13 Sentinels Aegis Rim Reviews
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim makes its mark on the adventure genre by expertly telling a story through 13 protagonists. The time-traveling segments don’t leave the player in the dark as it pieces together everything using a unique adventure-based system. This game has a story to tell, and it rolls it out perfectly; the added strategic battle-system only makes it clear what this group is up against and what’s at stake if they lose.
The game is absolutely one of this year’s standout RPGs, and it’s particularly refreshing to see that in something that brings both unique combat and storytelling to the table. Vanillaware has outdone itself here.
Even with these issues, though, 13 Sentinels is an absolute must play, especially for those seeking a good narrative in gaming. This is the kind of story that’s going to stick in my mind for weeks to come, and easily stands up with some of the best stories I’ve experienced in any medium.
13 Sentinels is the deepest of narrative experiments, with none of the form of a normal RPG, and a visceral and addictive strategic mech battler. It channels everything good about Japanese mech anime and games from the last 40 years into something beautiful, timeless and incredibly niche. A real contender for RPG of the year.
With great combat, fun plot twists, and ambitious worldbuilding, 13 Sentinels coalesces into an experience destined to become a cult classic.
Thirteen pilots, one cat and a lot of kaijus. Kamitani didn’t make his opus magnum, but everybody should try this outstanding masterpiece.
Review in Polish | Read full review
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a wonderful blend of some of the most classic elements in gaming and storytelling alike. Vanillaware masterfully embodies the high notes of JRPG storylines and couples it with a sci fi story that would appeal to any fan of the sci fi genre. The tactical shooter and RTS gameplay left some to be desired, however it is still an engaging combat system that does not feel totally out of place.
If you're looking for a quality sci-fi story, you won't regret picking 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim up.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
This RPG values your time, does complicated sci-fi storytelling right, and just may usher in a new style of how RPG's play.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is an excellent game which a thoroughly involving story which takes some time to get your head round, once you do though you’re going to really enjoy the experience. The story sucks you in whilst the games mechanics give you a several different challenging but entertaining experiences. If you want to kill 20-30 hours and enjoy an enthralling game then you won’t go far wrong with 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.
13 Sentinels holds its place among the likes of The Last of Us Part II and Disco Elysium as a narrative-driven triumph that leverages the interactive medium to deliver a story that can only be appreciated through its lens.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim’s combat may only be serviceable at best but incredibly handled story more than makes up for this shortcoming.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is another spectacular tactical RPG that combines turn-based and real-time strategy to great effect. The battles are definitely on the easier side of things and it can be a bit tricky to read the visual prompts, although 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim makes up for this with a riveting story and addictive gameplay that’ll hold your attention for the game’s 30-40 hour runtime.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a gem with fully justified award wins in 2020, and the Nintendo Switch port is a very welcome opportunity for more players to dive into its fantastic sci-fi story. While it’s light on the action, it’s a wholehearted recommendation for those who enjoy narrative adventures and RPGs in general.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim should be tried by everyone. If you’ve got a Switch and literally thirty minutes, try it. Give it a genuine go and see what happens in the first half of the hour long tutorial. If you aren’t at least mildly intrigued, fair enough, walk away. But if you can enjoy that thirty minutes, you’re on the hook for hours upon hours of fighting, upgrading, exploration, beautiful design, amazing soundtrack and just some of the tightest coding the Switch has had the privilege to house. You cannot go wrong here, and I cannot recommend it enough.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a must-play for players who want to experience an impressive story with memorable characters, as well as surprisingly compelling real-time strategy gameplay.
Having a team of six Sentinels rain down clusters of missiles, bust out special finishers, and slink in and out of combat to repair was like watching a neon rave party on screen. Building a diverse team pays dividends and perfecting your strategy to time your cooldowns or minimise damage to the city, and with the addition of a bit of party management, all lead towards a ranking system per engagement.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a 35-hour love letter to Japanese Manga and late 80s to early 90s Science Fiction with outstanding writing but ultimately average combat sections. While I did enjoy the city defense aspect of the game, it stunk of missed opportunities. It didn't have that same allure, love, and feeling of weight and scale that the other half of the game had. I'm not a fan of visual novel gameplay, but I enjoyed nearly every hour with 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. While it's also available on other platforms, playing it on the Switch allowed me to pick off story sections in my spare time, and I think that helped keep my interest. While not the perfect game I wanted it to be, it's close. But as we know close is no cigar. That said, I still suggest if you have an interest in the genres mentioned above you put 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim on your list ASAP.
A sci-fi mystery that contains narrative goodness from start to finish, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is both a visual showstopper and an immersive story that needs experiencing despite a few missteps in other areas.
Let’s not waste time – 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a testament to video games as both art and a storytelling medium.