The sprawling, complex sci-fi epic of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is one of Vanillaware's best games to date, despite the passable RTS combat that can't compare to its brilliantly interconnected narrative.
When losing myself in the intricate narrative web Vanillaware spins in 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, I couldn’t help but be reminded of playing Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward on my PlayStation Vita. Like a good book, I would clutch my Vita in hand, poring over hours of seemingly convoluted text involving murder, time travel, end-of-the-world cults, and escape rooms. One thing kept me from falling into the game’s deep end: a flowchart that allowed instant access to scenes where crucial, plot-changing choices could be made.
If met with an outcome I didn’t immediately feel comfortable with, I would go to that flowchart, restart the scene, and make a different choice. Sometimes it led to a character’s death, other times it would be a blunt ending that offered up a small clue to Virtue’s Last Reward‘s true ending. The mechanic felt unique for a primarily visual novel and allowed for a greater level of interaction between player and the narrative. Plus it made sense for the game’s completely insane premise.
13 Sentinels weaves through timelines. It tackles schoolyard relationships. Giants mechs piloted by children fight against kaiju to save Japan. Vanillaware checks off a bevy of pop culture devices but presents them through the story of the 13 titular Sentinel pilots tasked with rescuing mankind from a bleak future.
An important thing to keep in mind is that the densely packed nature of 13 Sentinels may cause speed bumps during and after the prologue. Through walls of text, players will take control of the large cast of characters to progress the plot bit by bit. Whether hopping into the 2020s, revisiting World War II, or going to class in 1985, 13 Sentinels never reveals too much of its hand.
Vanillaware splits the game into three distinct parts. Remembrance makes up the largest portion, where players walk through chapters interacting with the world and other characters to unfold layer after layer of plot. Destruction is the heavily-marketed experience, the one where mechs and monsters clash–Pacific Rim style–with fluctuating returns. Analysis lays out all the information revealed thus far, recapping the story and providing another opportunity to replay a section and perhaps uncover more. Lost? Conflicted? Nostalgic? Analysis acts as a CliffsNotes of what has transpired, providing players with a flowchart to see what narrative avenues have been traversed and which paths have yet to be uncovered.
Despite controlling individual characters, players will be able to swap back and forth between who they control during Remembrance phases. Regardless of what timeline a character feels locked into, know that it will eventually tie itself into another. During the course of a segment, players will investigate a scene and interact with characters, scenery, or other objects. Particularly relevant items will be added to a “Thought Cloud” that acts as a kind of inventory. These “thoughts” can be selected during an interaction to further dialog or gain more insight to progress the sequence.
Progression in 13 Sentinels may not be comfortably linear but all the moving parts allow the story to excel in ways not possible if it simply moved from Point A to Point B. Players may wish to take a specific character’s narrative arc through completion, yet Vanillaware gently puts roadblocks in the path to encourage diverse exploration. A character’s story may come to a brief stop until players have further progressed another character in Remembrance or require a certain number of victories through Destruction gameplay.
As much as I may play story games anxiously moving between gameplay sequences just to take another narrative bite, the reward of a new wrinkle or twist further drives me to keep playing. 13 Sentinels masterfully heightens surprise moments and the drama between its large cast of characters, all while teasing out further developments. The pacing is more deliberate than slow, maximizing enjoyment by asking players to take a glimpse at the bigger picture before fully opening their eyes.
What may feel lacking–especially for those fans of Vanillaware’s previous entries–is the combat. There are few instances where giant mechanized pieces of armor tackling monstrous beasts should be underwhelming and yet 13 Sentinels often skirts that line. The visceral feel of Dragon’s Crown‘s button mashing or the graceful RPG elements of Odin’s Sphere are replaced by a competent RTS system that never dazzles.
Fusing elements of real-time strategy and tower defense, Destruction mode plays out across different sections of the city players are fighting to save from collapse. Six characters can be selected for a battle while the rest act as defense. Battles end when all the kaiju have been eliminated or enough time has passed.
Unlike the 13 Sentinel‘s story, Destruction mode is about as straightforward as you can get. There are four classes of Sentinels from ranged, melee, flying, and support. Each one has a set of skills that can be used and eventually upgraded over time. Players are rewarded with Meta Chips after completing Destruction battles and Remembrance sections to boost the capabilities of Sentinels. Characters also level up over time, unlocking new abilities.
Depending on a player’s investment with Destruction battles, they may get enough entertainment out of combat to warrant skillful execution of abilities. It’s certainly rewarding to send out units and tear down enemies with barely a scratch. But Vanillaware doesn’t reinvent the genre or truly add any unique variation.
Thankfully, a selection of difficulty modes are present to either ease the burden of combat or bring out a bit more teeth. Playing on normal, I rarely fought for my life. On easy, combat borders on nonexistent which may be perfect for those who just wish to engage with the story and nothing else. To spice up the gameplay, some optional challenges are available during battles that grant extra rewards. But again, in comparison with Vanillaware’s other work, I wanted so much more from 13 Sentinels.
Perhaps the real reason 13 Sentinels‘ combat never stuck with me is because the art style during battles just isn’t up to par with the rest of the package. Featuring large text and flashy colors over a grid framework, Destruction mode strips away the beauty and subtlety of Remembrance’s best moments.
Knowing how breathtaking the painted visuals of Vanillaware can be in and out of action, I lamented not watching these clashes take place under the direction of button combos. The pastel skies at Sakura High School and the steely glint of Sentinels are just a few examples that Vanillaware’s visual direction can bring any setting or thematic world to life.
When something as seemingly mundane as a character drama can come to life so brilliantly, it’s difficult not to appreciate every inch of how a scene comes together. Considering the studio’s work has mostly taken place on a 2D plane, I’m not sure why Japanese city streets wouldn’t have worked similarly, but alas.
While 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim‘s monstrosity versus mech action may have faltered in key ways, it is impossible to turn a blind eye to how absolutely captivating the entire package is. Gaming allows the most bizarre, gut-wrenching, poignant stories to be told in such broad, creative strokes. Vanillaware’s ability to reach into decades of inspiration and craft their own intricately wonderful narrative about growth, loss, and a million other things should not be ignored because it is delivered in such a complex, entertaining way. This is a game that does not have to beg for players’ maximum attention as each new revelation leads to yet another unmissable moment.
