13 Sentinels Aegis Rim Reviews
Masquerading as a simple visual novel hides one of the most groundbreaking stories 2020 has to offer. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim may not be the upcoming open-world action title we're all waiting patiently for, but it certainly deserves a spot on your list for its complex interweaving of a character-driven plot into 80s sci-fi.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is an action-packed mech epic for the ages.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim isn’t going to blow your mind with a smart story that pushes the tired boundaries of the science fiction genre. What it does offer instead is a jawdroppingly beautiful visual novel experience, intercut with satisfyingly fun gameplay sections where you get to rip apart a bunch of monsters with huge mechs.
13 Sentinels : Aegis Rim dives us into a complex story, mixing heroes, periods of time and themes to deliver a love letter to japanese science fiction. Curiously, the game is strictly divided between phases, switching from narrative story-driven thumbnails to minimalist strategy fights, delivering a strange but satisfying experience for every Japan lover and 2D aesthete.
Review in French | Read full review
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a very different game from what Vanillaware has released in the past, but this is a great showcase of what they are capable of. The narrative is a fantastic piece of science fiction that can easily work as an anime or feature film.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a really strange case, but in a good way. It's outstandingly beautiful, engrossing the player with some great narrative, telling a story about love, friendship and giant mechs. But the overal stucture of the game often exist in an unplesant dissonance, and it's hard to ingnore that the tactical battles can't provide any real gameplay challenge. If you can live with all of that, you should defenetly try Vanillaware's newest project. If only for the chance to unravel intriguing mystery of a talking cat.
Review in Russian | Read full review
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim has found its perfect home on the Nintendo Switch with its mash-up of two genres that work best when on handheld — visual novel and RTS. I ended up carrying my Switch with me for days on end as 13 Sentinels was like a good book that I couldn’t put down. The gorgeous hand-drawn graphics and intricately layered storyline pair beautifully together to create a love letter to classic sci-fi.
Vanillaware keeps being faithful to its own style, and now surprises us with a different adventure, 2/3 visual novel, 1/3 strategic combat game, but with a flawless visual style, a solid sci-fi plot and strategic combats with a nice touch. Maybe 13 Sentinels it's not for everybody, but if you have a taste for different dishes, you will love it.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Beat by beat, you've seen elements of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim's plot elsewhere before, but you've probably never played anything quite like it. How 13 Sentinels strings its complex narrative together is nothing short of astonishing. It operates like a great melodramatic sci-fi TV show, only reworked and shuffled into an interactive format, and it takes full advantage of it. And for that, even with weak RTS battles complementing it all, it's an easy recommendation.
Even with lackluster battles, the constantly escalating stakes and evolving story pulled me in
On 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Vanillaware flexes some serious storytelling chops to go along with its visual flair.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim weaves a complex, intriguing tale that spans many characters and time periods, and manages to pull it all together in the end. This narrative 2D adventure offers little traditional gameplay - though the battle sections provide a satisfying enough distraction.
A great narrative game, with good art style. The battle mechanics are simple, the game core is clearly the narrative.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Epic, unpredictable and of millimetric precision. Vanillaware's work is a narrative and aesthetic triumph, an elegant work of art that hides many mysteries behind its permanent visual game.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
With 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim developers Vanillaware have achieved their most ambitious work yet. A combination of different genres that surprisingly manages to walk hand in hand, supporting a great narrative experience that should be enjoyed by any fan of time-travelling stories, paranormal elements and introspective dramas with a typically Japanese style. The portability on Nintendo Switch is also a perfect match for the pace of the game's missions and single narrative sessions. If you've already enjoyed it on PS4, this version offers nothing new. If not, this is the perfect opportunity to pick up this precious gem.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Despite the battles being a bit of a letdown, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a must have for those who love plot driven games. Up until the very last moment you're still not sure of what's going on, but that's not annoying. Far from it: every single plot twist just makes it harder to put your console away.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a must for the fan of good science fiction stories. Point. A good plot, with some great twists, spiced up with charismatic and well-defined characters spice up a mix of visual novel with tactical strategy that works. Perhaps more use of ramifications to add replayability and a greater variety of objectives in battles would have turned a practically outstanding game into a masterpiece. Still, its 30-hour duration will make you not regret your purchase.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A Vita version was originally planned before the game was delayed so much that the idea of releasing a new game on Sony's dying handheld was laughable. Because of that, this version feels like 13 Sentinels is finally where it was meant to be all along. This game is wild and weird in all the best ways, and there has never been a better time to play it than right now.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a perfect game for the Switch. The visual novel adventure gameplay translates almost perfectly to a handheld format, and I found it to be more fun to pick up and play in short spurts versus needing to park myself in front of a TV. Even the more obscured mecha combat work well in a handheld format. The gameplay and story still feel fresh and engaging, and those who've already finished it once might find something to enjoy here. It's easy to recommend to anyone who has a taste for mind-bending 999-style games, and it's likely to please a few newcomers as well.
While the presentation of the story and combat in 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim takes some time to get used to, I was deeply engaged with the characters and plot. The bulk of my complaints boil down to wishing the combat looked better and not loving some of the reveals, neither of which detracted from the rest of my experience with the game. As long as you approach the title as a visual novel with some light strategy rather than a strategy game with some light story, you'll find a lot to like. It's an easy recommend for fans of Virtue's Last Reward or Steins;Gate or those who have enjoyed previous Vanillaware offerings.