It’s time to return to the world of monster-taming RPG Digimon Story: Time Stranger with the first of three planned DLC story episodes! Appropriately titled “Alternate Dimension,” this DLC foray blends multiple times and realities together in a fight for the fate of all dimensions, but is Alternate Dimension’s extra story content and new Digimon worth the price of admission? I’d say yes if you’re already a fan of the base game; however, I don’t think Alternate Dimension alone is an outing that would convince a newcomer to shell out for the game proper and its season pass.
Alternate Dimension‘s battles and difficulty are comparable to late game in base Time Stranger, and you can even access them using a Clear Save file if preferred. Upon installing the DLC and starting a save file, a message from the In-Between Theater staff alerts you that the theater’s elevators are now working, though something might be amiss with them. Agent hurries to the scene only to be informed that a very powerful Digimon entity known as Parallelmon found a way through the Akashic Backdoor, wreaking havoc on different realities and time periods and threatening the very fabric of all existence. Shortly after agreeing to help, Agent and their Digimon party members meet a teenager named Kyoko Kuremi. This leads to the discovery that Parallelmon is kidnapping the human partners of Digimon from around the multiverse to serve as living batteries for their reality-ending plans. Together with some new Digimon allies, along with the always helpful assistance of Inori and Aegiomon, can Agent and Kyoko set things right for the multiverse?
I was fairly impressed with the overall plot for Digimon Story: Time Stranger, and I appreciate how Alternate Dimension builds upon it. The episode’s narrative is still surprisingly mature, dealing with issues such as Kyoko’s initial struggle with intense hatred for the digital lifeforms she encounters due to past trauma. The loose plot thread of Kodai Kuremi’s fate from the base game also comes full circle here, with his resolve to do the right thing and the repairing of the familial bond between himself and Kyoko as narrative highlights of the episode. There’s also some nostalgic fanfare in the fusion digivolution of two of the new Digimon allies for fans of the anime adaptations! Overall, I quite liked the entertaining diversion this DLC episode provides in its significantly shorter time frame.
Another Dimension takes roughly three to five hours to complete, and five hours is only if you try to explore every nook and cranny or get into a lot of field battles. I give the DLC credit for making the whole episode feel very streamlined and not padded with needless filler. You-as-Agent traverse with your allies through each new area that opens up, seeing story scenes and encountering boss battles along the way. The turn-based fights function the same way as the base game’s fights, exploiting your strengths and enemy weaknesses during your Digimon party’s turns. You acquire skill points and can even digivolve your Digimon to more potent forms should you raise their stats high enough. The ability and skill-slinging action can get frenetic and heated in the longer boss battles in particular.
Nothing has significantly changed graphically from the base game to Alternate Dimension. Occasionally, some of the white-lettered subtitles are difficult to see depending on the background color, which was also an issue with the UI in the base game. To the DLC’s credit, I feel as though some of the Digimon animation, in particular, is slightly more expressive than it was when Digimon Story: Time Stranger was initially released. The locales you traverse, save for the mysterious and near-paranormal White Room and its seemingly never-ending circular corridors, are all from the base game, with some subtle differences as far as item placements and the like. It’s a clever way for the DLC to reuse assets that also makes sense from a story context.
Alternate Dimension’s soundscape is just as good as the base game’s. For the purposes of this review, I went with the English audio, as I did in my base game review, but note that you can play the game with the Japanese voice cast. Kodai’s English voice actor, Brad Davidorf, gets more of a chance to show off his excellent range, given his character’s expanded and more emotional role here. Kyoko’s actor, Erica Mendez, brings a dynamic flair to her performance. The scriptwork is pretty much flawless, too, with nary an error to be found! You can also replay the episode after finishing it, giving you some needed replayability options if you want them for experience grinding and item collecting.
I had a lot of fun playing Alternate Dimension. It reminded me of what I enjoyed about the base game and feels as if you’re in an interactive mini-story arc of a Digimon anime. The DLC’s short playtime means it isn’t a major selling point for newcomers to Digimon Story: Time Stranger. I’d say it’d be better to buy the base game first if you’re curious and then put money down on the season pass if you happen to enjoy the game, but it certainly is an enjoyable outing in an entertaining story-verse. Hopefully, Digimon Story: Time Stranger’s Alternate Dimension shows just how much promise and potential the next two planned DLC episodes have. I’m definitely eager to try those out now after having given this episode a chance.
