13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - PlayStation 4

The storytelling is so intriguing and somehow they have made it work despite how many stories are included. I was pleasantly surprised by the tactical gameplay portions. Also, the artbook that came with the game is great. I love the designs that Vanillaware is known for, so beautiful. For those who care, it's an easy platinum as most of the trophies are tied to the story.

Caught this on sale due to other positive reviews and happy I did as it turned out to be a great strategy RPG. Positives: Beautiful picture-book style for the story sections with nice detail and animation quality. The stylized strategy section was odd at first but as the story progresses it all starts to make sense. Controls are fairly simple and there's a difficulty level option for newcomers and vets alike in the strategy portion. It's surprisingly deep and customizable so long-term fans of this type of gameplay have plenty to chew on. Overall story is great, full of the usual SciFi tropes but done in a mostly engaging (see negatives) way throughout. Cons: LONG tutorial section and the combat/strategy has a decent learning curve so if you're new to this type of game give yourself time to learn everything. While the story as a whole is great there's a lot of backtracking and repeat scenarios/conversations from different perspectives etc. Without spoiling anything there's reason behind this but by hour 15 it started to get a bit tedious at times. Content Note: There's plenty of mild 'fan service' depiction of characters at times plus some characters may have over-sexualized character designs for some tastes. If you're used to Anime this won't be a shock but something to note.

Unsual game. Was very surpised by how much I liked it. The story is interseting and they keep hitting you w surprises. The side rts combat game is pretty good nothing to deep but is fun to play and moves fast so no complaint from me. If you are a fan of Vanillaware games get this.

Only about 2-3 games a generation punch me in the throat and make me take notice. This is one of them. Great story that is very engrossing and engaging. The way the story is unfolded is pure genius. The gameplay is really good too with that old school NAOMI board SEGA look to it. Art style is typical Vannillaware brilliance. Just beautiful. If you are even remotely interested in the look and style of the game, then get it. It will give you about 50-55 hours of gameplay till platinum, but there is end game content that opens up that will allow more difficult battles to be played if you wish to complete the game fully.

Got this one well after initial release, but it's one of the best video games I've played so far in 2021. It's unique in that the game's story is split across different modes (one being combat missions, and the other being an adventure visual novel) and you play through both separately. I was thoroughly interested in the stories of the 13 protagonists, and the real-time strategy/tower defense portion of the game is also fun. Also... the music is absolutely fantastic

Vanillaware have long been known as the kings of 2D sprite-based graphics, but should also be known for their exceptional storytelling which is completely unrivaled by any of their peers in the gaming industry. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, not only is no exception to that claim, but indeed surpasses all of Vanillaware's previous works as without a doubt the finest story they've ever told. Through the eyes of 13 different characters, an epic sci-fi mystery slowly unfolds through constant twists and turns against the backdrop of the last vestiges of humanity struggling to survive against the onslaught of merciless kaiju monsters intent on wiping them out. The story mode is interspersed with realtime tactical battles that require you to customize the loadout of your various generations of mecha, each with their own particular specializations and strengths, and use them to defend the city's important access terminals from the kaiju intent on exploiting them. A third mode collects all of the data and cutscenes you've unlocked, allowing you to review the information at your leisure in case the twists and turns of the plot throw you for a loop and you feel the need to reorient youreslf, or simply relive some of the most dramatic moments. Without a doubt, this game is a pinnacle of storytelling in video game media, and if you claim to care at all about compelling stories in your games, you'd be doing yourself an enormous disservice if you passed this one up.

I wasn't expecting too much because a lot of people compared it to Persona but with robots and I was expecting something with a shallow story but fun gameplay. My expectations completely blown away. This game is actually developed by the makers of Odin Sphere and Dragon's Crown, which are both amazing games with great story and visuals. 13 Sentinels's plot is intelligent and interesting and there are multiple memorable characters to unlock and play. This is an RTS game with visual novel and light puzzle elements with many easter eggs for Sci Fi fans to enjoy. The voice acting is a delight, as expected of an atlus title. This is one of the most recent titles I've purchased for the PS4 and I'm really enjoying it. Since playing the game, I've found references to war of the worlds and also to 2001 A Space Odyssey.

A compelling sci-fi Kaiju story told in disjointed chapters. This is very much like a visual novel, the majority of the gameplay is reading/listening, there is a choice between the original Japanese or English audio, but you need to download an update for the English audio. There is a battle (RTS) mode, which is fairly simple, yet I found it entertaining. You can improve your mechs as you progress and replay the waves to make the later levels easier. All in all, the game is very linear (despite being able to change character stories at will with some exceptions), and aside from a few scenarios where the route is not entirely obvious, and can be completed with minimal effort, but isn't over in just a few hours. But you're not playing for the gameplay, you're playing for the story. If you like the battle mode, then after you complete the game, you can continue with dozens of new levels with no story. If you like stories that don't reveal everything early on, can be confusing but also predictable, then this might be a good buy for you.