(Note that this is following my experience of Cyber Sleuth--and to an extent, Digimon as a whole--but not Hacker's Memory, as I haven't played that yet as of writing this review. Hacker's Memory is a completely separate game, just set in the same time period)

I could probably write a novel on my conflicted feelings about this game, but no one would read it, so instead here's a bunch of bullet points.

TL;DR
- It's a 6/10 turn-based RPG that somehow took over my life for a month and I can't really pinpoint why

Digimon vs Pokémon
- Not actually a reasonable comparison from worldbuilding & presentation standpoints; Digimon originated as a competitor to Tamagotchi and it explains why evolution is a web of countless and completely unrelated options rather than a set path like Pokémon
- Fully reasonable comparison from a gameplay standpoint: Digimon comes out on top, unsurprisingly, as Pokémon is meant to be baby's first turn-based RPG while Digimon is far more like your typical JRPG with spellcasting & in-depth 3v3 party-centric battle mechanics

Gameplay
- Explore digital dungeons (basically just simple mazes with random encounters throughout) either as part of the storyline or optional quests
- The dungeons are inoffensive but samey
- There's a lot of customization if you want to fine-tune your team
- Getting the perfect Digimon with the exact stats and skillset you want requires no RNG, just commitment, which is a plus
- Focus is more on the story than the gameplay, the battling simply supplements it
- Can freely swap between normal & hard difficulty, but both completely miss the mark
- Normal is a cakewalk and requires zero grinding whatsoever, basically a 'story' difficulty
- Hard quickly becomes a cakewalk in the random encounters but absolutely curbstomps you at boss fights unless you have spent the time fine-tuning a powerful team
- Don't start the game on Hard mode, worst mistake of my life--Hagurumon never forgave me

Story
- Better than Pokémon, but that's not a high bar to clear
- Will give you whiplash from the breakneck transitions between comedy, harsh truths about a world filled with monsters, and genuinely disturbing moments that everyone plays off or brushes past--typical JRPG shenanigans
- VERY long story if you're doing all the optional content and training your party up to full strength; currently 50 hours in and not done yet

Closing points
- You will need a second monitor with a wiki open at all times; Grindosaur worked well for me
- Digimon designs are generally awesome, though some are pretty over-the-top
- Digimon are basically people: they speak in human language, eat human food, and do human things like apply for jobs & fall in love--for better and for worse
- I feel bad for long-time Digimon fans because it seems like this is the best game in the franchise, which is simply alright and also not for everyone
- Unfortunately I am now a Digimon fan after playing this game
- I'm not holding my breath on a great new Digimon RPG coming out any time soon because these two games are like 6+ years old and Digimon's track record for games is not very promising

GUARDROMON, STEAL HIS BALLS

Ruim