When i have head that 13 sentinels was minimum the second best game of the studio... I was sure it was going to be a masterpiece. and it indeed is. Odin sphere has his poetic and theatrical atmosphere recalling old litterature. 13 sentinel aims at the opposite with a very modern take on All of sci-fi... Also, both Odin Sphere and 13 sentinel are still humanitarian story.
You're the first person I've seen give any meaningful coverage. I was already interested because Vanillaware, but after seeing this, yeah, it's pretty much a must-own
That just means you're either not subscribed to Backlog Battle or otherwise haven't seen his vid! He had an early review copy of the game but I couldn't watch his review until I listed my own, and man did he ever do a great job! Give him a swing sometime if you ever need a new creator to sub to!
btw the scenes that actually loop are only with Ogata, despite there being different "paths," they all happen chronologically with only a few examples of "dead ends." but the timeline never loops, you just start the next day the same way but with new options from the thought cloud of the day before. and even in ogatas case, causality never changes, he just gets put back in the same scenario with the new info of the previous loop
I did the same thing. I learned long ago to NOT wait to buy a newly released game. All it takes is a few youtubers to hype a game up to point of it becoming hard to find.
It's hard to pick a favourite between those 3 to be honest, but I think the one I enjoyed playing the most was Dragons Crown, mostly likely cause my wife and I co-op'd it. She had a fun time power-tripping as the sorceress.
Those are top notch games from them indeed. This game is so different from those, I was hesitant about picking it up but I hear nothing but praise so I'm definitely going to get it. I'll wait for a sale first but if not, I'll get it full price.
I did a full marathon of Vanillaware games for the release of this and streamed it day one and i can honestly say it's the first time since i started that i lamented my small following. It's a hobby for me and just a way to socialize while i play my weeb games, but i really wish i had the clout to shine a bigger light on this game, so i'm glad higher profile influencers are getting the word out.
You're never too small dude. Even if only 3 people watch a video, that's 3 people you helped! There was a time I considered 30 views to be a huge success for me haha.
This is such a good game and I've been doing my own playthrough. But my audience is finding it hard to follow the story along and I feel like I'm doing this game a disservice. But I love it and want to share it with as many people as possible. Ultimately I think it's best played and really should be played.
I've finally found this one for a reasonable price on Amazon. I would have never even heard from this game without Tarks Gauntlet, so thank you! Now I can't wait to play it...
Ooh I was SO looking forward to this sir! Thank you for doing the review. I had heard much of the game but never seen or heard an actual review :) Happy holidays to you good sir!
Just picked this game up after your excellent review. I was so surprised this flew under my radar. I love Vanillaware and conpletley forgot this had released. I wish they had advertised it more as I would have picked it up sooner!
Great review as always! I am a long time fan of Vanillaware games since odin sphere back in the ps2. Their artstyle looks amazing. It's just that the battle system is a bit holding me back on trying this one. It's really different compared to most of their past titles.
Yeah, I saw. Thanks for keeping me in the loop, but I was worried it just wasn't gonna be around later, so as soon as amazon dropped the game to "Full price" instead of the crazy prices they had before I picked it up.
I was already excited to get this, but now I am reeealllly excited. This review was so great. The art looks absolutely stunning. I hate so much that I was laid off, because I want to buy this now! Here's hoping I get this as a xmas gift. Or get a job soon lol Awesome review as always!
Just beat the game! Honestly, I really digged this game, I was honestly surprised it could handle 13 stories at once, but man I loved every minute of it!
OMG first game with a protagonist named as me - Juro :D I'm buying it just for that reason alone. Yuri from Vesperia was close but this is exactly my familiar name!
Great Review! Thanks for the reminder, since it totally slipped my mind that the game is out, due to work and other IRL stuff. Been playing their games since Odin Sphere on the PS2 and loved every single one. On a side note: Did you encounter any cases of censorship or the typical 2020 nonsense to be aware of?
I didn't, but I did see a tweet this morning that 1 line of dialogue has allegedly been changed. This line of dialogue apparently recontextualizes a cross-dressing character as a non-binary character. Some people in that thread ere claiming that it wasn't changed at all and that it was always that way but I haven't looked deeper into it as ultimately, it wouldn't have actually changed anything.
@@TarksGauntlet Thanks for clarifying! Censorship in general is never OK but if it is only one line in an otherwise great game, I think I can look past that. especially considering that it would not be the devs fault in the first place and hence I don't want them to get punished for it. I just need to brush up my japanese so that I can buy the games from Japan in order to avoid such issues entirely :P
@@TarksGauntlet didn't even turn them non-binary. They're still cis, it's literally just a reference to binaries in general. Didnt stop r/kotakuinaction getting mad over it 🙄
@@brandonvu5429 Yeah, I didn't read about this change until after I had finished the game and I found it odd tbh. I knew exactly who they were talking about but never took the character as non-binary or trans or anything. Never saw how it would exactly change anything either way either so I just didn't pay it much mind.
If I go by Tim Roger's passing comment on "Video Game Awards" (in his Last of Us review on the Action Button channel), YOU could give this game/company an award and it would be valid. You might want to research on it, and start giving your own awards :)
@@TarksGauntlet Well, most of the characters likes her a lot, even when they know at the end... Even Reyna Gouto cannot stop her... the way she basically save Shinonome all the time in Shinonome story sequence.
I need to look into this game, great review man. I’m a small fan of this company due to dragon’s crown, but when I saw this games trailer, it immediately caught my interest. So I’m definitely going to get it
Haven't played the game yet (since there's some other games I'm in the middle of (Like A Dragon, Cold Steel IV, Berseria,etc.) but I'm here to drop a like to show support Been hearing great things about 13 Sentinels so I will definitely come back to watch 🙏
I may not be a fan of RTS games but I'm a huge fan of Vanillaware games and I would never miss an opportunity to play any of the works of art this developer pumps out. 13 Sentinals is no exception and based on what you and many others have said, it looks like I'm in for a real treat!
Looks pretty damn good. How in the flying ***** I haven't heard much of this? I remember watching someone playing the thing when it came out but just that day. Pretty much total silence after that. It truly is underrated. It looks like what muv luv alternative should have been minus eroge scenes which is actually always welcomed by me imho lul.
The game popped up on my radar, but I didn't pay it much attention. Odin Sphere was fine, but felt a little repetitive after a while, and I figured Aegis Rim would be more of the same. I should have looked into it more. I'll take your advice and buy this and give it a fair shot. You don't exaggerate your excitement about a game, so if you say this is a once-in-a-generation type of game, I believe you. I want to experience it, even if it may not be my cup of tea (like Odin Sphere). I'm sold :)
13 Sentinels is on sale on the Playstation store for $30 for the next 13 days(lol), I'm picking it up & just wanted everyone to know that now would probably be the time for anyone who wants to give it a shot 🙃.
I co-oped the game with my wife and we both really enjoyed it. It is a brawler through and through though. Very traditional but also a bit modern. If you don't like the genre it probably won't change your mind.
This is a game I've been waiting for since it's revealed and I'm glad that I've enjoyed it so much with its enthralling story with twists and turns at every moment
Just completed the game myself and man that was an experience and a half. The fights really got intense if you had it on the highest difficultly. The only really minor thing that I disliked about the game was the romance between the different characters. Really wasn't feeling that. Which is a shame since I like it when they are actual parings instead of the dating sim way although I completely loved the one between the two walking spoilers. I felt that was done very well which made me shed a few tears at the end.
Really would love to play 13 Sentinels. Vanillaware's games really stand out visually. Glad to see that the combat is more turn based than RTS as that was my biggest concern.
its a RTS but with pause when you choose what you need to do... Also a bit tower defense. Lastly, it does plays more like an RTS, its just you have all the time you want to take decision.
So now that I beat this game I agree...its a defining game.i loved how the story was intertwined and it gave me a 90s anime feel.im glad its going on the switch and I will buy it again to support.i hope the art style doesn't suffer from the port
Part of me feels like when it comes to the narrative, they probably couldn't raise the bar again, but then... I didn't think they'd be able doing that odin sphere style narrative again nor be able to top it, yet here we are haha. Vanillaware has some real brilliant minds working for them.
I got it at launch, but only played a few hours so far because I was deep into playing trough all of the yakuza game, but I'll be done soon and then I'll finish this beauty. I hope it gets a pc release, it just seems like something that would do really well there.
Not gunna lie, when you said the game was easy I had a sigh of relief, the biggest turnoff with the look of the combat is that it looks complicated therefore hard, but you explained it pretty well along with a nice strategy that I’ll refer back to. I’ll have to get this game after cyberpunk!
I didn't mention the other difficulty options except to say "I played on standard" which hopefully is enough to imply they exist. TBH, on standard difficulty the game is about as easy as I feel "Casual" should be. Casual I tried once just to see if mechanics changed. They didn't, but by the time I tried it (Post game) the difficulty level felt indistinguishable. I was basically invincible in both modes with my tactics. I never did try hard, but I can't imagine it'll actually be "Hard." Probably just what normal should have been. Definitely not a game to play if you're looking for a challenge.
Tarks Gauntlet oh thanks a lot! I’m looking more forward to the story and was worried about the gameplay being too hard or complicated. Thanks a lot for the clarification on the difficulty sounds like it isn’t too hard at all plus with an easy mode option seems very accessible, so thanks!
I too really hope to see them branch out. Aside from Murumasa on Wii and Wii-U I can't really think of other times they ventured away from sony, but with their sales being what they are, they should really look into casting a larger net! ...and of course getting away from sony policies would be nice too.
@@TarksGauntlet Hard agree. Indie and AA games like this are thriving on Steam and Switch these days. Even Xbox is making a push towards expanding their library towards different and unique games. Getting 13 Sentinels featured on Game Pass would be a great opportunity to grow Vanillaware's name and brand recognition.
@@apriarcy it’s a pity to see smaller JP developers decision on sticking to one specific Platform. I understand the reason since not all of them are able to go full on Multi-plat releasing....still, considering as of right now in Japan, the Nintendo switch is dominating any chances of a traditional gaming console ever breaking the market. Alright I also understand that the switch is probably not the easiest platform to develop games on compared to PS5. That’s still not a valid or justification for not making games on a platform like the switch. The system has been on the market for what is nearly 4 years now, and I’m sure dev kits were around during 2016. So It’s a pity it’s taken this long to see AA devs support more than one platform tbh. But yeah the way I see it, limiting the overall performance of a game especially niche ones at that on one platform just doesn’t feel consumer friendly especially if the platform holder doesn’t have any contracts for making these exclusive to one platform in the first place. (Persona & SMT series to begin with don’t even have any known exclusivity deals for either platforms, it’s just Atlus being weird in this instance.) Going Multi-plat is a must at this point for JP devs.. AA Games can find success on more than just one platform. Perfect example, Sakuna of rice & ruin which originally the game was only going to be on PC & PS4. And thanks to the switch the game looks to have been a massive success for the developers, selling around 500K copies worldwide! That’s insane especially for a niche new IP.
@@maroXUprising yeah this game would have the potential to be a huge success if it was on steam. It has actually done pretty well as a PS exclusive though (recently hit 400k sold)
For me the killer of this game is that it only released on PS4. I actually followed this game and would get it but its just not enough of a priority for me to buy it when I have other games on PC id rather play. If it released on PC id give it a go but PS4 simply isnt my platform of choice unless I genuinely need to play the game.
There's an upload of "13 sentinels the movie" if that'd interest you. It's nearly 24 hours but should cover all of remembrance mode and the important destruction mode scenes.
Hmm...I've heard of this, I also heard there was supposed to be a Vita version, but that got cancelled. It's a bummer, but looking at the gameplay...I could kinda see why...
The last few tweets from them/ SEGA/Atlus felt like they were begging the gamers to buy it! It makes me sad to see how overlocked their games are, especially 13 Sentinels! Recently they did a 1 year anniversary stream trying to boost interest! I wonder if they will survive as an independent studio for longer!
I have a feeling Vanillaware is at least partially funded or subsidized by the Japanese government as an artistic and cultural institution, but I'm not sure how far that money goes. Hopefully they come out alright. Too many brilliant minds and talented hands in there.
While this game has a ton of moving parts, I disagree with your belief that 13S:AR isn't a visual novel. In fact, I believe it's visual novel aspect runs deep to its core. It wants to tell you its story above all else. It's practically aching for you to drink the narrative in. And as a life long gamer whose never taken to (or even really liked) the visual novel genre, this is the only one I've played to completion and it's the only PS4 game I've ever platinumed. And that's saying something given that the vast majority of visual novels are 4 - 6 hours long and 13S:AR is over 40...and I drank it all in slow...Just like those jaw droppingly supple visuals. I had my fare share of problems with it, mostly concerning how it falls into anime Lolita traps, adults having romantic feelings for teens and vice versa, light fan service and a female character who embodies the female-with-massive-cleavage-wearing-questionable-attire-and-posing-rediculously trope. (This is why I by-and-large don't indulge in the visual novel genre.) Not to mention that I was more than a little uncomfortable with the second year high schoolers being naked in their mechs idea. I was also driven to a headache by not only Miwa-Chan's "what should we eat" portion, but by Ogata's Source Code-like arc on that damned train platform as I tried desperately for much longer than it should have taken to figure out what I needed to interact with in what order with little to go on and an invisible clock rushing me. (And don't feel bad about the cat aspect of that loop. With the cat running away when you get close, I had to find a walkthrough online to figure out how to interact with him.) But despite all of that working against my personal tastes, it's unique take on its time travel narrative and its overall twisting story kept me highly engaged. It's rare that I see a narrative where I earnestly can't tell where I'm being taken. And my wife and I had a great deal of fun guessing what the next twist would be just to have our ideas upended again and again and again. Not to mention that it has one of the most satisfying and heartwarming endings I think I've ever seen this side of the A ending of Valkyrie Profile. I agree with almost everything you said here and the game defiantly ranks highly among my personal top 10 games. Not only that but I think I'm a better and more rounded gamer for having played it. I'm overjoyed that I blind bought it and it will remain a crown jewel in my collection for years to come. Also, my favorite character was by far-and-away best girl Yuki Takamiya. Fight me.
Yeah I don't really consider the length or depth of the story as indicators for being a visual novel. Moreso just look at mechanics and presentation and feel this has more in common with old point and click adventure games. But there's definitely room for debate (and debate has been pretty big around this one haha) Also, Yuki's pretty baller.
Combat is servicable. Too many stories with the time travel trope reminds me of Kingdom Hearts level of lack of cohesion. The characters don't really seem compelling by themselves. I'm struggling a bit to keep interest up in anime characters once the prologues ended. The mechanics aren't really engaging enough, nor the characters to keep me entirely entranced and pulled along. Trying to like it past the visuals, but my interest is waning after 6-8 hours.
I bought it in early october when the price on amazon dropped to "Standard retail." But at that point I was already making my way through Trails of Cold Steel IV. Needed the game and review done in time for embargo, so didn't get to start this until after.
I'm glad I bought this but, geezum dude, I want a Hyperbolic Time Chamber. THERE ARE TOO MANY GAMES. I have... no time...! For? Them all. At once. Why? Am I "talking" like... William Shatner?
Man, the only local store that has this game in stock is this one: www.dakmorsclub.com/productos/13-sentinels-aegis-rim-ps4/ And they're asking for roughly US $120... my only other option is the PlayStation Store, but I seriously want to avoid doing any business with Sony now. Sega should pull a Yakuza on Vanillaware's works and bring them to Windows and possibly Xbox (don't know if the Switch can take a game that makes a PS4 chug).
Well - I would have loved to buy and play that game... If they had released it on the PC also. Sorry - I am not going to buy a PlayStation 4 to play this game. That's simply too costly.... Honestly - I think they could have better sales if there was a release on the PC too, but that's only my opinion.
Hopefully they get around to porting it. Vanillaware usually sticks to sony, but they have made other trips out. Murumasa The Demon Blade at least appeared on Wii and Wii U, so it's not totally impossible!
My only reasoning for not getting this ATM is trying to get a PS5 which will put me in the hole for a month or two already. I think it was poor timing with Cyberpunk and the new consoles everyone is already looking at the future. I might have even waiting and put it out on the PS5 (is this in 4K?) just to be like hey here's a new game for you while you wait for more. IDK but I do know I love Vanillaware so this will be a purchase at some point. Maybe bringing it to PC might be the best course.
I played on base PS4 so it def wasn't 4k for me. I don't think pro had the option either. That said this video is in 4k cause RUclips's compression is awful.
Well it's not exactly RTS gameplay anyway. RTS games don't have turn orders or pause enemy movement when it's time for you to attack. It's just a tactical RPG with ATB turn orders in the visual style of an RTS.
@@TarksGauntlet Yeah for sure. It's just easiest to call it an RTS. The story portions are also closer to a point and click than a visual novel, but it's easier to call it a VN since it gets across what you do
@@LordlyWeeb It's not that it's an RTS, it's just that I have a feeling I won't understand it but at the same time, the gameplay probably looks more complicated than it actually is.
The gameplay seems like an afterthought tbh which is unfortunate since most vanillaware fans are expecting the gameplay visuals to reflect VW's gorgeous art design/works..
The gameplay is definitely not an afterthought. They deliberately made it look and mechanically operate the way it does on purpose. It's more fun to play than it looks. Vanillaware isn't obligated to do beat em ups forever. Let them try different things. You still get just as much of their amazing art as you usually get in the story sections.
If you thought Odin Sphere took intertwining narratives to a new level, wait until you get a load of this...
When i have head that 13 sentinels was minimum the second best game of the studio... I was sure it was going to be a masterpiece. and it indeed is. Odin sphere has his poetic and theatrical atmosphere recalling old litterature. 13 sentinel aims at the opposite with a very modern take on All of sci-fi... Also, both Odin Sphere and 13 sentinel are still humanitarian story.
You're the first person I've seen give any meaningful coverage. I was already interested because Vanillaware, but after seeing this, yeah, it's pretty much a must-own
That just means you're either not subscribed to Backlog Battle or otherwise haven't seen his vid! He had an early review copy of the game but I couldn't watch his review until I listed my own, and man did he ever do a great job! Give him a swing sometime if you ever need a new creator to sub to!
@@TarksGauntlet I've seen Backlog Battle in my suggested a few times, I will definitely check him out! Thank you!
This game is an honest to god master piece and it would be a tragedy for it to go under the radar.
Guarantee handful of years down the road.
People will be wanting and prices will go up.
Getting my copy while its still good
@@argoth231 You know it, dude.
I bought five copies, hehe.
@@argoth231 I also got my copy straight away before it becomes harder to find >.
I have my eyes on this. Thanks for the super detailed review, as always ❤️👍
My pleasure. It really is a game like no-other!
I hope you decided to play it, everyone deserves to experience this story.
btw the scenes that actually loop are only with Ogata, despite there being different "paths," they all happen chronologically with only a few examples of "dead ends." but the timeline never loops, you just start the next day the same way but with new options from the thought cloud of the day before. and even in ogatas case, causality never changes, he just gets put back in the same scenario with the new info of the previous loop
Buhuhuhuh you can’t trick me into buying this one - I already got it at launch. It’s so good, it would be a real tragedy if they didn’t port it to pc.
I did the same thing. I learned long ago to NOT wait to buy a newly released game. All it takes is a few youtubers to hype a game up to point of it becoming hard to find.
Love Vanillaware! Odin Sphere, Muramasa and Dragon's Crown are favorites of mine.
It's hard to pick a favourite between those 3 to be honest, but I think the one I enjoyed playing the most was Dragons Crown, mostly likely cause my wife and I co-op'd it. She had a fun time power-tripping as the sorceress.
Those are top notch games from them indeed. This game is so different from those, I was hesitant about picking it up but I hear nothing but praise so I'm definitely going to get it. I'll wait for a sale first but if not, I'll get it full price.
Wow I literally just bought the game and minutes later you release this video. A hell of a coincidence.
I think I bought it early October (Had to wait for amazon to put it on sale for full price) but only just got around to it now. Been super busy.
I did a full marathon of Vanillaware games for the release of this and streamed it day one and i can honestly say it's the first time since i started that i lamented my small following. It's a hobby for me and just a way to socialize while i play my weeb games, but i really wish i had the clout to shine a bigger light on this game, so i'm glad higher profile influencers are getting the word out.
You're never too small dude. Even if only 3 people watch a video, that's 3 people you helped! There was a time I considered 30 views to be a huge success for me haha.
This is such a good game and I've been doing my own playthrough. But my audience is finding it hard to follow the story along and I feel like I'm doing this game a disservice.
But I love it and want to share it with as many people as possible. Ultimately I think it's best played and really should be played.
For some reason, this reminds me of a DS game I kinda likes as a kid called ”Radiant Historia” 🤔
I knew absolutely nothing going into this game. Picked it up on black Friday and I'm absolutely loving it. This game is so fricking polished
I've finally found this one for a reasonable price on Amazon. I would have never even heard from this game without Tarks Gauntlet, so thank you! Now I can't wait to play it...
Ooh I was SO looking forward to this sir! Thank you for doing the review. I had heard much of the game but never seen or heard an actual review :)
Happy holidays to you good sir!
Just picked this game up after your excellent review. I was so surprised this flew under my radar. I love Vanillaware and conpletley forgot this had released. I wish they had advertised it more as I would have picked it up sooner!
Bought it this morning for 30 on the ps4 holiday sale...can't wait to get outta work to today,great vid
Sounds like a passion project and you done it justice with how you spoke about it. Great work!
Great review as always!
I am a long time fan of Vanillaware games since odin sphere back in the ps2. Their artstyle looks amazing.
It's just that the battle system is a bit holding me back on trying this one. It's really different compared to most of their past titles.
Combat has changed, but most of the Vanillaware staples are here.
I was waiting for you to do a video about this game. Sorry you didn't get it while it was on sale.
Yeah, I saw. Thanks for keeping me in the loop, but I was worried it just wasn't gonna be around later, so as soon as amazon dropped the game to "Full price" instead of the crazy prices they had before I picked it up.
You just sold me on giving this game a look. I may have to pick it up very soon.
I was already excited to get this, but now I am reeealllly excited. This review was so great. The art looks absolutely stunning. I hate so much that I was laid off, because I want to buy this now! Here's hoping I get this as a xmas gift. Or get a job soon lol Awesome review as always!
I have to say the Game's Art direction is Incredible. I love the attention to detail to the enviroments and Characters.
The crazy narrative of GrimGrimoire is also worth mentioning.
That game is coming back, clearly going to get it too.
Just beat the game! Honestly, I really digged this game, I was honestly surprised it could handle 13 stories at once, but man I loved every minute of it!
Just finished the game. What an absolute experience, will recommend to all my friends
Definitely one of the best games out there. It should be in every gamer's collection.
Fantastic video on my favorite game
I totally forgot about this game. Thanks for the heads up.
Love your reviews man. Currently dying with Trails in the Sky. It’s not hard just long.
A long game at the start of a much, much longer journey.
It's probably the slowest game in the series but really is the start of something incredible.
Sadly, the voice of Nenji Ogata, Billy Kametz, passed away due to cancer.
OMG first game with a protagonist named as me - Juro :D I'm buying it just for that reason alone. Yuri from Vesperia was close but this is exactly my familiar name!
Great Review!
Thanks for the reminder, since it totally slipped my mind that the game is out, due to work and other IRL stuff. Been playing their games since Odin Sphere on the PS2 and loved every single one.
On a side note: Did you encounter any cases of censorship or the typical 2020 nonsense to be aware of?
I didn't, but I did see a tweet this morning that 1 line of dialogue has allegedly been changed.
This line of dialogue apparently recontextualizes a cross-dressing character as a non-binary character.
Some people in that thread ere claiming that it wasn't changed at all and that it was always that way but I haven't looked deeper into it as ultimately, it wouldn't have actually changed anything.
@@TarksGauntlet Thanks for clarifying! Censorship in general is never OK but if it is only one line in an otherwise great game, I think I can look past that. especially considering that it would not be the devs fault in the first place and hence I don't want them to get punished for it.
I just need to brush up my japanese so that I can buy the games from Japan in order to avoid such issues entirely :P
@@TarksGauntlet didn't even turn them non-binary. They're still cis, it's literally just a reference to binaries in general. Didnt stop r/kotakuinaction getting mad over it 🙄
@@brandonvu5429 Yeah, I didn't read about this change until after I had finished the game and I found it odd tbh. I knew exactly who they were talking about but never took the character as non-binary or trans or anything. Never saw how it would exactly change anything either way either so I just didn't pay it much mind.
If I go by Tim Roger's passing comment on "Video Game Awards" (in his Last of Us review on the Action Button channel), YOU could give this game/company an award and it would be valid.
You might want to research on it, and start giving your own awards :)
Finally, someone else who sees the glory of best girl Miwako!!!!
Miwako is a treasure. Every time she opens her mouth gold and purity just spill out. How could anybody not love her? Haha
@@TarksGauntlet Well, most of the characters likes her a lot, even when they know at the end... Even Reyna Gouto cannot stop her... the way she basically save Shinonome all the time in Shinonome story sequence.
Got this for 30 on black Friday and gradually going through it!
I need to look into this game, great review man. I’m a small fan of this company due to dragon’s crown, but when I saw this games trailer, it immediately caught my interest. So
I’m definitely going to get it
Haven't played the game yet (since there's some other games I'm in the middle of (Like A Dragon, Cold Steel IV, Berseria,etc.) but I'm here to drop a like to show support Been hearing great things about 13 Sentinels so I will definitely come back to watch 🙏
I may not be a fan of RTS games but I'm a huge fan of Vanillaware games and I would never miss an opportunity to play any of the works of art this developer pumps out. 13 Sentinals is no exception and based on what you and many others have said, it looks like I'm in for a real treat!
That's okay, cause it only LOOKS like an RTS! It plays a lot more like a tactical RPG with ATB turn order mechanics. Hope you enjoy the game dude!
Looks pretty damn good. How in the flying ***** I haven't heard much of this? I remember watching someone playing the thing when it came out but just that day. Pretty much total silence after that. It truly is underrated. It looks like what muv luv alternative should have been minus eroge scenes which is actually always welcomed by me imho lul.
The game popped up on my radar, but I didn't pay it much attention. Odin Sphere was fine, but felt a little repetitive after a while, and I figured Aegis Rim would be more of the same. I should have looked into it more. I'll take your advice and buy this and give it a fair shot. You don't exaggerate your excitement about a game, so if you say this is a once-in-a-generation type of game, I believe you. I want to experience it, even if it may not be my cup of tea (like Odin Sphere). I'm sold :)
Been looking at this game for awhile, looked alot different from other games will have to try it myself. Looks like I'd enjoy this game.
I'll hit that like button just based on the fact that you pronounced Aegis correctly.
Hell yeah! I was so excited when I got it day 1!
This made me buy it and give the game a try. Thank you.
Thanks for this. I put the game down cause I wasn't impressed (at the time) of the combat. You've sparked my interest yet again!
13 Sentinels is on sale on the Playstation store for $30 for the next 13 days(lol), I'm picking it up & just wanted everyone to know that now would probably be the time for anyone who wants to give it a shot 🙃.
What's your opinion of Dragons Crown Pro? it's 8dls right now, but Im not a fan of brawlers...
I co-oped the game with my wife and we both really enjoyed it. It is a brawler through and through though. Very traditional but also a bit modern. If you don't like the genre it probably won't change your mind.
10/10 , nothing to argue , nothing to add, this is a masterpiece
This is a game I've been waiting for since it's revealed and I'm glad that I've enjoyed it so much with its enthralling story with twists and turns at every moment
God this game is just fucking good. WHAT ELSE DO PEOPLE NEED TO HEAR?!? ITS FUCKING AMAZING.
the review I've been waiting for XD
Just completed the game myself and man that was an experience and a half. The fights really got intense if you had it on the highest difficultly. The only really minor thing that I disliked about the game was the romance between the different characters. Really wasn't feeling that. Which is a shame since I like it when they are actual parings instead of the dating sim way although I completely loved the one between the two walking spoilers. I felt that was done very well which made me shed a few tears at the end.
Great video Tarks!
Really would love to play 13 Sentinels. Vanillaware's games really stand out visually. Glad to see that the combat is more turn based than RTS as that was my biggest concern.
its a RTS but with pause when you choose what you need to do... Also a bit tower defense. Lastly, it does plays more like an RTS, its just you have all the time you want to take decision.
Played and beat the game a month ago, the story is so interesting
You convinced me to get it. Good job! LOL
I really hope George creates more DLC for Dragon’s Crown
Thanks man. I think I will splurge and try it
So now that I beat this game I agree...its a defining game.i loved how the story was intertwined and it gave me a 90s anime feel.im glad its going on the switch and I will buy it again to support.i hope the art style doesn't suffer from the port
Hope lots of people come across this video in anticipation of the Switch port. I'll be picking that up for sure!
Get it trough in japanese language as did I on my first time.
It was great. On my second, yet to start, must try it in english
This game is straight up amazing, definitely Vanillaware best game yet i cant wait to see what they make next.
Love VW and enjoyed this game. Hope they get enough success just to wonder how they're going to raise the bar next time
Part of me feels like when it comes to the narrative, they probably couldn't raise the bar again, but then... I didn't think they'd be able doing that odin sphere style narrative again nor be able to top it, yet here we are haha. Vanillaware has some real brilliant minds working for them.
The half off was only for black Friday.
Its currently back at 60
Haven't even opened my copy yet so I'll just add this video to Watch Later 😁
I got it at launch, but only played a few hours so far because I was deep into playing trough all of the yakuza game, but I'll be done soon and then I'll finish this beauty.
I hope it gets a pc release, it just seems like something that would do really well there.
Here I got it close to launch but was busy with Cold Steel IV. Now that I'm done I can finally play Yakuza LAD which I've had for weeks now too.
I still need to try a VW game.
Have you played one so far?
Great review mate.
Yeah it's appeal is a little hard to explain
I'm really intrigued by visual novel games now, and I'm thinking about getting either 13 Sentinels or WorldEnd Syndrome, any suggestions guys?
13 sentinels isn't exactly a VN but it's the one I'd recommend the most between those 2.
Not gunna lie, when you said the game was easy I had a sigh of relief, the biggest turnoff with the look of the combat is that it looks complicated therefore hard, but you explained it pretty well along with a nice strategy that I’ll refer back to. I’ll have to get this game after cyberpunk!
I didn't mention the other difficulty options except to say "I played on standard" which hopefully is enough to imply they exist.
TBH, on standard difficulty the game is about as easy as I feel "Casual" should be. Casual I tried once just to see if mechanics changed. They didn't, but by the time I tried it (Post game) the difficulty level felt indistinguishable. I was basically invincible in both modes with my tactics. I never did try hard, but I can't imagine it'll actually be "Hard." Probably just what normal should have been. Definitely not a game to play if you're looking for a challenge.
Tarks Gauntlet oh thanks a lot! I’m looking more forward to the story and was worried about the gameplay being too hard or complicated. Thanks a lot for the clarification on the difficulty sounds like it isn’t too hard at all plus with an easy mode option seems very accessible, so thanks!
Excellent review!
I'd love to support Vanillaware, but until they break free from Sony I unfortunately won't be giving them my money.
I too really hope to see them branch out. Aside from Murumasa on Wii and Wii-U I can't really think of other times they ventured away from sony, but with their sales being what they are, they should really look into casting a larger net!
...and of course getting away from sony policies would be nice too.
@@TarksGauntlet Hard agree. Indie and AA games like this are thriving on Steam and Switch these days. Even Xbox is making a push towards expanding their library towards different and unique games. Getting 13 Sentinels featured on Game Pass would be a great opportunity to grow Vanillaware's name and brand recognition.
@@apriarcy it’s a pity to see smaller JP developers decision on sticking to one specific Platform.
I understand the reason since not all of them are able to go full on Multi-plat releasing....still, considering as of right now in Japan, the Nintendo switch is dominating any chances of a traditional gaming console ever breaking the market.
Alright I also understand that the switch is probably not the easiest platform to develop games on compared to PS5.
That’s still not a valid or justification for not making games on a platform like the switch.
The system has been on the market for what is nearly 4 years now, and I’m sure dev kits were around during 2016.
So It’s a pity it’s taken this long to see AA devs support more than one platform tbh.
But yeah the way I see it, limiting the overall performance of a game especially niche ones at that on one platform just doesn’t feel consumer friendly especially if the platform holder doesn’t have any contracts for making these exclusive to one platform in the first place. (Persona & SMT series to begin with don’t even have any known exclusivity deals for either platforms, it’s just Atlus being weird in this instance.)
Going Multi-plat is a must at this point for JP devs..
AA Games can find success on more than just one platform. Perfect example, Sakuna of rice & ruin which originally the game was only going to be on PC & PS4. And thanks to the switch the game looks to have been a massive success for the developers, selling around 500K copies worldwide! That’s insane especially for a niche new IP.
@@maroXUprising yeah this game would have the potential to be a huge success if it was on steam. It has actually done pretty well as a PS exclusive though (recently hit 400k sold)
Vanillaware rule
For $30, I added this game to my backlog 👍🏼
I've been enjoying it quite a lot. Just a real shame there hasn't been a PC release for it.
For me the killer of this game is that it only released on PS4. I actually followed this game and would get it but its just not enough of a priority for me to buy it when I have other games on PC id rather play. If it released on PC id give it a go but PS4 simply isnt my platform of choice unless I genuinely need to play the game.
If Tark says that I should buy it then I will do so!
The gaming community gets better for each person who plays this.
lets fuckin goooo
Woo-Hoo! Happy to see you here gab!
GotY one of my favorites of all time :)
Wonder if ever come to switch
Probably not. Ports take time and money, and not only is Vanillaware 20-something people, they're mostly artists, according to Kamitani.
It is now!
Sadly I won't be playing this, because it's a ps4 exclusive. This does seem like a game I would enjoy watching a playthrough of though.
There's an upload of "13 sentinels the movie" if that'd interest you. It's nearly 24 hours but should cover all of remembrance mode and the important destruction mode scenes.
In case you still haven’t gotten it yet, it’s also available on Switch as of last year ^^
Hmm...I've heard of this, I also heard there was supposed to be a Vita version, but that got cancelled. It's a bummer, but looking at the gameplay...I could kinda see why...
I guess when they started development Vita was at least still a little relevant. A lot can happen in 6 years.
The last few tweets from them/ SEGA/Atlus felt like they were begging the gamers to buy it! It makes me sad to see how overlocked their games are, especially 13 Sentinels! Recently they did a 1 year anniversary stream trying to boost interest! I wonder if they will survive as an independent studio for longer!
I have a feeling Vanillaware is at least partially funded or subsidized by the Japanese government as an artistic and cultural institution, but I'm not sure how far that money goes. Hopefully they come out alright. Too many brilliant minds and talented hands in there.
While this game has a ton of moving parts, I disagree with your belief that 13S:AR isn't a visual novel. In fact, I believe it's visual novel aspect runs deep to its core. It wants to tell you its story above all else. It's practically aching for you to drink the narrative in. And as a life long gamer whose never taken to (or even really liked) the visual novel genre, this is the only one I've played to completion and it's the only PS4 game I've ever platinumed. And that's saying something given that the vast majority of visual novels are 4 - 6 hours long and 13S:AR is over 40...and I drank it all in slow...Just like those jaw droppingly supple visuals.
I had my fare share of problems with it, mostly concerning how it falls into anime Lolita traps, adults having romantic feelings for teens and vice versa, light fan service and a female character who embodies the female-with-massive-cleavage-wearing-questionable-attire-and-posing-rediculously trope. (This is why I by-and-large don't indulge in the visual novel genre.) Not to mention that I was more than a little uncomfortable with the second year high schoolers being naked in their mechs idea. I was also driven to a headache by not only Miwa-Chan's "what should we eat" portion, but by Ogata's Source Code-like arc on that damned train platform as I tried desperately for much longer than it should have taken to figure out what I needed to interact with in what order with little to go on and an invisible clock rushing me. (And don't feel bad about the cat aspect of that loop. With the cat running away when you get close, I had to find a walkthrough online to figure out how to interact with him.)
But despite all of that working against my personal tastes, it's unique take on its time travel narrative and its overall twisting story kept me highly engaged. It's rare that I see a narrative where I earnestly can't tell where I'm being taken. And my wife and I had a great deal of fun guessing what the next twist would be just to have our ideas upended again and again and again. Not to mention that it has one of the most satisfying and heartwarming endings I think I've ever seen this side of the A ending of Valkyrie Profile. I agree with almost everything you said here and the game defiantly ranks highly among my personal top 10 games. Not only that but I think I'm a better and more rounded gamer for having played it.
I'm overjoyed that I blind bought it and it will remain a crown jewel in my collection for years to come.
Also, my favorite character was by far-and-away best girl Yuki Takamiya. Fight me.
Yeah I don't really consider the length or depth of the story as indicators for being a visual novel. Moreso just look at mechanics and presentation and feel this has more in common with old point and click adventure games. But there's definitely room for debate (and debate has been pretty big around this one haha)
Also, Yuki's pretty baller.
Combat is servicable. Too many stories with the time travel trope reminds me of Kingdom Hearts level of lack of cohesion. The characters don't really seem compelling by themselves. I'm struggling a bit to keep interest up in anime characters once the prologues ended. The mechanics aren't really engaging enough, nor the characters to keep me entirely entranced and pulled along.
Trying to like it past the visuals, but my interest is waning after 6-8 hours.
Where was everyone back in September? 😂
I bought it in early october when the price on amazon dropped to "Standard retail."
But at that point I was already making my way through Trails of Cold Steel IV. Needed the game and review done in time for embargo, so didn't get to start this until after.
Comment for the algorithm gremlins.
👍👍👍
Can we play peach beach splash together?
I'm glad I bought this but, geezum dude, I want a Hyperbolic Time Chamber. THERE ARE TOO MANY GAMES. I have... no time...! For? Them all. At once. Why? Am I "talking" like... William Shatner?
Because. You have. A desire...
A desire to boldly go... where no man has before.
Man, the only local store that has this game in stock is this one: www.dakmorsclub.com/productos/13-sentinels-aegis-rim-ps4/
And they're asking for roughly US $120... my only other option is the PlayStation Store, but I seriously want to avoid doing any business with Sony now. Sega should pull a Yakuza on Vanillaware's works and bring them to Windows and possibly Xbox (don't know if the Switch can take a game that makes a PS4 chug).
Well - I would have loved to buy and play that game... If they had released it on the PC also.
Sorry - I am not going to buy a PlayStation 4 to play this game. That's simply too costly....
Honestly - I think they could have better sales if there was a release on the PC too, but that's only my opinion.
Hopefully they get around to porting it. Vanillaware usually sticks to sony, but they have made other trips out. Murumasa The Demon Blade at least appeared on Wii and Wii U, so it's not totally impossible!
@@TarksGauntlet Yeah - I really hope so. This is a title I really would like to play.
My only reasoning for not getting this ATM is trying to get a PS5 which will put me in the hole for a month or two already. I think it was poor timing with Cyberpunk and the new consoles everyone is already looking at the future. I might have even waiting and put it out on the PS5 (is this in 4K?) just to be like hey here's a new game for you while you wait for more. IDK but I do know I love Vanillaware so this will be a purchase at some point. Maybe bringing it to PC might be the best course.
I played on base PS4 so it def wasn't 4k for me. I don't think pro had the option either.
That said this video is in 4k cause RUclips's compression is awful.
Please SEGA
Port one Vanillaware game to PC.
I'll spread its word like wildfire
I loved this game, but it was confusing as hell.
They failed marketing this game. Shame
The game's story seems interesting but I am not sure if I would enjoy the gameplay much
It's more fun to play than it is to watch. I don't like RTS gameplay at all but it's fun in this game.
Well it's not exactly RTS gameplay anyway. RTS games don't have turn orders or pause enemy movement when it's time for you to attack. It's just a tactical RPG with ATB turn orders in the visual style of an RTS.
@@TarksGauntlet Yeah for sure. It's just easiest to call it an RTS. The story portions are also closer to a point and click than a visual novel, but it's easier to call it a VN since it gets across what you do
@@LordlyWeeb
It's not that it's an RTS, it's just that I have a feeling I won't understand it but at the same time, the gameplay probably looks more complicated than it actually is.
@@civilwarfare101 Yeah that's pretty much the case, you'll get used to it quickly.
Est en plus le jeux est traduit en français.
Game Awards are meaningless if its any consolation.
Like... Deep down I know that, but I also can't deny I feel some sense of pride or happiness when I see deserving studios get recognition haha.
The gameplay seems like an afterthought tbh which is unfortunate since most vanillaware fans are expecting the gameplay visuals to reflect VW's gorgeous art design/works..
same.i dont get the gameplay
The gameplay is definitely not an afterthought. They deliberately made it look and mechanically operate the way it does on purpose. It's more fun to play than it looks.
Vanillaware isn't obligated to do beat em ups forever. Let them try different things. You still get just as much of their amazing art as you usually get in the story sections.
After 10 hours I switched the voice cast to English...
Oh no, he did the blasphemy. Here come the weebs to berate him.
Every. Damn. Time.