13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is full of the sorts of complexities and nuances that make you want to double back and analyze the script, lore, and artwork in every scene. There’s so much going on, but it’s handled in a way where you’re typically never given more than you can handle. Rather, it prepares you for its major moments.
At first I didn't think I would be into the whole idea of this game, as it is primarily a Visual Novel and tower defense game. However, I really bought into the concept as the story is super intriguing. I also ended up liking all of the characters and they all have their own motivations and stories that play out in very smart ways.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a must-play for fans of Japanese sci-fi adventures. Mixing the strengths of Vanillaware's art with time-travel adventures is a recipe for huge success. A story ambitious enough to have thirteen different protagonists seems bound for failure, yet the game manages to make each story not only incredibly impactful on its own, but adds up to a bigger, brighter and utterly unforgettable narrative. The addictive tactical gameplay that strings these story scenes together, despite a strange artstyle, is just icing on the already massive and delicious cake.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a phenomenal visual novel — and a surprisingly great strategy game. In trying something different, Vanillaware has crafted one of its best games yet. It's got an engrossing story that's absolutely packed with mind-blowing twists and endearing characters, all wrapped up in a gorgeous visual style. Don't sleep on 13 Sentinels — it's one of 2020's finest.
Had Vanillaware crafted a title where the story and the action wove into one another flawlessly, we'd be looking at the greatest game the developer has ever made, without question. Unfortunately, that's not what this game is, and while what is here is great, it's crushing to see just how close 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim came to perfection.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is absolutely a high mark for the studio. It is such a refreshingly unique interactive title that I'd urge everyone to give it a shot. Maybe it won't get its hooks in you, but a game so brazenly different like this doesn't come around that often. You'd be crazy to pass it up if anything here sounds remotely interesting to you.
It is definitely the intangible cultural heritage of PS4 era, the story says all hail to all the great sci-fi in the history, if anyone says negative to this, punch right on his face, period.
This game can be separated into 2 parts, the story and the combat. The sci-fi story is like a visual novel that leans heavily into time-looping tropes similar to the show "Dark." You play as 13 different characters with branching narratives as you relive certain moments and make different decisions. The writing here is interesting, and throws major surprises, even if it often relies on standard anime hi-jinks. It can sometimes be frustrating, as you often have to keep clicking on people in a certain order, or clickables can be hidden, and you spend time trying to figure out what you're supposed to do next to advance the **** combat can be thought of as a minigame where you control pieces that represent mechs, and battle other pieces representing kaiju on a warboard reprsenting a city. This part is just ok. It's basic, and not great, but it works. Overall 13 sentinels is a bit of an odd duck, but creative and well-executed. It took me 34h17m to complete 100%.
Story was fun but extremely convoluted. Hard to keep track of everything, but it is cool how they can make a cohesive story amongst 13 different protagonists without some stories feeling inconsequential. My main gripe is the rts gameplay portion. Not very fun and was just a means to an end for me to unlock more story
13 Sentinels is two games in one: An epic visual novel where you play as a rotating cast of high school-aged protagonists, and a tactical combat game where those same characters pilot giant robots (“Sentinels”) to defend your city against waves of kaiju.
The visual novel is where you’ll spend most of your time. It’s a lavish production: beautiful art, excellent voice acting, and tens of hours of content. The only problem is… it’s boring. The story is convoluted even by the standards of sci-fi anime. I tried my best to follow it, but at a certain point I just stopped caring who’s a clone of who, whose dreams are whose implanted memories, and so on. And the gameplay is tedious. There are no choices, just steps you need to take to advance: talk to X, think thought Y, touch item Z. Usually the next step is obvious, but occasionally it’s a frustrating exercise in trying to read the dev’s mind.
The combat is actually pretty fun, though it doesn’t require much strategic thinking. Usually you can just spam your rockets at the incoming waves and call it a day. (If you like your kaiju fights to be more cerebral, go play Into the Breach instead.) Also, your performance in combat doesn’t affect the story at all, so there’s no sense of stakes.
Overall, 13 Sentinels is a unique, ambitious genre-bending experiment that fails to cohere as a gaming experience.
SummaryA departure from the studio's traditional fantasy style, the game takes place in a modern setting punctuated with giant mechs. Although the world may be bleak, Vanillaware's signature artistic shine and gorgeous aesthetics will bring the characters and story of 13 Sentinels to life.