13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

What to Know

Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 64

Play It

13 Sentinels has lackluster combat, but the story it tells is absolutely astounding.

Play It

Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 64

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 64

13 Sentinels has lackluster combat, but the story it tells is absolutely astounding.

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Awards & Recognition

Critic Reviews for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

Critic Reviews

Score Distribution

64

Reviews

Average Score - 86/100

86%

Ranges

Recommended

Malindy Hetfeld (Eurogamer)

Enigmatic and unapologetic even in the face of its most absurd ideas, this is sometimes messy, sometimes boring, but always astounding.

September 15, 2020 |

Full Review

Not at all what you’d expect from the makers of Dragon’s Crown, but as well as the expectedly beautiful artwork this has some of the most engaging high school melodrama this side of Persona.

September 22, 2020 |

Full Review

7/10

GameCentral (Metro GameCentral)

4/5 stars

Caty McCarthy (USgamer)

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.

September 15, 2020 |

Full Review

Malindy Hetfeld (Eurogamer)

Recommended - (Read Review)

Enigmatic and unapologetic even in the face of its most absurd ideas, this is sometimes messy, sometimes boring, but always astounding.

GameCentral (Metro GameCentral)

7/10 - (Read Review)

Not at all what you’d expect from the makers of Dragon’s Crown, but as well as the expectedly beautiful artwork this has some of the most engaging high school melodrama this side of Persona.

Caty McCarthy (USgamer)

4/5 stars - (Read Review)

**Read all 64 critic reviews on the desktop version of VSG.

Read the Reviews (64 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
33bits	Euyen Esquefa Pons	85 / 100	09-15-2020	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.	Read review
Atomix	Alberto Desfassiaux	95 / 100	10-02-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim it’s a new master piece from Vanillaware, creators of Odin Sphear and Dragon’s Crown. An epic adventure and one of the best games of this 2020.	Read review
Attack of the Fanboy	Dean James	4.5 / 5 stars	09-15-2020	While looking perhaps a bit too ambitious on the surface with two distinctly different gameplay elements, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a captivating sci-fi adventure set across multiple periods of time. There is no question that the game will have people very confused during the first few hours, but the split story really starts to come together and is well worth playing through to unravel the ongoing mysteries found throughout.	Read review
But Why Tho?	Jason Dale	9 / 10	09-28-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a wonderful blend of some of the most classic elements in gaming and storytelling alike. Vanillaware masterfully embodies the high notes of JRPG storylines and couples it with a sci fi story that would appeal to any fan of the sci fi genre. The tactical shooter and RTS gameplay left some to be desired, however it is still an engaging combat system that does not feel totally out of place.	Read review
Checkpoint Gaming	Edie W-K	9 / 10	09-16-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is an amazing experience, and not just for Sci-fi or Mecha fans. Its unique combination of genres is refreshing and exciting, and its art style is the most gorgeous thing I’ve seen all year. The combat doesn’t quite match the majesty of the rest of the game, but it’s more than good enough to see the player through. It’s definitely worth it to see the ending which, while complex and difficult to fully understand, is a masterpiece.	Read review
Chicas Gamers	Álvaro Bustío	Recommended	09-15-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim has a great story, great characters and is a masterpiece, especially on an artistic level, that will provide you with about 30 hours of gameplay. If you liked previous games of Vanillaware, especially Odin’s Sphere in terms of narrative, without a doubt this game will make you enjoy a lot.	Read review
COGconnected	James Paley	85 / 100	09-15-2020	If you can absorb the narrative, and see past the strange battle sections, you’ll be left with a rich, beautiful, compelling game you can scarcely put down.	Read review
Cubed3	Sandy Kirchner-Wilson	8 / 10	09-15-2020	It’s great to have a new Vanillaware title on PS4. The bleak future presented with a writhing tangling plot makes for an excellent setting, showing that the team isn’t just a one-trick pony. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is hampered by a slightly tedious battle system but, luckily, the adventure and story scenes are excellent and easily elevate this to greatness. An excellent, unique, niche title that is absolutely recommended to fans of Vanillaware and those who like things to be a certain flavour of Japanese.	Read review
Cultured Vultures	Ryan Stevens	8 / 10	09-18-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is an odd hybrid, but it knows exactly what it wants to be and pursues that goal with confidence and style.	Read review
DASHGAMER.com	Ewen Hosie	9 / 10	09-18-2020	With great combat, fun plot twists, and ambitious worldbuilding, 13 Sentinels coalesces into an experience destined to become a cult classic.	Read review
Destructoid	CJ Andriessen	8.5 / 10	09-15-2020	Had Vanillaware crafted a title where the story and the action wove into one another flawlessly, we’d be looking at the greatest game the developer has ever made, without question. Unfortunately, that’s not what this game is, and while what is here is great, it’s crushing to see just how close 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim came to perfection.	Read review
Digital Chumps	Ben Sheene	9 / 10	08-30-2019	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.	Read review
Digitally Downloaded	Matt Sainsbury	5 / 5 stars	09-16-2020	What I can say, however, is that this game stands proudly with the likes of NieR Automata, Persona 4 and Danganronpa as something truly intelligent and meaningful. Without ever losing sight of its need to entertain players, 13 Sentinels intellectually engages with and challenges them, respecting their ability and willingness to engage with the game on that level.	Read review
Easy Allies	Ben Moore	4.5 / 5 stars	09-26-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim presents an intensely gripping narrative told with stunning visuals.	Read review
EGM	Mollie L Patterson	Recommended	09-24-2020	Still, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a project on a level of scope and ambition that Vanillaware was crazy to try to pull off. While the team continually pushes the complexity of the story to the breaking point all of the way through, there’s something oddly satisfying about a game that always feels like it should be falling apart yet never does. And, when you brush aside all of the narrative craziness, there are thirteen personal stories that at times can have a surprising level of emotional depth.	Read review
Eurogamer	Malindy Hetfeld	Recommended	09-15-2020	Enigmatic and unapologetic even in the face of its most absurd ideas, this is sometimes messy, sometimes boring, but always astounding.	Read review
FingerGuns	Toby Andersen	9 / 10	09-17-2020	13 Sentinels is the deepest of narrative experiments, with none of the form of a normal RPG, and a visceral and addictive strategic mech battler. It channels everything good about Japanese mech anime and games from the last 40 years into something beautiful, timeless and incredibly niche. A real contender for RPG of the year.	Read review
Game Informer	Joe Juba	8 / 10	09-15-2020	Even with lackluster battles, the constantly escalating stakes and evolving story pulled me in	Read review
Game Revolution	Jason Faulkner	4.5 / 5 stars	09-25-2020	In a year where new consoles are dropping, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is at risk of falling off the radar. I hope that players avoid that pitfall because this game is something special. It’s unique art and gameplay make it an unexpected treat, and it’s got the makings of an instant cult classic.	Read review
Gameblog	Thomas Pillon	8 / 10	09-15-2020	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.	Read review
GameCrate	Angelo D’Argenio	8.8 / 10	09-15-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a fantastic game that will appeal to a very specific slice of the strategy gamer fanbase. If there is even a chance that you are in that slice, then I suggest you check it out.	Read review
GameMAG	Semyon Strandov	8 / 10	09-23-2020	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.	Read review
Gamer Escape	Josh McGrath	9 / 10	09-15-2020	Even with these issues, though, 13 Sentinels is an absolute must play, especially for those seeking a good narrative in gaming. This is the kind of story that’s going to stick in my mind for weeks to come, and easily stands up with some of the best stories I’ve experienced in any medium.	Read review
GameSkinny	Joshua Broadwell	10 / 10	09-15-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim mixes smart design with superb storytelling, then slathers the whole package in gorgeous style.	Read review
GameSpot	Heidi Kemps	9 / 10	09-18-2020	13 Sentinels stumbles a bit when it comes to combat, but the story it tells is absolutely superb.	Read review
GamingBolt	Pramath	9 / 10	09-28-2020	Bold, ambitious, and stirringly unique, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is shockingly excellent, and a game that demands that you immerse yourself fully in it, in return for a rich experience quite unlike anything else on the market.	Read review
GamingTrend	David Flynn	90 / 100	09-15-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a very unique experience, even in the realm of video games. It’s gameplay systems gel well together and the non-linear storytelling could only work in this medium. While some plot points aren’t as well explored as others and it uncomfortably sexualizes high school students, it’s still a game you absolutely need to play if you’re a fan of science fiction or enjoy video game storytelling.	Read review
Geeks Under Grace	Johnathan Floyd	9 / 10	10-28-2020	This RPG values your time, does complicated sci-fi storytelling right, and just may usher in a new style of how RPG’s play.	Read review
God is a Geek	Lyle Carr	9 / 10	09-15-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is an incredible feat of narrative engineering everyone should experience, made all the more appealing by it’s gorgeous art and enjoyable, deep strategy gameplay.	Read review
GotGame	David Poole	9.5 / 10	10-21-2020	If you’re a fan of science fiction stories, anime, or strategy games, you won’t want to sleep on this one. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a truly masterful accomplishment in the genre and deserves to be recognized.	Read review
Hardcore Gamer	Fran Soto	4 / 5 stars	09-28-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is an action-packed mech epic for the ages.	Read review
Hobby Consolas	Alberto Lloret	80 / 100	09-15-2020	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.	Read review
IGN	Matt T.M. Kim	8 / 10	09-15-2020	On 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Vanillaware flexes some serious storytelling chops to go along with its visual flair.	Read review
IGN Italy	Marco Esposto	8.2 / 10	09-15-2020	A great narrative game, with good art style. The battle mechanics are simple, the game core is clearly the narrative.	Read review
IGN Spain	Álex Pareja	8.5 / 10	09-15-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is one of the most interesting and originals Japanese games of 2020. Vanillaware brings something different thanks to the original way of making the player interact with the narration.	Read review
Just Push Start	Mark Fajardo	3.75 / 5 stars	09-19-2020	For the most part, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is an amazing looking game that tells a rather interesting story. It follows an interesting arc that unfortunately will lead to a rather easy to figure out a conclusion. Gameplay relies largely on point to click elements and a rather fundamental strategy RPG, which might be a dealbreaker for some, but it is worth it if you like anime/manga series like this. It might not be perfect but the fundamental elements are there to make it interesting enough to, if nothing else, give it a serious look.	Read review
KeenGamer	Brittni Finley	8 / 10	10-02-2020	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.	Read review
Metro GameCentral	GameCentral	7 / 10	09-22-2020	Not at all what you’d expect from the makers of Dragon’s Crown, but as well as the expectedly beautiful artwork this has some of the most engaging high school melodrama this side of Persona.	Read review
Niche Gamer	Fingal Belmont	8 / 10	09-15-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is absolutely a must-play for fans of story-driven adventure games. This one especially has some legs to it; getting immersed in the mystery is easy to do thanks to the writing, and beautiful art and animation.	Read review
Noisy Pixel	Azario Lopez	9 / 10	09-15-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim makes its mark on the adventure genre by expertly telling a story through 13 protagonists. The time-traveling segments don’t leave the player in the dark as it pieces together everything using a unique adventure-based system. This game has a story to tell, and it rolls it out perfectly; the added strategic battle-system only makes it clear what this group is up against and what’s at stake if they lose.	Read review
PlayStation LifeStyle	Annette Polis	10 / 10	09-15-2020	You know a game has consumed your life when it seeps into your dreams. That’s exactly what happened to me. I’m seeing Triangles floating atop heads and planning strategy in my sleep. Not the worst way to sleep but also not the most relaxing. I’m craving yakisoba pan all the time. No other games exist while you’re playing 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. Don’t even bother trying to play anything else. Your brain simply won’t let you.	Read review
PlayStation Universe	John-Paul Jones	9 / 10	09-15-2020	An accomplished mixture of sophisticated story sci-fi story beats, off the wall absurdity and satisfying tactical battles, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a rare sort of genre crossover that ends up being far more than the sum of its parts. Vanillaware’s latest is simply unmissable.	Read review
PowerUp!	Greg Newbegin	7.5 / 10	09-18-2020	The story is great, and the strategy gameplay is both satisfying and enjoyable	Read review
PSX Brasil	Thiago de Alencar Moura	95 / 100	11-02-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is one of the best narrative experiences of the year and a fantastic sci-fi tale that will please all fans of giant robots. Although the combat leaves a little to be desired, it does enough to take nothing away from the spectacular artistic style and the story being told.	Read review
Push Square	Robert Ramsey	9 / 10	09-15-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a phenomenal visual novel	Read review
Reno Gazette-Journal	Jason Hidalgo	9 / 10	09-15-2020	Just when you think you know the answers, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim changes the questions as you’re left guessing with how its sci-fi mystery unfolds. Admittedly, the game’s non-traditional narrative approach can be confusing and its reliance on popular science fiction themes can also make it feel derivative at first. Stick with it, however, and you just might find an unexpected treat. Add some fun giant robot tactical combat to the mix and 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim actually lets you have your peach tart and eat it, too.	Read review
Rice Digital	Isaac Todd	4 / 5 stars	09-16-2020	While the RTS sections might drag things down a little, 13 Sentinels is still a fantastic story driven game that offers up a unique experience. It’s not quite the game that I thought it would be, though in some ways that didn’t turn out to be a bad thing. The future is looking bright for Vanillaware, and I hope that their next game goes all-in on the adventure elements, without anything else getting in the way.	Read review
RPGamer	Alex Fuller	4.5 / 5 stars	09-15-2020	The game is absolutely one of this year’s standout RPGs, and it’s particularly refreshing to see that in something that brings both unique combat and storytelling to the table. Vanillaware has outdone itself here.	Read review
Saudi Gamer	عصام الشهوان	8 / 10	09-27-2020	A beautiful and ambitious rich experience, one that could carry a wole anime franchise on its own. The story is not without its fault, but few games even attempt what this game has managed to achieve.	Read review
Sirus Gaming	Jarren Navarrete	6 / 10	09-29-2020	If you’re willing to overlook its shortcomings, then 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim is definitely for you. There is definitely some questionable taste in gameplay and visual representation that I feel holds the game back, but it’s not a bad game in general. Atlus has always been great at storytelling. If you’re interested in their works, then I’d recommend you try out Persona 5 Royal and Catherine Full Body right after this one.	Read review
SomHráč.sk	Karel Šír	90 / 100	10-24-2020	If you’re looking for a quality sci-fi story, you won’t regret picking 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim up.	Read review
SpazioGames	Gianluca Arena	8.7 / 10	09-15-2020	13 Sentinels is an absolute must have for the visual novel lovers, and the hybridization with a RTS souls adds depth to a well written (and told) experience.	Read review
TechRaptor	Andrew Stretch	9 / 10	09-15-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim pairs together a sci-fi anime storyline told from 13 different perspectives about giant Mech battles and time travel, with arcade strategy combat as you seek to protect your city. While convoluted at times 13 Sentinels delivers an incredible story.	Read review
The Games Machine	Daniele Cucchiarelli	8.8 / 10	09-17-2020	Aegis Rim is another small, but at the same time impressive masterpiece from Vanillaware that delivers an engaging story through an incredible visual style and an enjoyable narrative-strategic hybrid. This will be remembered as one of 2020’s best PlayStation 4 exclusives.	Read review
The Outerhaven Productions	Henry Buehler	4 / 5 stars	09-15-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a narrative that’s familiar, dense, mysterious, and groundbreaking. While it’s strategy RPG combat could use more depth, it’s story encapsulates the appeal of video games.	Read review
TheSixthAxis	Miguel Moran	9 / 10	09-15-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a must-play for fans of Japanese sci-fi adventures. Mixing the strengths of Vanillaware’s art with time-travel adventures is a recipe for huge success. A story ambitious enough to have thirteen different protagonists seems bound for failure, yet the game manages to make each story not only incredibly impactful on its own, but adds up to a bigger, brighter and utterly unforgettable narrative. The addictive tactical gameplay that strings these story scenes together, despite a strange artstyle, is just icing on the already massive and delicious cake.	Read review
ThisGenGaming	Justin Oneil	9.5 / 10	09-16-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim manages to not only tell one character’s story well but thirteen of them. It takes its time to get going but once it did, I found myself wanting to just keep going to see what was going to happen next with these characters. I also think this is not only the best game visually that Vanillaware has done but one of the best-looking games period.	Read review
TrueGaming	محمد البسيمي	8 / 10	09-28-2020	This game will give you a thrilling 35 hours of playtime divided between a great Science Fiction story packed with many electrifying plot points and a fun tactical combat system. If this is the kind of game that is right up your alley, you definitely wouldn’t want to miss out.	Read review
Twinfinite	Zhiqing Wan	4 / 5 stars	09-16-2020	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.	Read review
USgamer	Caty McCarthy	4 / 5 stars	09-15-2020	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.	Read review
VGChartz	Thomas Froehlicher	8 / 10	09-04-2020	13 Sentinels Aegis Rim combines a truly amazing narrative, unique esthetics, and an addictive battle system to produce a one-of-a-kind experience that JRPG and visual novels fans alike should definitely enjoy.	Read review
Video Chums	A.J. Maciejewski	7 / 10	09-15-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is certainly not a game for everyone. If you love story-heavy experiences and relish details that others may find dull then you’ll wholeheartedly embrace it. At the same time, those looking for rewarding strategy combat will likely be disappointed.	Read review
Wccftech	Kai Powell	8.6 / 10	09-15-2020	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a riveting tale of high school students, the giant robotic Sentinels they pilot, and a battle against invading kaiju across multiple timelines. This Kamitani-directed JRPG would have been a better read without the cumbersome addition of combat to distract from the plot.	Read review
Worth Playing	Chris “Atom” DeAngelus	8.5 / 10	09-23-2020	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.	Read review

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Game Info

Game Description / Storyline:

A departure from the studio’s traditional fantasy style, the game takes place in a modern setting punctuated with giant mechs. Although the world may be bleak, Vanillaware’s signature artistic shine and gorgeous aesthetics will bring the characters and story of 13 Sentinels to life.

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