Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory is a role-playing game about a boy who loses his account and spends the game getting it back. It came out in Japan on December 14, 2017, and worldwide on January 19, 2018, for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. Media.Vision developed it. Bandai Namco Entertainment published it. It is the follow-up to 2015’s Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth.
Trailer, via PlayStation.
Keisuke Amasawa and the Stolen EDEN Account
The setup is small and specific. Keisuke Amasawa lives in a near-future Shibuya, Japan, where an advanced internet called Cyberspace EDEN has let digital creatures called Eaters into the real world. His EDEN Account gets stolen. To find who took it, he joins a hacker group called Hudie and searches the underground of EDEN on leads from a mysterious hacker known only as K.
The hook is not saving the world. It is clearing your name.
At the start, the player picks one partner from Gotsumon, Betamon, or Tentomon. More Digimon arrive as the story moves. Combat is third-person: Keisuke, a Digimon tamer, commands up to three companions against other Digimon. The roster runs to 341 creatures, which is every Digimon in the original Cyber Sleuth plus 92 more.
Erika Mishima, Wormmon, and the Hudie Crew
Erika Mishima is a shy, reclusive Hudie member with a genius mind that can link directly to EDEN itself. She is disabled and has to store her memories in EDEN. Her partner is Wormmon.
The plot turns hard. Keisuke learns that K stole his account and had been using it the entire time. K turns out to be Yu, his childhood friend, who was in love with him and being manipulated by a Matadormon. Keisuke defeats the Matadormon. Yu, embarrassed by everything he has done, ignores him.
Then Hudie member Chitose is infected by an Eater while protecting the group’s leader, Ryuji. Ryuji sinks into a deep depression after watching his best friend sacrifice himself for him. That depression draws the Digimon Arcadiamon, which pushes Ryuji into violence against hackers.
A Sequel That Runs Alongside Its Predecessor
Hacker’s Memory shares locations and elements with the 2015 game, but its story is set during the events of that game rather than after them. Characters from the original return. Fei and her partner TigerVespamon, from the hacker group Zaxon, appear, showing a previously unseen side of their story from the previous title.
That structure is the part worth watching. The game does not move the timeline forward. It sits inside the original’s events and lets you watch that cast from the outside.
| Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth (2015) | Hacker’s Memory (2017) | |
|---|---|---|
| Protagonist | Original Cyber Sleuth lead | Keisuke Amasawa |
| Story timing | The main events | During those same events |
| Creature roster | Base set | 341 total, 92 new |
| Partner choice at start | — | Gotsumon, Betamon, or Tentomon |
| Recurring cast | Fei, TigerVespamon, Zaxon | Fei, TigerVespamon, Zaxon return |
341 Digimon and the Cost of the Roster
The creature count is the selling point. Hacker’s Memory carries every Digimon from the 2015 game plus 92, and the new areas sit alongside many of the original maps.
That is a lot of content. It is also a lot of the same content, and the balance between the two is where this paper’s view starts.
The Complete Edition
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition, which bundles Hacker’s Memory with its predecessor, came out on October 18, 2019, for Nintendo Switch and Windows. The PC versions were released in Japan on August 5, 2026.
The Complete Edition is the version this paper would point a new player toward. Two connected stories in one package, with the roster and the shared Shibuya setting doing more work together than either does alone.
What Holds Up and What Doesn’t
In this paper’s view, the Yu reveal is the strongest sequence in the game. It is not a twist about power or destiny. It is a kid who did something terrible because he was in love and someone else was steering him, and the game lets the embarrassment sit rather than resolving it. Keisuke defeats the Matadormon, and Yu still will not look at him. That is a braver ending for a subplot than most RPGs attempt.
Ryuji’s arc reads weaker. Depression as a magnet for Arcadiamon is a premise the game states more than it dramatizes, and the turn to violence against hackers arrives fast. Chitose’s sacrifice carries weight. Ryuji’s response to it does not get the same care.
Erika is the character who makes the case for the game. A reclusive genius who has to keep her memories in EDEN is a strong idea, and her partnership with Wormmon gives the crew a spine.
Should You Play Hacker’s Memory?
Yes, with the Complete Edition, and yes for Erika and the Yu thread. The 341-creature roster is real value, and the sideways structure is an interesting way to build a sequel. What you are buying is a companion piece, not a leap forward. The game draws on the 2015 title for many of its locations and adds new ones alongside them.
It is a good RPG that knows what it is: a second pass through a world that already worked, with one new character worth the trip and one new story worth telling. That is a modest ambition, cleanly met.
The published critical score is 7.3/10, an IGDB critic aggregate from 8 outlets.
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