It's rare to experience a game that feels truly unique, in an era where anyone can turn any experimental idea into an indie title and sell it on Steam, but 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim offers one of the most singular and interesting experiences in 2020. The best way to define 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a cross-genre game, as it combines the character-based storytelling of adventure games, with real-time strategy battles that contain turn-based elements, all of which are wrapped up in some of the most gorgeous visuals on the PlayStation 4.
That might sound like a lot to unpack, and it's undeniable that 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim can be a lot to take in at first. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim was highly acclaimed when it was first released in Japan, and international fans will soon get the chance to see if it deserved the praise. Screen Rant was given the chance to experience the game for the first time and to play through its prologue, and what we found was one of the most intriguing titles of the year, even if it can be overwhelming at times.
A War Across Time & Space
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim follows the story of different characters set at various points throughout history. The overall plot of the game involves the invasion of earth from giant robots, which are only opposed by teenagers piloting giant robot suits, known as "Sentinels". The player experiences different snippets of each character's life, and the story is gradually told in an unconventional way. The player might be hanging out with one of their friends in high school in one scene, only to play as them in the next chapter, and discover that they come from a different time period, or are wrapped up in a secret conspiracy.
Slice Of Life In The Watercolor World
The prologue of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim forces the player to experience snippets of several storylines. These are part of the adventure/story mode of the game, which makes up one-half of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. The visuals in these sections are absolutely stunning, with both the backgrounds and the 2D character sprites being lovingly crafted from watercolor-style images. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is developed by Vanillaware, which is the company responsible for similarly gorgeous 2D games like Dragon's Crown and Odin Sphere. In terms of gameplay, these story sections play out in a similar manner to adventure games like Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective or Grim Fandango, and they involve talking to every character, clicking on every interactable object, and going through the "Thought Cloud", which is the current character's internal monologue. There weren't any puzzles present in these sections of the game during the segment we experienced of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim and the adventure parts existed solely to move the story forward. The voice acting was in Japanese, but the game will receive an English language option via a patch after launch.
The story sections can feel a little overwhelming at first, especially as there are so many different characters involved and scenes jump between different timelines without explanation. What 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim does incredibly well is keeping players hooked and wanting to learn more. In just a few short hours, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim lays out the groundwork for a story that spans time & space, yet is rooted in smaller character dramas. In the future, giant aliens are going to decimate mankind, and it's up to several time-displaced teenagers to save everyone. There are government conspiracies happening around Japanese high schools in the '80s, there is a plot to change the memories of one of the protagonists, and a teenager who is being contacted by his favorite pop star through his television set, to name but a few of the things going on. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim feels like a video game version of Stranger Things at times, with its callbacks to the entertainment industry of the '80s and its nostalgia for a different time.
The small snippet of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim's story we experienced was exhilarating, but it wasn't without flaw. The game can be heavy on the fanservice and people who don't like overexaggerated sexualized characters might be turned off by some of the people in 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. The abundance of plot lines and characters might also be hard for some people to follow, especially if they have trouble keeping track of lengthy Japanese names for characters and places. These points are hard to argue against, but those who are ok with these elements will experience a fascinating, multi-layered story that wouldn't feel out of place as the premise for an entire TV series.
Robots Vs. Kaiju
The other half of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is the strategy game, which feels like a night and day experience compared to the adventure aspect of the story. The main characters get to pilot giant Sentinels, as they fight off hordes of encroaching enemies. Each mission we played in the prologue of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim involved protecting a massive vortex called the Terminal from being destroyed, so each stage put the player in a defensive role.
The strategy half of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a real-time strategy game that pauses whenever a character can take an action. The Sentinels can either move, attack, repair their health, or defend in order to gain EP, which is the currency used for attacks. The battles take place on ruined cities, whose streets act as pathways for ground-based units. Each of the attacks used by the characters has an AoE and range, so their position on the battlefield is the key to victory, as wasting time moving will give the enemies time to attack the Terminal or destroy allied units. Once a character can act, the game pauses to let the player choose their next action.
The Sentinels have different attacks and properties. The long-ranged Sentinels can fire massive railguns that can hit across the map, but these attacks require a ton of EP and leave the unit vulnerable after use, while the melee-range Sentinels can quickly punch through groups of enemies, but their limited AoE means that they have to keep on moving in order to be effective. There are units that can pepper wide areas of the map with missiles, and others that can support allies with buffing effects and decoys. Each attack has a cooldown before the character can move again, so the player must learn to manage each of their party members' unique traits and make sure they are used where and when they are needed if they are to win the battle.
The main criticism we have of the strategy game aspect of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is the visuals. The units are composed of colored blocks & basic 3D models, and things can be hard to follow when lots of enemies are on screen. The UI is also cluttered, with numbers and character portraits taking up space all over the screen. Despite these issues, the strategy game is a lot of fun and it manages to be frantic while giving the player enough breathing room to stop things from becoming overwhelming. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim also features an Easy mode for those who wish to enjoy the story and aren't interested in the strategy game.
One Of The Most Unique Games Of The Year
On the surface, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim shouldn't work. It feels like the developers stitched two different games together at times, with its adventure and strategy elements seeming as if they should be their own separate entities. Vanillaware has done an excellent job of combining these two drastically different gameplay styles into an experience that is like no other. The adventure & strategy elements end up complimenting the other and preventing the other side of the narrative from growing stale, as the player gets to experience both the excitement of a conflict between giant robots, alongside the stories of the human beings who are taken from their regular lives and thrust into war. Our brief time with 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim gave us a glimpse into one of the most unique gaming experiences in 2020, and we can't wait to see what other secrets the game holds.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim will be released for PlayStation 4 on September 22, 2020. Screen Rant was provided with a digital copy of the game for the purposes of this preview.