To Namco Bandai- Please Delay Digimon Story: Time Stranger for Switch Family

As if I didn't have enough to deal with already- we are just under a month away from the release of Digimon Story: Time Stranger on Switch family. With the demo marking the first time I've engaged with the game since its first launch, I have to be honest: it's not a bad game, but I don't put it on the same pedestal as others. With that in mind, here is a modest request and plea to the game's publisher Namco Bandai; detailing why I think they should delay Digimon Story: Time Stranger for Switch family.

Courtesy: Namco Bandai

First, there's the issue of optimization. Even as the demo covers just under the first hour of the game (so, barely scratching the surface); it needs a lot of work. For all the praise I've heard, I had way muddier visuals and frame rate hitches than I hoped. Not even the Switch 2 port was able to maintain a consistent frame rate. It feels a bit like this port is a rushed job, one that makes me glad that other publishers delayed their ports to deliver the experience their fans would want. 

This makes a good time to bring up my second point- the wide variety of games available across the Switch family. More than ever, a wide range of games across all ages and skill levels is available; with titles that would have been niche in years' past now selling gangbusters. The flip side to the coin is that whether they intend to or not; all releases on the calendar are in competition rather than just the same genre or age demographic (why I consider some titles being bumped to 2027 a blessing in disguise, and not just because of GTAVI). If I had to say right now, I would wait for a sale as opposed to picking it up at list price. That brings me to my next point.

The third factor is arguably the most tangible- competition. Contrary to popular belief, I don't disdain the idea of other monster tamers. Quite the opposite- I welcome other titles in the space if they can do something with the concept. At the same time, it used to be you'd only be competing in the same genre and demographic. Now, every game is in competition with one another, especially in a given release window. In particular, this game is releasing before the highly-anticipated Splatoon Raiders; the first single-player spinoff of the franchise. Again, if I had to say right now, I would pick up that game instead.

However, there is a greater risk beyond all this. The monster tamer RPG subgenre paradoxically has more titles than ever before, but people who are asking for alternatives aren't biting. Sales of 1M across PC, Playstation and Xbox formats is impressive on the surface, but not as much as 12M in Nintendo's ecosystem alone. The Switch family is going to be the real litmus test for Time Stranger; to see whether or not the appetite for alternative monster tamers is actually there or if it will merely add another notch in a belt covered in Ultra Balls.

The "too long, didn't read" of my proposal is simple- to Namco Bandai, please delay Digimon Story: Time Stranger for Switch family. That is all for now, take care.

PS: Go see Toy Story 5, it really is that good.