Digimon and Pokémon have often been in contention with each other for new players and viewers. The two series are, at first glance, very similar. They focus on children traveling through a fantastical world gathering powerful creatures as allies. This similarity should mean that the games produced would have a similar draw power, but that isn't the case. The issue is that Pokémon transitioned into games long before Digimon and managed to build a fan base quickly. This has led to Digimon working to play catch up and, as such, it hasn't made use of its differences to stand out.

Digimon follows the small creatures known as Digimon, digital beings that exist in their own plane of existence tentatively connected to humanity's universe. The TV series differed from Pokémon by not following a single protagonist. Instead, each series followed a different group of chosen children on their adventures. One of the few things that have remained the same throughout is the connection between the child and their single Digimon, especially when it comes to their digivolution. The few differences are not major, but they do offer something to the series that Pokémon simply doesn't.

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Screenshot depicting Digimon World: Next Order gameplay.

One of the biggest strengths that Digimon can draw on is the variety of stories it can tell. Because Pokémon has predominantly focused on Ash's adventures, it has led to the games being similarly focused. The mainline Pokémon games follow the trend of exploring, catching, and fighting with little room for different genres and styles. Digimon does not have this issue. Instead, the variety of tones in the series means that the games can take risks. A great example of this is the recent Digimon Survive, which takes the form of a horror survival game. Digimon Survive does not deviate from the main series all that much. It simply makes the danger and mental strain more front and center.

This freedom to change the genre and style of the game is one that Digimon needs to draw on, but it also has to be careful. While it is true that Pokémon games are often very similar, it allows Digimon to retain a strong gameplay foundation that fans expect, and then build new ideas on that. While Digimon does have the freedom to use more variety, it does make it harder to keep a strong fan base. However, other aspects allow for this retention. The main aspects that can be focused on are the creatures themselves and the connection between them and the player.

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The connection between the Digimon and their partner is one of the core concepts of the series. The chosen child's emotional connection to their partner allows for the Digimon to draw more strength and digivolve into more powerful forms. This connection is about more than just simple combat -- it is about truly caring for the creature. This unity has been partially explored in the Digimon World series. In these games, the player needs to raise their Digimon, look out for their natural needs, and make sure they are strong enough to protect the player. The training and the care that the player performs have a direct effect on the progression of their digital partner.

Digimon has worked this care system into the games to a certain degree, but it can continue to improve upon it. The games should focus on the emotional connection and, as such, work to make a Digimon more of a character in its own right. Digimon Survive did this to a degree: the player's Agumon would change their digivolution depending on character choices. However, combining this with the care systems of the Digimon World series would create something truly unique. Also, it could eventually lead to a system wherein the player can essentially create their own Digimon with its own digivoloution paths.

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Digimon Adventure Episode 28 MetalGreymon

Unfortunately one of the biggest hurdles for Digimon to overcome when trying to compete with Pokémon is combat. Pokémon's combat system has been refined over the years and is the standout for these kinds of creature battle systems. Digimon can follow its style, but it needs to look to other methods to stand out. The main thing it can do is to look at the recent entries in the series to see what it can use. The main things are the addition of items to change the Digimon's skills and attacks and making use of the different digivolutions to provide variety.

Digimon has a lot to offer players, and it deserves to hold its own fan base. However, the games need to be able to stand out using their own strengths rather than simply copying Pokémon. These few aspects are only a drop in the figurative ocean, but could all help to push the games to the forefront. Hopefully, gamers will see more from the series in the future.