Digimon World was unlike anything else | PS1 Retrospective, 1999 | Gaming Through the Years

Not only was Digimon World greatly influential on Digimon specifically, but it also took open-world game design in bold, innovative (if sometimes questionable) directions.

Time codes:
0:00 - Digimon as an Open-World Pioneer
2:18 - Digimon World Basics
4:47 - Time, Care & Evolution
6:57 - From Virtual Pet to Console Video Game
10:58 - Early Exploration
13:31 - File Island
15:55 - Atmosphere & Ecosystem
19:38 - Post-Game Content
21:47 - Battles
24:15 - Evolution & Techniques
25:49 - Balancing & Cyclical Nature
28:57 - Digimon World = Majora's Mask?
32:00 - Not-So-New User Friendly
34:20 - 2-Player Mode
36:33 - Digimon World's Place in the Franchise
40:57 - Soundtrack, Bugs & Translation
48:02 - Critical Reception & Legacy
50:11 - Digimon's Identity Crisis
53:50 - Why Digimon World Still Matters

Endcard Artwork by OcaRockaRina (Twitter)

Digital Monster Ver. S, Digimon World, Digimon World 2,
Digimon World 3, Digimon World 4, Digimon Story / Digimon World DS,
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, Digimon World: Next Order © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2015, 2016 Bandai Namco

Pokémon: Yellow Version © 1998 Nintendo, Game Freak
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask © 2000 Nintendo
Grand Theft Auto III, Red Dead Redemption © 2001, 2010 Rockstar Games
Sonic Frontiers © 2022 SEGA, Sonic Team
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 © 2023 Sony Interactive, Insomniac Games

Footage from "Digimon Adventure" & "Digimon Adventure 02" © 1999 - 2001 Bandai, Toei Animation

Featuring Music by:
Koji Yamada, Yuko Ishii
Koji Kondo

Video © 2026 Gaming in the AM (Andrew Mayes)

This video exists for the sake of analysis and review and is thus protected under Fair Use.