* **What is 13 Sentinels?**
13S is a side scrolling adventure (visual novel) with an RTS, tower defence style, battle system. The game is about 80% adventure and 20% RTS battles.
* **What is the story about?**
Japan is being invaded by machines of unknown origin, destroying the world. It’s a japanese story, so only a group of highschoolers piloting giant mecha can save the world from annihilation.
* **Why is the narrative so praised?**
The story follows 13 playable main characters, each having their own story line and all the storylines are connected. Not only there are 13 story lines that connects to each other, but the story also takes place in 4 different time periods: the tail end of WWII in 1945; the peak economic bubble in 1985 (the “main” setting); the near future of 2025; the far future of 2065.
The narrative structure is therefore non-linear, a character may be living in 1985 while others will only be born 30 years later, but of course it would be *too simple* like this so the writers added a twist: time travel shenanigans are constant, and a character may for example travel in time 40 years to the era of another character, but a few weeks earlier or later the events of the storyline of another character from that time period. This creates a fragmented narrative that thanks to the bite-sized lenght of every “chapter” (there are multiple chapers per characters and they are all 20-40 minutes long) will always leave you with a few answer, but also definitely more questions.
In all this organized narrative chaos, the RTS section of the game too is a integral part of the overall story. The very first battle of the game takes place as soon as the machine invade Japan in 1985. How does the battle of 1985 connect to the events of ’45 or the story of the people living in 2065?
Play to discover it!
* **Is the title an hyperbole?**
It’s the critics opinion!
Ben Moore from Easy Allies
>13 Sentinels is not the first gorgeus game Vanillaware made, but the reason it’s exceptional is because of how exciting the journey is. Sure there is the mystery boxes as you peel away layer after layer but a giant reason you want to hungerly jump to the next chapter is because the characters are just so charming. It is relatively rare that a videogame story is this captivating and it’s absolutely worth making time for it.
Eurogamer
>Enigmatic and unapologetic even in the face of its most absurd ideas, this is sometimes messy, sometimes boring, but always astounding.
https://www.eurogamer.net/13-sentinels-aegis-rim-review-a-heady-mix-of-sci-fi-passion-and-big-ideas
Polygon
>There’s plenty more for me to tell you about this game, like how it stacks twists atop each other like a tower of turtles, without ever collapsing under all that narrative weight. Though reading more would spoil the fun – and trust me, you’ll be doing plenty of reading once you boot the game up anyway. I’ve written so much about why this game means the world to me. Now I leave y’all to decide whether or not to play it.
https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23020989/13-sentinels-aegis-rim-switch-review
TheSixthAxis
>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.
* **Is there anything special to the game other than the narrative?**
Actually yes! The game has gorgeous hand drawn style 2D graphics. Seriously, the game is visually a work of art. Some screenshots of [the night city in the ’80s](https://www.rpgfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/13-Sentinels-Aegis-Rim-Screenshot-201.jpg) or [the destroyed world in the ’20s](https://i0.wp.com/mynintendonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/13_sentinels_aegis_rim.jpeg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1) or [the beautiful portaits during the dialogues in battle mode](https://honeysanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/sentinels_-aegis_rim_city.jpg) can attest it.
In my personal opinion, the striking art and the vibrant colors make 13S *the best game* visually on the Switch OLED, only rivaled by the recent port of Persona 5 Royal.
The soundtrack is also deserving of praise, composed by Hitomi Sakimoto of *Final Fantasy Tactics* and *Final Fantasy XII* fame, the game features certified bops like [the battle track (LYSINE)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3abA3m3ujg) or [the chill background music to the highschool sections in adventure mode set in the ’80s called In the Doldrum](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOfxnAZejpo).
I wish I could link to more music, but I don’t want to ruin the fun of discoving them as you play.
* **I don’t trust random reddit users**
That’s a good policy, but maybe trust Sakurai!
>”There’s never been a work like this before, and I don’t think there’ll be a continuation, either. If you want to play it, it has to be now! Anyone who wants to write a game scenario should play 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.”
Masahiro Sakurai Praises 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, ‘Game Writers Should Play It’
Or Yoko Taro
>“I think you must buy this game! The reason for that is—in order to keep the existence of this Japanese national treasure of a company known as Vanillaware, they must sell as many copies possible. I don’t care whether games of other companies sell, and I really wouldn’t care at all if Atlus were to go under! However, Vanillaware games are the one thing we can’t lose in Japan, so let’s all buy 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim!”
https://www.siliconera.com/yoko-taro-shares-his-thoughts-on-vanillaware-13-sentinels-aegis-rim-and-why-you-must-buy-it/
* **Who is 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim audience?**
This is not a game for everyone, but I would personally recommend the game to the following people:
-Fans of anything sci-fi related. Not only is the narrative fantastic, there are homages to a lot of sci-fi classics from both Hollywood and Japan.
-Fans of visual novels. It’s technically a bit more than a visual novel (I think Visual Novel DB for example doesn’t consider it as one), but if you love VN you simply have to play 13S!
-People who never played VNs or side scrolling adventures and are curious about them but are afraid they may find them boring. I don’t think there is any better introduction to this style of games really. The pacing is excellent, the art is amazing and battle mode is a nice change of pace in between stories.
-Fans of good games in general. If you love gaming as a media, then this is for you.
If you buy the game and don’t end up liking it, maybe it will be of consolation knowing your money is helping a pretty small studio that almost went under developing this game. Vanillaware and its fans will remember your service.
* **Anything else?**
[Yakisoba pan](https://www.pockettactics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/13-sentinels-aegis-rim-review-5.jpg)
by Joseki100
41 Comments
I played it on release on PS4 and it has stuck with me ever since. It really is an experience you won’t get elsewhere.
Definitely an incredible game. I don’t usually play visual novels, but heard that there was a great story in this and picked it up. The story is a masterpiece. So many great twists and references to various other sci fi works. Awesome visuals and voice acting. Fun gameplay.
I mean not the lowest price ever. Gamestop was practically giving them away in stores at like $3 or some shit last year.
And well, I really enjoyed it. Great story. Great characters. One of only 3 games I’ve ever platinumed.
Well worth a playthrough. I love sci-fi stories, and this one is the most intricate, weaving story I’ve ever experienced.
The multiple characters themselves are memorable and charming, and that’s not easy to do for such a large cast.
I personally enjoyed the “gameplay” part of it a lot. Smooth animations, great music, systems.
The presentation that surrounds the weaving story paths is excellent and makes it easier to follow along
This game is absolutely incredible, go in as blind as possible imo!
It’s a visual novel blender of every major sci-fi IP of the last 30-40 years, but in a good way.
Absolutely loved it and looking forward to some of the details fading from memory in a decade or so for a good replay.
I did enjoy it, but believed it didn’t live up to some of the insane hype people give it on here. I reallly love these types of games (Danganronpa, Zero escape series, etc.), so I was very excited to finally play through it and see what everyone was raving over. The storylines and how everything fits together is amazing, the ending left MUCH to be desired though and really soured my experience with the game. Maybe it’s because what I thought was the ending didn’t come to fruition and instead replaced it with >!one of the dumbest tropes in media.!< Overall I’d give it a 7/10 and definitely would recommended people check it out..
Dragons Crown Pro next please
I did my play throughs of 13 Sentinels and Disco Elysium in the same year and it was wild to have two of the best narratives be told in such different but successful styles.
I have the physical release but I ain’t gonna touch it until I see Crosscode through , fsob idk what happend but my 100h save playthrough got deleted
Play Peak Fiction.
I’ve had a PS4 copy in my backlog for ages.
But I love Vanillaware so I’ll pick this version up too.
The story in this game is so bonkers crazy, I’m kinda’ frustrated every time it gets to a part with the game’s strategy-RPG gameplay… not because that gameplay is bad, but because I just wanna’ see more of the story.
It’s also a very good advertisement for yakisoba pan.
Giant advertisement with links and yet no link to the game itself. Shame on you OP.
It’s a really good game, but I feel like it falls short in a few ways that people kinda gloss over.
The RTS combat portion is pretty boring and half way through the game, you’ll be trying to get through it as quickly as possible. The story is good, but there’s definitely highlights and lowlights with the characters, and the lows can get groan inducing at times. It’s cool to move around around and interact with things, but it feels artificial at times compared to something Danganronpa. The environments are already there, so let me explore a bit.
However, the highs definitely outweighs the lows. I’d give it a solid 8/10. Definitely great, but don’t think it quite lives up to the 9-10/10 classic status it frequently gets. As good as the story is, I wouldn’t say it’s good enough to just ignore all of the shortcomings completely.
This game is so cool. I can’t recall ever playing a visual novel before this… and I wish they were all as fun as this one.
Def for the sci fi fans. Absolutely worth the asking price imo
Link to Nintendo website: https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/13-sentinels-aegis-rim-switch/
30 bucks is a really good deal but I already got a shitload of games this month and while this one seems right up my alley too, I gotta show some restraint lol
~~why are there so many great games out there this is outrageous it’s unfair~~
Well is yoko taros recommending it…
*Add to cart*
It’s also $29 CAD from VGP if you want it physically: https://videogamesplus.ca/products/13-sentinels-aegis-rim-ps4?_pos=1&_sid=79acd7be7&_ss=r
I swear the writers took literally every trope and plot twist from every major influential sci fi story within this last century and crammed it all into a typical anime premise.
Fantastic game! Easily one of the best in the last 5 years and even decade 🔥🔥🔥
My God, this game intrigues me so much! I’ve been on the fence so many times, and my backlog is so big.
I did not enjoy Disco Elysium and is the only novel game I’ve played, is that a red flag?
Man what to do! What to do!
I’m so conflicted with that game.
Fyi, physical copy is only $8 more on amazon right now ($38 vs $30 for digital download sale). I’d rather have the physical for that difference.
I bought this title last sale, and i dont know what to do…. dont even played past the tutorial and have no will to do so ._. , nintendo could give a refund option like the others too right?
I’m interested in the whole “RTS on Switch” thing and the setting seems interesting, but would I still appreciate this game if I don’t really get into games with a heavy narrative focus?
If most of the game is dialogue-based storytelling then I’ll probably give it a hard pass. I usually only appreciate that sort of thing in hardcore old-school cRPG’s like Planescape Torment and to a lesser extent in JRPG’s.
For context, I was definitely drawn to Disco Elysium, but bounced off it. I just don’t have the attention span for games that are essentially visual novels. Maybe if I stuck with it for longer the game would have opened up more but the “gameplay” in Disco Elysium essentially felt like a choose your own adventure book but with stat checks thrown in. Read, read, read, read, make a choice, repeat.
I am leaning toward this not being a game for me but if there’s something I’m missing or if anyone has similar thoughts to what I wrote and still found plenty to love then I am willing to give it a shot.
I’ve been on the fence. I’m buying this game because of this review. Yoko Taro would thank you. And I appreciate it also.
I fucking loved this game. I never play visual novels and this was my favorite game of that year.
This game is great if you like game stories at all, even if you think you aren’t into VNs.
The story is amazing. I’m not a fan of visual novel games but this had me hooked. Especially with the tactical Kaiju battles breaking up the story.
Amazing game cant recommend enough, great visual novel and impressive RTS.
You battle with your mechas, some are good for close combat, suppport, long range and air combat.
The non-linear nature of the game really makes it unique because each player’s theories and expectations will be based on who they decide to follow first. If you gave two players 5 hours to start the game, then let them speak with each other, they’d probably have wildly different ideas about the overall narrative.
Like most Vanillaware games, it’s a must buy.
It’s a visual novel, I can watch it on Youtube.
Bought it the last time it was on sale and played through the tutorial. I really have difficulties distinguishing between all the (Japanese) names and am constantly doubting whether character X was also in that scene when playing character Y.
And all the -kun, -senpai, -chan suffixes don’t make it easier.
It what universe does a sidescrolling adventure classify as an VN? Y’all gotta stop putting the term VN on anything remotely story focused.
Wouldn’t recccomend this. Awful game, storyline impossible to follow, cheap/uses the same 10 locations for literally 95% of the game. Honestly so cheap & low budget it’s excruciating. The real-time battles are just 40 of the exact same battle, but all need to be done to finish the story (otherwise nobody’d play them). Crap gameplay and some very frustrating sections where it takes an hour to work out precisely what to click on & when to progress the section. YouTube won’t help either as there’s simply so many choices of dialogue and different random points of dialogue it’s impossible to simply find a walkthrough to help on the exact speech bubble you need.
I remember thinking it’d be an easy quick platinum. In the end it took me 50 hours over a year playing in short sittings on and off to get it. It’s not some short game it’s a 40-50+ hour game, a huge commitment for this type of storybook game.
Never again. Avoid.
YAKISOBA PAN!!!!!
i gotta say, i hate visual novels, i only bought this because the combat looked so cool. Turns out I got sucked into the story and only played the combat when absolutely necessary. Just a stellar story
“lowest price ever”
Proceeds to not tell us what the price is