Bandai Promotes -next 0rder- with Cyber Sleuth Price Cut

To promote the upcoming Digimon World -next 0rder-, Famitsu announced over the 25th that Bandai Namco will be putting the digital download edition of the Japanese Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth on a 30% off sale until March 9th. This will reduce the price of the game down to 5,020 yen (approximately $44 US) before tax. The original price was 7,171 yen before tax, over $60.

Cyber Sleuth was originally a Vita exclusive in its home country, ported to the PlayStation 4 for western distribution. The game was most recently patched to Ver. 1.03 to coincide with its international debut, giving Japanese tamers access to the international DLC Digimon, Cherubimon Virus and Beelzebumon Blast Mode, while also enabling them to play against tamers from all around the world.

Dengeki Online Explains Mikagura Mirei's Presence in -next 0rder-

February 18th, 2016. Japanese gaming news outlet Dengeki Online published an article giving an overview of several new aspects of Digimon World -next 0rder-, including the playable Shoutmon and Gumdramon, online multiplayer, the village of Flowtier, and postgame dungeons. The article provides a profile for Mikagura Mirei, a recurring character originating from Digimon World Re:Digitize, who has gone on to appear in several parallel universes through the Digimon canon. Previously Mirei acted as the host of the DigiLab in Cyber Sleuth.

Mikagura Mirei (Seiyuu: Sawashiro Miyuki)

"One who watches over worlds. During a digitization experiment an accident occurred, and a part of her data was flung to the Digital World in a corrupted state. From a special information space, she has the power (administrator privileges) to travel to and from parallel worlds."

Mirei: "There are cases where crises have caused the Digital World to encroach on the human world."

Mirei: "That's right. Let's begin right away."

Mirei is voiced by Sawashiro Miyuki, known for playing Elizabeth of the Velvet Room in the Persona series. Her ability to travel between parallel worlds is how she's continued to appear in the newer Digimon games, connecting various universes across the Digimon Story and Digimon World continuities.

According to Dengeki, each area of the town of Flowtier corresponds to a section of the original Village of Beginnings from Digimon World. For example, the Central District contains Jijimon's house and a construction shop for improving buildings, and originates from the central area of the original game. The Commerce District contains item shops and restaurants, corresponding to the hospital and business areas of the original village. In addition to the coliseum expected of the Amusement District, it also contains a fishing pond for tamers to use.

The Research District contains laboratories and training facilities, including an "Evolution Dojo" where tamers can get hints about their partners' evolution paths. The Different Dimension District is a mysterious area housing a dimensional transfer device. Flowtier starts as a small village and then gradually expands its facilities at the player progresses, opening up new areas.

About Connection Battle

A player chooses which partners' data they want to upload to the network server.

By downloading other players' data from the network server, players can connect and battle with the partners they raised. They can also change the type of keychain cage their partner is housed in, and modify their online ID that will be used as a display name.

A player downloads their battle opponent's data from the server and then commences the battle.

The visuals are designed to elicit nostalgia for the original virtual pets. Players can battle opponents from all across Japan.

After tamers clear the story, they can access a postgame dungeon featuring the most difficult enemies available.

Digimon World -next 0rder- will launch in Japan March 17th, 2016, on the PlayStation Vita for 6,980 yen (7,539 JPY after tax). It is the latest entry in the World series, succeeding directly from Re:Digitize Decode on the 3DS, Re:Digitize on the PSP, and World on the PSX. Tying into Digimon Adventure tri., the game will feature Maicoomon as free downloadable content.

Those that preorder the game will get access to five special DLC Digimon, a remastered copy of the 1999 Digimon World soundtrack, and two original Vita themes, "ver. Nostalgic" and "ver. Dot." Theme ver. Dot features a montage of original Digimon LCD sprites, while theme ver. Nostalgic turns the screen into the layout of a Digital Monster virtual pet.

-next 0rder- Smartphone Wallpaper, Online Greymon Evolves to Metal Greymon

February 1st, 2016. Bandai's online virtual pet, hosted on the official Digimon World -next 0rder- title site, evolved to Perfect-level today. The Greymon that fans had raised over Twitter became Metal Greymon once it passed the 15,000 care mark, unlocking an additional Chain Melon and ten Digistones as in-game rewards for fans in -next 0rder- and Linkz. In order to reach Ultimate, Metal Greymon requires 25,000 cumulative care actions; at that point fans will unlock one more Chain Melon, 15 Digistones, and a Digimon World -next 0rder- smartphone wallpaper.

The Melons extend a Digimon's lifespan, while Digistones restore stamina. Previously, the online Digimon had evolved to Agumon on the 26th, and Koromon on the 25th. Fans can participate in the campaign by going to the page and clicking on エサをあげる ("Give food") which will create a premade tweet for them to share.

Digimon World -next 0rder- will launch in Japan March 17th, 2016, on the PlayStation Vita. Digimon Linkz will launch in 2016, on Android and iOS. 

Online Koromon Evolves to Agumon

January 26th, 2016. Just an hour after we reported that Bandai's online virtual pet had evolved to Koromon, the Digimon crossed over the 8000 tweet threshold necessary evolve to its Child stage, Agumon. This has unlocked the next reward tier for Digimon World -next 0rder- and Linkz; every time the Digimon evolves, fans are rewarded for participating in the event by earning additional in-game Chain Melons (for -next 0rder-) and Digistones (for Linkz).

As of now Agumon has accrued a cumulative 8,964 tweets, and will evolve to Adult at the 12,000 mark. The current total number of rewards being given is three total Chain Melons and seven total Digistones. At the Adult level, fans will earn one additional Chain Melon and eight additional Digistones.

Digimon World -next 0rder- will launch in Japan March 17th, 2016, on the PlayStation Vita. Digimon Linkz will launch in 2016, on Android and iOS.

Digimon World -next 0rder- TV Commercial, New Story Info

December 25th, 2015. The first television commercials for Digimon World -next 0rder- went out today, with Bandai Namco Entertainment Japan uploading a copy to their official YouTube channel. The TVCM incorporates elements of the game's Jump Festa 2016 commercial, featuring Aoi Eir's Accentia and the Festa tagline in its narration;

Was the world waiting for you? Or were you waiting for the world? Bonds and memories connect to new world: Digimon World -next 0rder-.

The game's title site also updated the story information for the game, incorporating the storyline blurb from the October issue of V Jump magazine.

Meeting Himari and Kouta, the reconstruction of the Village was going well, but they still had no solution to the problem of Mugendramon.
At that time, Jijimon asked them to bring back the Digital World's leading sage, Taomon.
The protagonists learn from Taomon the real facts of what's going on in the world now... 

Digimon World -next 0rder- will launch in Japan March 17th, 2016, on the PlayStation Vita for 6,800 yen prior to tax. It is the latest entry in the World series, succeeding directly from Re:Digitize Decode on the 3DS, Re:Digitize on the PSP, and World on the PSX.

V Jump Magazine Introduces Tsuzuki Shouma to Digimon World

December 17th, 2015. Leaked photos of this month's issue of V Jump magazine show recently-leaked Susanoomon in Digimon World -next 0rder-, confirming the previously-announced release date of March 17th, 2016. This issue reveals the new character Tsuzuki Shouma (津々木ショーマ), who is described as a young man that has trouble communicating with people, but loves Digimon and has a gentle heart.

The main topic of this month is -next 0rder-'s adventure system, which is broken down into two parts: town development in the Village of Beginnings, and field exploration outside of it. In the field the player can discover items that can then be brought back and installed in the town, to aid in its reconstruction. The training features of past Digimon World games return, enabling the player to evolve their Digimon in what is described a simple and accessible system. The player thus proceeds in an exchange, training and evolving their Digimon in town before going out to search for resources that can then be brought back to the Village of Beginnings.

V Jump also covers the preorder bonuses for the -next 0rder-, which include a reprint of the Digimon World soundtrack using the original album art, two exclusive themes for the Vita, a "Start Dash set" of items that will help with raising the player's Digimon, a special Agumon & Gabumon Digitama, and download codes to unlock certain Ultimate Digimon.

-next 0rder- Title Site Update Explains Battle System, "ExE"-Volution

December 4th, 2015. The Digimon World -next 0rder- title site has updated with new informaion on the game's battle system. -next 0rder- uses an evolved form of the AI battle system found in the original Digimon World and Re:Digitize games, where the player's two partner Digimon think and act for themselves with the player-as-tamer's strategic support. In addition to issuing general commands and using items on their Digimon, the player can also make use of the new 0rder Point system.

When the tamer cheers for their Digimon as they make a good move, they accumulate 0rder Points (also referred to as OP) which can then be used as a cost to execute special commands and unleash their Digimon's unique finishing moves. Three special orders have been shown so far:

High-Tension Action (OP Consumption: Medium)
The Digimon's HP will automatically recover in battle, and their power will increase.

Direct Support (OP Consumption: Small~Medium)
The partner Digimon will immediately execute an attack at that location; if used with the right timing, multiple enemies can be hit simultaneously.

Finishing Move (OP Consumption: Great)
The Digimon uses its own unique finishing move, each of which gets its own specially animated scene.

Additionally, tamers can use 0rder Points instead to activate "ExE"-volution, a type of evolution specific to -next 0rder-. Triggering "ExE"-Volution requires requires both OP and strong bonds to one's partners; under special conditions, the player's partner Digimon can evolve together and resurrect.

The screenshots presented and wording strongly imply that those "special conditions" are defeat in battle. The player and their Digimon are shown collapsed on the ground, and the use of "revival" (復活 fukkatsu) implies death being necessary for "ExE"-volution. Additionally, the screenshots appear to confirm past speculation that the tamer will fuse with their Digimon in order to create the evolution, as they are shown to join in the evolution sequence.

Digimon World -next 0rder- will launch in Japan exclusively on the PlayStation Vita in 2016.

Full Crimson Mode Art Shown in Dengeki Online, New -next 0rder- Screenshots

November 27th, 2015. Dengeki Online published an article today discussing Dukemon: Crimson Mode's appearance in the 2016 game Digimon World -next 0rder-. The article introduces a new "Story 2" section ahead of its debut on the game's title site, following up from the previous Story 1, and also reiterates Luce's and Taomon's official profiles.

Story 2

The reconstruction of the village they met Kouta and Himari at is progressing smoothly, but they still haven't found a way to counter Mugendramon's threat.

During this, Jijimon asks them to bring back the Digital World's leading sage, Taomon.

The protagonist who goes to Taomon now learns just what happened in this world...

Rather than an original blurb, Dengeki pasted Dukemon: Crimson Mode's Bandai Digimon Reference Book profile (translation taken from Wikimon):

A hidden form of Dukemon whose body is clad in armor that shines crimson. Because it has fully released its power, its armor portions possess the heat to dye them red. For that reason, it is unable to maintain Crimson Mode for a long duration. Within its chest is its Digicore, which sealed the "Digital Hazard", and when it discharges all the power in its body, a pinnate energy emission can be distinguished coming from its back. It wields a divine lance of light, "Gungnir", and a divine sword of light, "Blutgang", energy weapons that have no physical form. Its Special Moves are cutting the opponent to pieces with its divine sword "Blutgang" (Invincible Sword), and disintegrating the opponent into electrons with its divine lance "Gungnir", then consigning them to oblivion within another dimension whither thou canst not follow (Quo Vadis).

The article also expands on the batch of November 6th screenshots with new images, and gives a clearer view of the meal items seen in Jump magazine last October. All non-repeating screenshots are given below.

Ambiguously, Dengeki stated that the "exact details" of the game's linked content with Digimon Adventure tri. had not been announced, even though Maicoomon's status as DLC has already been confirmed in an official stream. This could imply that there is more to the tri. crossover than has been announced.

Digimon World -next 0rder- will launch in Japan on the PlayStation Vita in 2016.

-next 0rder- Website Promises "High Degree" of Player Freedom

October 21st, 2015. The Digimon World -next 0rder- title site has updated with a new heading "system," which introduces the game's gameplay and world to readers. The website has also added full character art and a proper profile for Luce, the mysterious new character introduced in this month's issue of V Jump magazine. The updates stress the game's ties to Digimon World, hinting at similarly-designed sandbox gameplay through a "high degree" of player freedom. Direct translations of the webpages are provided below.

Discover a New World with Your 2 Partners!
Distinctive of the Digimon World series, you have a high degree of freedom in this new adventure! As time passes the field will change from day to night, and with your partner you can freely explore!

Battle
Synchronize your partners' feelings in ❝Ørder❞ battle!
Turn your partners' bonds into power! The series' traditional AI battle evolves!

Raising
Raise and train in real time! Training, caring for, and bringing up... The way you choose to raise your partners leads to various kinds of evolutions. To strengthen that sense of "raising" a Digimon, their emotions and expressions have also been added to the game.

Luce
"I'll buzz buzz my best!"
A girl who somehow lost her member.  She's always carrying around a stuffed doll that resembles a Numemon.

Digimon World -next 0rder- will launch in Japan on the PlayStation Vita and PSTV in 2016.

-next 0rder- Allows Tamers to Use Two Digimon at Once, Featured in Vita Commercial

September 15th, 2015. Today in PlayStation Japan's latest promotional video for the Vita "PS Vita-ish Daily School Life," several seconds of Digimon World -next 0rder-'s overworld gameplay was featured as part of a campaign to drum up interest in the handheld's 2016 lineup. Although the clip was short, it revealed several key details, most prominently that at least two Digimon can be with the player simultaneously. This breaks a rule that all of the previous raising games, Digimon World, Pocket Digimon World, Re:Digitize, and Decode, each upheld for the past sixteen years. In order to replicate the virtual pet experience, these games only allowed the player to have one active Digimon at any time. The idea to have two at once may have been derived from the Digimon Twin, which was the last virtual pet launched prior to the franchise shifting in favor of RPG-oriented gameplay.

Other details gleaned from the commercial include a weather and season system, and a twenty-four hour clock. The display at the top left of the screenshot above reads "Spring/Week Chart/(Sunday)" and the sun icon seemingly indicates clear skies. Given that in the few seconds that elapse the clock jumps from 07:39 to 07:41, it's clear that time has also been sped up in -next 0rder- as it had been in past World games. The commercial is embedded below.

(-next 0rder- shown from 0:35 to 0:37)
The gameplay implications of having multiple Digimon at once are significant, as it makes possible Jogressing two Digimon to create a new one (i.e. Agumon x Gabumon into Omegamon), and opens up the option of team-based battles, or of tagging in one Digimon when another becomes weakened. Up to now various publications have only shown one Digimon on screen at a time.

-next 0rder- Website Adds Screenshots

September 4th, 2015. The official Digimon World -next 0rder- site has updated its screenshots page with watermark-free versions of the first wave of screenshots, previously sent out to the press in early August. These screenshots show with the "mysterious digital space" alluded to in Famitsu, a new town the player turns to for shops, and the day-night cycle found in the field. At present several of the earliest shots shown in magazines are not available on the website. Each of the screenshots are provided below.

Digimon World Website Adds Kouta's and Guilmon's Profiles

August 28th, 2015. The official Digimon World -next 0rder- portal site has updated with a profile for Hirose Kouta, one of the supporting characters introduced by last week's issue of V Jump magazine. Kouta brings along with him his partner Yukimura, a Guilmon. The pair have contrasting personalities, with Kouta speaking casual macho Japanese, while Yukimura addresses everyone politely regardless of the situation.

Hirose Kouta
"I'm Hirose Kouta. This's my partner, Yukimura."

 「俺は広瀬コウタ。こっちはパートナーのユキムラだ」

A third year student in the same high school as the player. What you'd call a "nice guy" effective at reading the mood. While not unpopular, to no small extent you could say that he's unsatisfied. Like the player, he wanders the digital world. His partner is Yukimura (Guilmon).

主人公と同じ高校3年生。空気が読めてやさしい性格の、いわゆる「いい人」。モテないわけではないが、物足りないと言われることも少なくない。主人公と同じくデジタルワールドへ迷い込む。パートナーはユキムラ（ギルモン）。

Yukimura (Guilmon)
Kouta's partner. Polite to everyone, he has a stoic personality.

 コウタのパートナー。誰にでも礼儀正しく、ストイックな性格。

Last week the page updated with a section for the female protagonist, Shiki. So far the latest entry in the Digimon World series has followed a weekly schedule for distributing information. On a related note, With the Will user Theigno found the profiles' text embedded in the source code of the -next 0rder- website. Under normal circumstances the text is not displayed, but when viewed it gives both the text seen on the main page and the alt text for each image. At this time none of the hidden text contains more information than what the images already convey.

Digimon World -next 0rder- Featured in Dengeki PlayStation Vol. 596, Cyber Sleuth's International Editions to Contain More Difficulty Options

August 12th, 2015. Issue 596 of Dengeki PlayStation magazine has been scanned by All Games Beta, including a brief page dedicated to Digimon World -next 0rder-. Apart from information already revealed in Weekly Famitsu, the issue included new screenshots not seen in previous press releases. Among these is a nighttime view of the game's unnamed city, and a look at Mugendramon after his materialization, which was not included in the game’s initial trailer. Dengeki PlayStation also hinted that Mugendramon may play a pivotal role in -next 0rder-'s storyline.

THAT Mugendramon is Invading the Digital World!?
The last boss of the original "Digimon World," also makes an appearance in this work! Will he be an important Digimon!?

In other news, the Asia branch of Bandai Namco has confirmed that Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth's international editions will include more difficulty options in both the PlayStation Vita game and in its PlayStation 4 port, addressing the original game's low challenge. The game will launch in December 2016 in English and Chinese, with both games using subtitles and retaining the original Japanese audio. First-print copies of the Chinese edition will include a download code for Agumon (Black) and Gabumon (Black), custom Vita themes, the cosplay Agumon, DLC featuring Sayo from Digimon Story: Moonlight/Digimon World Dusk, and the original soundtrack. All of these features were previously available in the Japanese game. The Vita and PS4 versions of the game will have cross-save support with one another.