I’m a huge fan of Vanillaware’s games, particularly Odin Sphere (and Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir by extension) and Muramasa: The Demon Blade. The distinctive art style, multi-protagonist storytelling, and involved storylines are nothing short of masterful. With 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Vanillaware (and publisher Atlus) have dipped their toes into a new genre. Gone are the fairy tale and mythology-laden aesthetics of Odin Sphere and Muramasa. This time, we’re diving into time travel and a Kaiju story.

Now, before we get too deep into things here, there is a little housekeeping to be done. First off, if you’re unaware of what a Kaiju is, the term is Japanese for “strange creature.” However, in English, it has been commonly used to reference giant monsters. Think of things like Godzilla, Mothra, Pacific Rim’s monsters, and you’re on the right track.

The other bit of housekeeping involves the voice acting. At the time of starting on this review, I dove into a pre-release build. As a result, the only voice acting that was available at the time was Japanese. However, the developers stated that as part of a day one patch, the game would receive English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish voice acting.

True to their word, when the day one patch released I was able to select the language for the voiceovers. They are very well done and even though the nature of the story is somewhat of a multi-layered, multi-faceted one, all of the voices and voice acting fit the story well.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim puts you in the role of 13 different protagonists. Some are from the 1940’s era, others are from the ’80s, and some are even from a distant future. Their stories interweave as they interact with one another across time. There are multiple phases of gameplay in 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. You start out with the Adventure mode called “Remembrance,” which is a 2D side-scrolling story-based section, not unlike a point-and-click adventure.

As you speak with NPC’s from a particular character’s point of view, you uncover topics you can consider via the “thought cloud,” not unlike the Sherlock Holmes games and their mind palace functionality. Some of these topics can be used to further conversations with NPC’s, and as you investigate further, the story unfolds. Each of the 13 characters has part of the story, so you’ll be switching between them from time to time to see how things unfold.

Additionally, you may make choices that unlock branching paths. You are able to revisit those sections and skip past what you’ve already seen in order to make different choices and explore all avenues. This is detailed via a handy flowchart so that if you make a wrong choice you can discover where you went wrong.

The second part of the game is the Battle Mode called “Destruction”, which is a real-time strategy, tower defense-esque mode. Your characters inhabit sentinels (or mechs for the laymen) and must defend a terminal (tower) from waves of Kaiju enemies. If the Kaiju kill your pilots or destroy the terminal, you lose. However, there is an easy mode for if you want to focus more on the storyline and have an easier time with the gameplay elements of battle mode.

Battle Mode can be paused so you can issue orders to your Sentinels, which gives it a “real-time with pause” element. Additionally, some sentinels are more effective against some enemy types than others. You can also upgrade your sentinels using Meta Chips, which you acquire from killing enemies and doing story sections. This allows you to unlock new attacks and enhance current abilities to make them stronger.

Lastly, there is the Analysis mode, where you review what you have learned so far and connect pieces of lore together. Granted, the Analysis section just records everything, so it is more to refresh your memory and help you piece the story together. You can unlock sealed mystery files in Analysis using Mystery Points you get from completing battles as well.

Once you get past the prologue, you are given a fair bit of freedom. Certain characters can’t progress their stories right away, you may have to progress through other characters or do battle missions to unlock more options. However, no two person’s experience will be the same, because odds are high that you’ll resonate with some characters more than others.

By that logic, you may choose to pursue certain characters’ stories first. Alternatively, you might decide to spend a lot of time doing battles first, depending on your playstyle. This versatility is great because even though there is a set narrative, you can play your way. I’m not a huge fan of RTS style games, but 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim isn’t too difficult unless you play on higher difficulties.

In truth, the storyline is where the game excels. The characters (both playable and non-playable) have complex relationships. Some have romantic feelings for each other, some are close friends, and some become adversaries at one point or another. With the time travel aspect of the story, you may not understand a character’s motivations or relationships right away, but as you play, things unfold and a deeper plot is unveiled.

Honestly, the only reason I really spent any time in the “Destruction” mode of the game is because certain characters have milestones that require you to play a certain amount of the Destruction mode. If I’d been given the choice, I think I’d have skipped Destruction mode entirely. Now, when I say that, I don’t mean to say that Destruction mode is bad. In fact, I find the difficulty levels make it very approachable and fun for a real-time strategy experience.

However, it just isn’t my cup of tea, and it kills the momentum of the story as you’re peeling layers back if you have to stop and go do a few battles in order to unlock the next section. Truth be told, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is another game in Vanillaware’s extensive pedigree that will become a classic. The story is gripping, there are plenty of twists and turns, and I can see people talking about this game for years to come.

I can’t wrap up this review though until I talk about the visuals. The character designs are interesting, not to mention that the food in the game is incredibly detailed and looks absolutely delicious. Honestly though, watching Iori eat crepes with her friends made me hungry! On a serious note, a lot of love and care went into 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.

Even though I was skeptical of certain characters and certain elements (which I won’t name due to spoilers), the game wove a fascinating web that kept me guessing and kept surprising me at every turn. If you like Vanillaware’s other games and don’t mind a change in theme, then you won’t be disappointed. Even if you aren’t a fan of strategy games, the story and the art design of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is completely worth your time and investment.

A PlayStation 4 review copy of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim was provided by Atlus for this review.

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13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

$59.99 USD

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Great Voice Acting
• Deep Storyline with Lots of Twists
• Interesting Characters
• Beautiful Visuals and Delicious Food
• Multiple Difficulty Options

Cons

• The Combat Isn't My Cup of Tea