Digimon World -next 0rder- Title Site Updates with New Screenshots

February 5th, 2016. The official Digimon World -next 0rder- title site updated today with a new batch of screenshots, showing protagonists Shiki and Takuto traveling alongside various characters within the game, including the mystery character resembling the first World protagonist who narrated the most recent trailer. The screenshots also show Jijimon bringing Shiki to the Digital World, uttering a line similar to some of his first from the original game.

The previous batch of screenshots showed off several classic techs from the original Digimon World, including Buster Dive and Wind Cutter.

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.

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.

War Greymon: "Guu...! Th-this enemy...What power...!"

Jijimon: "Ah, it's a success!"

Digimon World -next 0rder- Will Let You Go Camping With Digimon, Title Site Introduces Shouma

December 21st, 2015. The official Digimon World -next 0rder- title site updated system and character sections today, introducing several new gameplay features and the mysterious character Shouma, who was previously teased in this month's issue of V Jump and in the game's Jump Festa trailer. Shouma is seen carrying an original Digital Monster virtual pet, not unlike those worn by the Takuto and Shiki.

Shouma
"A new possibility, huh...Interesting."
A baby-faced boy carrying a Digital Monster LCD toy. What does he see before those hollow eyes of his...?

The system updates explain how the player can gather items in the Digital World to improve the Village of Beginnings, and how with a fishing rod they can fish in rivers and lakes for ingredients to cook. The new camp feature allows the player to stay in a tent with their Digimon partners during rest hours, where they can cook the ingredients they've found. By recruiting Digimon in the field, the Village of Beginnings can gradually become more prosperous, until it eventually grows into a massive city.

The update includes an overview of classic Digimon World-style training, with the player taking their partners to gyms to train their stats, praising them to increase their attachment to the player, and evolving them once they meet the requirements. The player will be expected to care for their Digimon just as in the original Digimon World, feeding them meals and telling them when to go to sleep.

It also confirms some features discussed in the Japanese players' first gameplay impressions of the demo; the player will receive hints about what evolution their Digimon is on track for when communicating with their Digimon, and which evolution they take is influenced by whether the player praises or scolds them. The player, as a Digimon tamer, will also have a Tamer Level ranking which increases the effects of training, food items, and battle skills.


Digimon World -next 0rder- will launch in Japan March 17th, 2016, on the PlayStation Vita for 6,800 yen. 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.

First Gameplay Impressions of Digimon World -next 0rder-

Demo play site, uploaded by @digimon_info

Over December 19th and 20th fans could demo Digimon World -next 0rder- at Jump Festa 2016. The simulation RPG drew a crowd soon after opening its doors, with waiting lines for the game being around 20 minutes; each player was allotted 5 minutes of time with the game, and given a pair of Agumon and Gabumon stickers for playing. Here's a collection of first impressions from various players that posted on Twitter and other blog sites about their experiences.



From Digimon Headline

Rough impression of gameplay. First of all, even though I had two partners, the hunger and toilet timing was the same. This time it was Agumon and Gabumon, but what happens when the partners' ages are different is unknown... Also, after battle both partners run over to below the protagonist, and their Happiness  stat can be adjusted by praising or scolding them.

(The Happiness (なつき度 natsuki-do "emotional degree") they're referring to is probably the same Happiness from the original Digimon World and Re:Digitize/Decode that reflects a Digimon's attachment to its tamer. Ordinarily both Happiness and Discipline act as regulating factors that affect a Digimon's natural evolution, with Discipline increasing as Happiness decreases, and vice-versa. Interestingly, none of the first play impressions have mentioned Discipline as being in -next 0rder-; the stat may be absent from the game.)

From Digimon Headline

The after-battle fanfare and menu selection sounds were similar to the original Digimon World. It feels a little nostalgic.

From Sasakani (3rd & in 2nd place in the previous DIGIMADO tournament)

Thoughts after playing the NekuOda demo:

• Enemy Digimon are very fast on their feet.
• When giving a Digimon meat, or praising them, you can see their evolution conditions? I was able to evolve to Seadramon, Tyrannomon, and Garurumon.
• The Digimon's response time for each command is short.

From DigiKz

I could play for 5 minutes. You could choose between playing as either the male protagonist Takuto or the female protagonist Shiki. This time, I thought that the male protagonist seemed like the #1 candidate for main character, but because Shiki-chan seemed pretty nice, I selected her. If I buy the game, I think I'll probably begin as her.

In the demo you were thrown into an unknown grassland without explanation. Your partners [as Shiki] were Piyomon and Palmon (this time they apparently train simultaneously). If you chose Takuto it seems your partners were Agumon and Gabumon (I went with Keichi-san and saw him play as Takuto). For the time being, I walked around and encountered Goblimon. We rushed right into battle.

The battle system was autobattle, I didn't understand it well but it seems you told the Digimon what techs to use with the L & R buttons. You cheered with the O button, I don't know what kind of numerical value it increases. Anyway, we somehow won (because it's a demo). Beating Goblimon took a while because of how slow they go down. After winning a battle, it seems you could praise the Digimon (but I was able to battle without a relationship to them). When in the menu screen, Shiki-chan called over Piyo and Pal to the menu display. It felt like it took a little while. While the menu screen was up, the 5-minute timer stopped. However, in going through the menu you could only use items, you couldn't see the Digimon's individual status. I wonder if this feature was restricted for trial play? Even so, it really wasn't for the best, just battling Goblimon running through the grasslands. The trial version was honestly not that fun...

You also couldn't advance to other zones. Digitama were omitted, and before I could approach another Goblimon, time was up. I think it would have been a little more fun if I had more time with the demo. At the end, I received Dot Agumon and Gabumon stickers.

Dot Agumon & Gabumon stickers. Original image uploaded by @sasakani_cool

Poster for -next 0rder-, original image uploaded by DigiKz

Digimon World -next 0rder- will launch in Japan on March 17th, 2016, on the PlayStation Vita for 6,800 yen.

New -next 0rder- Screenshots Tease Messaging, Twin Partner System

November 6th, 2015. The Digimon World -next 0rder- title site has updated with a new batch of screenshots, this time focusing on the game's dual partner care system. Each partner Digimon is assigned to one of two slots in the field, and while they live on synchronized sleep schedules, they behave asynchronously making their own comments and moving independently of one another. The Digimon partner system has structural similarities to the 2007 Digimon Twin virtual pet, which like -next 0rder- split the tamer's partners into L and R Digimon.

The screenshots also tease a messaging system, with notifications similar to Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth's DigiLine. The DigiLine system allowed the player to text in-game characters with preprogrammed responses, but given -next 0rder-'s much smaller cast, this feature may have a slightly tweaked purpose.

The previous batch of screenshots showed the game's variety of environments, and diverse partner Digimon. Digimon World -next 0rder- will launch on the PlayStation Vita and PSTV in 2016.

Wormmon is interested in something "Over there!" but bumps into Lopmon while trying to get at it.

Both Digimon say "I'm sleepy..." simultaneously...

...and both of them share a bedtime.

-next 0rder-'s Dual Battle System Shown Off in Latest Batch of Screenshots

October 9th, 2015. The official Digimon World -next 0rder- title site has updated with a new batch of screenshots showing off the game's dual Digimon battle system, which allows the player to fight alongside two Digimon at once. The 10/9 batch of screenshots show male protagonist Takuto fighting alongside War Greymon and Metal Garurumon, and female protagonist Shiki with Piyomon and Palmon. While War Greymon and Metal Garurumon's Omegamon Jogress evolution was briefly teased in the most recent promotional video for the game, it's currently unclear if Shiki's Digimon can perform a similar fusion.

The previous batch of screenshots focused on environmental changes in -next 0rder-, and the Digimon's various emotional expressions.

-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- Portal Site Shows Off New Area

September 11th, 2015. Bandai's official Digimon World -next 0rder- website has updated with the first images of a new area from the game, which had briefly been teased in last month's issue of V Jump. The screenshots show a wasteland littered with discarded communications racks, and a stack of vending machines not unlike those found in the original game. The open desert is juxtaposed with the amenities of a modern office building; a watercooler, trash bins, and café tables, a typical contrast for the Digimon World games. One of those vending machines even sneaks the original Japanese Digimon World logo in, immediately next to the watercooler.

These are also among the first screenshots to show female protagonist Shiki in action. As with the previous batch of screenshots, the digital world's day-night cycle is given its own spotlight. All of the screenshots can be found uploaded 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 Website Updates with Shiki & Takuto's Profile

August 22nd, 2015. The official Digimon World -next 0rder- portal site has updated with a unified character profile for protagonists Shiki and Takuto, the former of which was revealed only a few days prior. The profile clarifies that Shiki and Takuto are only default names, and describes them as follows; "Third-year high school student studying for exams, having finished their club activities. When they were little, they had an interest in the Digital Monster game. In their fifth year in elementary school, they were the runner-up in the national championships." Internally Shiki is identified as "heroine" within the website's image files, and Takuto as "hero."

In addition to its character and movie pages, the revamped -next 0rder- website also contains currently-unused sections for game specifications, an introduction, an explanation of the game system, screenshots, and a "special" tab. The website has also adopted a convention of replacing all Os with 0s,

Character Designer Taiki's Interview in Weekly Famitsu Discusses Next Order's Protagonist

August 6th, 2015. Chinese gaming outlet TGBUS uploaded scans of this week's issue of Weekly Famitsu magazine, leaking new info on the upcoming Digimon World -next 0rder-. The issue contains a brief interview with Taiki, the game's character designer who has previously worked on the Seiken Densetsu series' Rise of Mana, Black ★Rock Shooter Arcana, and Lord of Vermillion.  Digimon World -next 0rder-'s CERO rating is pending review, while the producer been identified as "Fujiwara;" previously it was thought that Habu Kazumasa, producer for Re:Digitize, Decode, and Cyber Sleuth would be continuing in his role with -next 0rder-.

Translations of the issue's key articles are provided below.

The Digimon World Series' Returns After 2 Years!
Beginning in the year 1999, the Digimon World series is beloved across generations. An encounter with the unknown is beginning.
In the RPG "Digimon World" series, you train and adventure in a computer world with the digital lifeforms called "Digimon." Two years after the previous work in the series, it has been decided to launch this one on the PS Vita! A new journey begins with your Digimon partner. In part 1, we will introduce a new world and protagonist.

The Protagonist and Partner's Adventure in a Mysterious Digital World
The protagonist of this new story is a boy who spends every day rigorously preparing for his entrance exams, Takuto. The character designer is the illustrator who has served a multitude of RPGs, Taiki. As a long-time Digimon fan, expect stylish and charming characters from him!

The New Protagonist: Takuto
A third-year male high-school student. He was once enthusiastic about digital monster games, and in fifth grade was the runner-up in the national championships. Currently he spends his days studying for college entrance examinations, and he can't see any other purpose for himself.

Character Designer Taiki-shi's Comments
In elementary school, I crossed paths with Digimon standing in line at a department store, on the launch date of first generation of portable Digimon devices. I can't believe it's been about 20 years, but just thinking about being involved in this series, half gives me joy, and half pressure. I'm all fired up for this challenge. Takuto was once one who was enthusiastic about Digimon, but without realizing it he forgot, and in a new form he will once more be a character that can respond to the circumstances of crossing paths. It made me anxious, but somehow I think I created a new Digimon protagonist.

The national championships referenced in Takuto's profile likely refer to the D-1 Grand Prix, a real series of tournaments held by Bandai across Japan from 1997 to 2007.