It’s been 20 years since we were first introduced to Digimon through the virtual pet device known as Digital Monster in 1997. To celebrate, Bandai Namco is rereleasing the device with some neat upgrades.
The Digital Monster virtual pet device will be based on the looks and colors of the original “Ver. 1” models in “Original Brown” and “Original Gray.”
Here’s where the cool upgrade parts come in:
The 20th anniversary Digital Monster device will feature Digimon from its first five versions. That means it’ll feature the likes of MetalGreymon, SkullGreymon, Andromon, Megadramon, and MetalTyrannomon.
It’ll also feature Dracomon as its 10th anniversary Digimon, Hackmon as its 15th anniversary one, and a brand new Digimon named Zubamon for its 20th anniversary.
There will also be a couple exclusives with Agumon’s DigiTama being exclusive to the Original Brown version and Gabumon for Original Grey version. Both Agumon and Gabumon can be evolved into their Ultimate, or level VI stages, and can even be fused to Omnimon.
Certain Digimon will get to Digivolve into their Ultimate stages upon meeting certain conditions.
It’ll also have fusions to create the strongest possible Digimon.
For the first time in Digimon’s virtual pet device history, you’ll get to raise two Digimon at a time from their DigiTama start. That means you’ll have two of them eat, sleep, and poop together.
Additionally, they’ve sped up the time it takes for the Digimon to grow, so for example, what took an hour in the original 1997 version only takes 10 minutes, what was two days is now 6 hours, and so on.
What set the original Digital Monster apart from the more popular virtual pet, Tamagotchi, at the time was its ability to battle other players, and it’ll work the same way as it did in the past by connecting the two devices. As far as the battles go, they’ll feature tag-team battles between the two Digimon of both players, and you’ll need to press the button to time the left meter while button-mashing to increase the right meter for fights.
It’ll also feature a single-player arena battle mode that involves trying to defeat as many Digimon possible in a row while aiming for a new record.
The 20th anniversary Digital Monsters device will also be compatible with most previous devices, including the 15th Anniversary Digivice.
And finally, there’s a little teaser that shows the “revival of the D-1 Grand Prix,” which players will get to participate by uploading their Digimon online. More details on that will be revealed on a later date.
The 20th Anniversary Digital Monster device releases in Japan in June and will go for 3,500 yen plus tax. Pre-orders are available starting today through March 27, 2017.
