I just finished 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, a fantastic game that is a unique combination of the visual novel and strategy genres. I really did not expect to like it as much as I did; visual novels aren’t really my thing, but the narrative and the way it is presented is incredibly masterful and engaging.
I bought it after seeing Vazkii’s recommendation, the fact that it was on sale, and the praise that very notable game developers gave this game.
I, too, highly recommend this game. It takes a small while before anything starts “making sense”, but once it does, and the different protagonist’s stories start connecting, it comes together in an extremely satisfying way. This game evokes this feeling constantly:
There’s three “modes” in this game: Remembrance, Destruction, and Analysis. Remembrance is the “main” visual novel mode, where you experience 13 different characters’ stories, and how they all lead up to the Final Battle. Destruction mode is a RTS-like game where you must defend a terminal with active-time-battle mechas. For a visual novel, the Destruction mode is surprisingly fun. It has different difficulties that you can change at any time too. Analysis is just a massive dictionary and event timeline, which you can reference at any time. You unlock parts of it as the story goes on, in both Remembrance and Destruction.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim has the best writing of any game I’ve ever played. The way the story is presented makes the player feel so smart, like you’ve solved an unsolvable mystery. The ending is super satisfying too. Stay after the credits – and check the last event after you clear the game!
If I had to say something negative about this game, I would say that I felt like a few of the solutions to the “puzzles” in the visual novel part felt a bit stupid, but I think that may come from unfamiliarity to the genre. Also this game does the Street Fighter thing where when characters are just mirrored when they face the other direction, which can look a bit silly but it’s more of a limitation to 2D art.
Regardless, this was a 10/10 game easily. I’m really glad I tried it out. You should try it too!