Digimon Battle Spirit
Encyclopedia
Digimon Battle Spirit is a fighting game
originally published by Bandai
and developed by Dimps
for the Japanese
-only WonderSwan Color handheld system under the name Digimon Tamers: Battle Spirit. It was later ported to Nintendo
's Game Boy Advance
for international releases in North America
and Europe
two years later.
The game features characters and Digimon
that were included in the first three seasons of the animated series of the same name in a somewhat simplistic fighting scenario, and also has slightly arranged samples of the show's soundtrack.
While structured very similarly to a conventional fighting game, Digimon Battle Spirit is much more like a barebones representation of the genre, mostly due to the limitations of the handhelds it was released on. Each character only has a handful of special attacks they can perform, with the two action buttons, A and B, allowing them to jump or attack respectively.
Each match is won by collecting small blue spheres called "D-Spirits". These are obtained by hitting your opponent, which causes a few of them to fly from their body and scatter across the battlefield. Different attacks can produce more spheres to fly out, and the player who has collected the most by the time the round ends wins. Each character can also digivolve into their most powerful or "Ultimate" (Mega) form by touching a flying Digimon named Calumon
that appears every so often in each stage. This form grants them different, more powerful attacks for a limited time.
As the player advances through each stage, they will occasionally have to battle a character named Impmon. Winning or losing this encounter has no bearing on the actual game progression itself, and only serves to award more points. In the final stage, the Digimon must face off against Millenniummon himself.
(or Digimon Adventure /02 and Digimon Tamers in Japan
). Each one has their own special moves and digivolutions, as well as slightly varying normal attacks and taunts.
Terriermon: His special move, Blazing Fire (Bunny Blaster), has limited ranged, but his rushing attack is quite effective. The smallest fighter, but actually fairly strong. He digivolves into MegaGargomon.
Renamon: A very well-rounded character with effective normal attacks. Her special attack is Fox Leaf Arrowhead (Diamond Storm), and she digivolves into Sakuyamon.
Veemon
: Limited range on nearly all attacks, yet powerful. His V-mon Head (Vee Headbutt) and Boom Boom Punch (Vee Punch) moves can cause a lot of damage. Imperialdramon Paladin Mode is his digivolution.
Wormmon
: One of the slowest characters, yet his moves come out very quickly. His digivolution is Imperialdramon Fighter Mode.
Agumon: Has a mixture of weak and strong attacks, but good range on his Baby Flame (Pepper Breath) attack. He digivolves to WarGreymon.
Sukamon: A weak and unorthodox character, yet his digivolution, Etemon, is quite powerful. His special attack throws his pink friend in an arc.
BlackAgumon: A virus version of Agumon, with a slower, more powerful normal attack. His digivolution is BlackWarGreymon
, and can be unlocked when beating the game with 2 different characters.
Lopmon: A variation of Terriermon who is obtained by beating the game with three separate characters (although not the same ones used to unlock Dark Agumon). His digivolution is the viral Cherubimon (Kerpymon).
Gabumon
: A slow, yet very offensively oriented Digimon. He is obtained by beating the game with all the normal characters, as well as BlackAgumon and Lopmon. His digivolution is Omnimon.
Extra Agumon: A special version of Agumon with a floating ability and can digivolve into Omnimon. He's unlocked by completing the game using Gabumon.
Impmon: Powerful and quick, but with limited attacks. Unlike the one that attacks between stages, he does not have a sphere attracting move. He is the only character without a digivolution, and is unlocked by beating the game and collecting at least 300 D-Spirits.
selected Digimon Battle Spirit as the runner-up for the January 2003 "GBA Game of the Month" award, behind Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced
.
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
originally published by Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
and developed by Dimps
Dimps
is an Osaka, Japan-based video game development studio with an additional office in Tokyo, Japan. Employing a staff of 218 people, it is known for developing such games as the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai trilogy for the PlayStation 2, and the Sonic the Hedgehog games specific to the Game Boy Advance and...
for the Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
-only WonderSwan Color handheld system under the name Digimon Tamers: Battle Spirit. It was later ported to Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
for international releases in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
two years later.
The game features characters and Digimon
Digimon
, short for , is a Japanese media franchise encompassing digital toys, anime, manga and video games. The franchise's eponymous creatures are monsters of various forms living in a "Digital World", a parallel universe that originated from Earth's various communication networks.-Conception and...
that were included in the first three seasons of the animated series of the same name in a somewhat simplistic fighting scenario, and also has slightly arranged samples of the show's soundtrack.
Story
The Digital World, a computer-generated subspace that exists between all forms of digital devices, and home of the creatures known as "Digimon" is under attack by a malevolent and powerful force known as Millenniummon, who seeks to corrupt all the data present in the world and modify it to his own designs. In response, several Digimon and their human companions have set out to stop Millenniummon and his minions before any irreparable harm can be done. This is accomplished in a very round-about and a-typical way to the fighting videogame genre, by finding and defeating as many opponents as possible on the way.Gameplay
Each match is won by collecting small blue spheres called "D-Spirits". These are obtained by hitting your opponent, which causes a few of them to fly from their body and scatter across the battlefield. Different attacks can produce more spheres to fly out, and the player who has collected the most by the time the round ends wins. Each character can also digivolve into their most powerful or "Ultimate" (Mega) form by touching a flying Digimon named Calumon
Calumon
Calumon is a fictional character from the Digimon media franchise. Calumon in some sense represents Digimon Tamers as its mascot. Its Japanese name is Culumon, which comes from the Japanese word "Kurukuru", a word that describes the sound of spinning.-Conception and creation:The development team of...
that appears every so often in each stage. This form grants them different, more powerful attacks for a limited time.
As the player advances through each stage, they will occasionally have to battle a character named Impmon. Winning or losing this encounter has no bearing on the actual game progression itself, and only serves to award more points. In the final stage, the Digimon must face off against Millenniummon himself.
Characters
The game features characters from the first three seasons of the animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
(or Digimon Adventure /02 and Digimon Tamers in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
). Each one has their own special moves and digivolutions, as well as slightly varying normal attacks and taunts.
Playable characters
Guilmon: Somewhat weak physically, but is very quick on his feet. His special attack, Fireball (Pyro Sphere), travels straight forward and has a bit of a recoil. His digivolution is Gallantmon.Terriermon: His special move, Blazing Fire (Bunny Blaster), has limited ranged, but his rushing attack is quite effective. The smallest fighter, but actually fairly strong. He digivolves into MegaGargomon.
Renamon: A very well-rounded character with effective normal attacks. Her special attack is Fox Leaf Arrowhead (Diamond Storm), and she digivolves into Sakuyamon.
Veemon
Veemon
is a Digimon creature from the Japanese Digimon media franchise that comprises anime, manga, toys, video games, trading card games and other media."Veemon" is the name that all members of this particular Digimon species share...
: Limited range on nearly all attacks, yet powerful. His V-mon Head (Vee Headbutt) and Boom Boom Punch (Vee Punch) moves can cause a lot of damage. Imperialdramon Paladin Mode is his digivolution.
Wormmon
Wormmon
Wormmon is a Digimon creature from the Japanese Digimon media franchise that comprises anime, manga, toys, video games, trading card games and other media."Wormmon" is the name that all members of this particular Digimon species share...
: One of the slowest characters, yet his moves come out very quickly. His digivolution is Imperialdramon Fighter Mode.
Agumon: Has a mixture of weak and strong attacks, but good range on his Baby Flame (Pepper Breath) attack. He digivolves to WarGreymon.
Sukamon: A weak and unorthodox character, yet his digivolution, Etemon, is quite powerful. His special attack throws his pink friend in an arc.
Hidden characters
These are characters that are not available at first, but have to be unlocked by fulfilling certain conditions.BlackAgumon: A virus version of Agumon, with a slower, more powerful normal attack. His digivolution is BlackWarGreymon
BlackWarGreymon
BlackWarGreymon is a fictional character from the Digimon franchise. He is a Digimon who is feared as the "Black Dragon Soldier". He believes in justice and does not approve of the evil acts of others...
, and can be unlocked when beating the game with 2 different characters.
Lopmon: A variation of Terriermon who is obtained by beating the game with three separate characters (although not the same ones used to unlock Dark Agumon). His digivolution is the viral Cherubimon (Kerpymon).
Gabumon
Gabumon
Gabumon is a Digimon creature from the Japanese Digimon media franchise that comprises anime, manga, toys, video games, trading card games and other media...
: A slow, yet very offensively oriented Digimon. He is obtained by beating the game with all the normal characters, as well as BlackAgumon and Lopmon. His digivolution is Omnimon.
Extra Agumon: A special version of Agumon with a floating ability and can digivolve into Omnimon. He's unlocked by completing the game using Gabumon.
Impmon: Powerful and quick, but with limited attacks. Unlike the one that attacks between stages, he does not have a sphere attracting move. He is the only character without a digivolution, and is unlocked by beating the game and collecting at least 300 D-Spirits.
Reception
IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
selected Digimon Battle Spirit as the runner-up for the January 2003 "GBA Game of the Month" award, behind Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced
Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced
Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced, released in Japan as is a platform game published by Universal Interactive Studios and developed by Vicarious Visions for the Game Boy Advance...
.