''Digimon World 4'', known as in Japan, is an action role-playing video game for the

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, and Xbox developed by

BEC BEC may refer to: As an acronym House * Bapatla Engineering College * Basaveshwar Engineering College * Bengal Engineering College Curriculum * Business Environment and Concepts, a section of Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination * Bus ...

and published by Bandai as part of their ''

Digimon , short for "Digital Monsters" ( ''Dejitaru Monsutā''), is a Japanese media franchise encompassing virtual pet toys, anime, manga, video games, films and a trading card game. The franchise focuses on the eponymous creatures, who inhabit a "Di ...

'' franchise. Unlike previous games in the ''Digimon World'' series, it features action-based

hack and slash Hack and slash, also known as hack and slay (H&S or HnS) or slash 'em up, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat with melee-based weapons (such as swords or blades). They may also feature projectile-based weapons as well (such as ...

gameplay and supports up to four players. Each player plays as either an Agumon, a Veemon, a Guilmon, and a Dorumon. The game is loosely based on the 2005 ''

Digital Monster X-Evolution Several films have been released in the ''Digimon'' franchise. Of those films, two short films animated completely in CGI have never been screened outside Japan, while ''Digital Monster X-Evolution'', which was not related to any of the ''Digimo ...

'' film, even using footage from the movie itself. The GameCube version was not released in the PAL Region.

Plot

The game's protagonists are members of the "D.S.G. (Digital Security Guard)". Based on

, it is immediately revealed that a

computer virus A computer virus is a type of computer program that, when executed, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code. If this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be "infected" with a compu ...

known as the "X-virus" is spreading quickly and is infecting many Digimon. "The Yamato

Server Server may refer to: Computing *Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides functionality for other programs or devices, called clients Role * Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers and su ...

" has disappeared, and a new server known as "The Doom Server" has taken its place. They are sent to the first area of the game named Death Valley to search for Chief Leomon. When it is completed the player finds out that The Doom Server may in fact be The Yamato Server. The player is then sent to destroy the "Doom Dome". This is where the first real

boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, a ...

appears, Apocalymon. The player is then sent to Dry Land to stop the X-Virus spreading and must defeat MaloMyotismon. They are then sent to the Venom Jungle to stop the Dread Note from launching and must then defeat Lucemon. They are then sent to the final area of the game Machine Pit to destroy the final boss Mecha Rogue X.

Gameplay

''Digimon World 4'' is an

action role-playing game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a subgenre of video games that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing genre. Definition The games emphasize real-time combat where the player h ...

with elements of digital pet games. The game offers a choice of one of four starter Digimon: Dorumon, Veemon, Guilmon, and Agumon. Depending on what the player does in the game, the Digimon it selects and the level, it may gain a Digivolution. In this game the player does not use the Digimon powers but instead attacks the enemy by using weapons like swords, guns and axes.

Development

''Digimon World 4'' was developed and published by ''Digimon'' series veteran Bandai. The game was first showcased at

Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo or Electronic Entertainment Experience in 2021) is a trade event for the video game industry. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) organizes and presents E3, which many developers, publisher ...

(E3) 2004 with release planned for the summer. It later enjoyed exhibition at E3 2005, and had gone gold by June 2. Specially marked copies of the game were packaged with a limited-edition Digimon trading card depicting a new Digimon called Dorumon.

Reception

''Digimon World 4'' has received average to poor reviews from critics. It holds an average of 6.1 on IGN, which states "Digimon World 4 had the makings of a decent action role-playing game. Unfortunately, a myriad of issues bring it down. It has a wholly unsatisfying single-player game, made worse by a clunky camera and overly cheap enemies. It's also unbalanced, leaving players without any compatriots out in the cold. Bring in a few friends and things change drastically." The game was also criticized for its similarities to Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, yet "not coming close in terms of narrative, style and game mechanics," and for its drastically different style than the other ''Digimon World'' games.

References

External links

Official website
{{Digimon Role-playing video games Action role-playing video games Digimon video games GameCube games PlayStation 2 games Video games developed in Japan Xbox games Multiplayer and single-player video games 2005 video games