, there's a point when the game will warn you that some of the side quests you've been doing will be inaccessible for an undetermined amount of time. Years of playing video games had me expecting this meant I wouldn't be able to complete those quests until I finished the story mission I was about to embark on."

"This would normally have been fine, but side quests have a lot more to offer in Time Stranger than just a side story and some loot. Throughout the game, you'll get Anomaly Points that raise your Agent rank. Digivolution levels are gated behind leveling up this rank, and if you can't complete more quests, you might be stuck at a lower rank and unable to level up your party until much, later in the game."

"One of the merciful things Time Stranger does is that it allows you to use an item attack each turn, rather than choosing between them. This means you'll be able to heal up your team, raise stats, or remove a status effect without having to give up doing some damage as well. A lot of other turn-based RPGs tend to make you choose between these options as a strategic challenge, but you'll be glad Time Stranger doesn'"

Digimon Story: Time Stranger features straightforward turn-based monster-tamer battles with waypoint-guided missions. Side quests become inaccessible at a specific story point and remain locked for dozens of hours. Side quests award Anomaly Points that raise the Agent rank, which gates Digivolution levels. Being unable to complete side quests can prevent party members from reaching required Digivolution tiers and stall progression. Items can be used as an attack without costing the player's turn. This allows simultaneous healing, stat boosts, or status removal while still dealing damage. Many other turn-based RPGs force a choice between item use and attack, but Time Stranger permits both.

Read at Kotaku