A Digivice was one of the coolest things you could own when I was growing up. You were either a Digimon kid or a Pokemon kid, and in either case, you came armed with your very own cool pocket devices that demanded your attention. Throughout my Digimon obsession, I was lucky enough to be gifted a bunch of different Digivices. First came the classic V1 Digivice, in its iconic cardboard packaging. (My siblings also had one each, but my sister lost hers to the washing machine.) Later on, I had the Pendulum Cycle Digivice, then the D-Tector Digivice.
All these years later, Digimon has found me again – with the arrival of the Digimon Digivice 25th Colour Evolution. Thanks to the folks at Bandai Namco, I’ve been playing around with this new device for weeks. In that time, I’ve come to the conclusion that Digivices have advanced rapidly since the days of my childhood.
The most intriguing part of this newly-launched device (currently available for limited preorder at various retailers) is that it’s not like its predecessors. Where past Digivices were a bit more Tamagotchi-like in approach, inviting you to raise and rear a Digimon as it evolves, the 25th Colour Evolution Digivice is actually more of an action-adventure companion.
To begin your journey with the device, you choose one of the main Digimon Adventure characters to embody, adopting their Digimon to take on an array of challenges. I chose Biyomon – Sora was always my favourite – and off I began my journey.
Read: Looking after a Tamagotchi V3 hits different as an adult
Like some other Digivices, the action is determined by the steps you take. You’re tackling an array of events in a particular order, with each step contributing to you reaching your next goal. When you get there, a new event or battle unlocks, allowing you to progress a loose story. Those familiar will notice the intention of the device early on: the events and battles you undertake follow the story of the original season of Digimon Adventure.
Bosses appear in a similar order to the show, with your chosen Digimon first meeting Kuwagamon, then Shellmon, Seadramon, Meramon, Numemon, and so on. There’s such a lovely nostalgia in this layout, particularly when the 25th Colour Evolution Digivice really zooms in on the action, and you can see some familiar spritework filling the display.
The device does well to punctuate each event with drama, taking on a cinematic aspect as you wander. The colours of the display are crisp and bright, making for good-looking scenes. And not only do you get some well-designed pixel artwork front and centre, the device will also light up and vibrate when you encounter special events or actions.
The sound chip in the device is slightly less impressive, and delivers muddy, low quality renditions of songs and sounds from the original Digimon anime, but at least you can mute it when it becomes too much.
This device is, in essence, a great and fun way to spice up a daily walk. You can shake the device to produce “steps” but the most genuine way to enjoy it, is to clip it to your belt, and set off into the real world. Once you meet the required steps total for each event, you’ll unlock a mini cutscene or battle (these are won by shaking the device, mashing buttons, or inputting correct commands) and then you can proceed to the next stage.
At first, I found the lack of traditional “care” mechanics in the device a bit strange, mostly as I expected the 25th Colour Evolution to be much like the original Digivices. Instead, it was far more like the D-Tector series, which had its own steps-based encounters.
While I would’ve like to see more care aspects included, if only to add realism to the journey, it’s still a fun feeling to watch your chosen Digimon advance through quests, to see backgrounds moving around them, and to see how they evolve as they grow. You can also still build a bond with your partner Digimon, and once they reach a high level, they will evolve into their next form during battles, allowing you to take on more dangerous Digimon in the device’s story mode.
There’s ample variety in this story, with all events and boss battles also being repeatable – which is great for evolving and/or finding every Digimon available. While I found I was able to blast through the story quickly, across a number of walks (and some device shaking), the additional Digimon you can meet and evolve kept me playing far beyond this.
Overall, I think the 25th Colour Evolution is a very nifty and novel device that is better for doing things differently than other Digivices. While many of the devices have a fitness focus, this one feels specifically tailored to encourage people to go for walks, through the magic of nostalgia. In much the same way as dedicated story-based running apps do, it allows you to progress along a minimalist tale as you walk, knowing that every step you take is mirrored in the Digital World.
I do have one major bugbear with the device, however – and that’s the cost and content included. In the Australian market, the base version of the 25th Colour Evolution is priced around AUD $229.95. The technology included in this device, its overall design, and its story elements clearly contribute to this cost. But in the few hours that story mode takes to complete, it does feel like a high price that will require significant personal investment to justify.
Again, it’s incredibly novel, and I greatly enjoyed my time with the 25th Colour Evolution, but with a focus on a tight story mode, this is a device for passionate, nostalgic fans only. At the very least, for those who fit this brief, it’s an absolute delight and a joy to indulge in.
Four stars: ★★★★
Digimon Digivice 25th Colour Evolution
Price: AUD $229.95
Release Year: 2024
A Digimon Digivice 25th Colour Evolution was provided to GamesHub by Bandai Namco for the purposes of this review. GamesHub reviews are rated on a ten-point scale.GamesHub has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content. GamesHub may earn a small percentage of commission for products purchased via affiliate links.
