Vanillaware, the studio behind Odin Sphere and Dragon’s Crown, has once again partnered with Atlus to bring another title from Japan over the United States. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is an adventure involving thirteen school students who seem to be tied together in some inexplicable fashion. Also, they seem to be connected to giant robots known as “Sentinels,” and are fighting against giant monsters between cram school and homework.
The game came out originally in Japan last year and garnered tremendous critical praise, winning a number of awards including the Future Division category of the Japan Game Awards, as well as the Japan Otaku Awards’ Grand Prize. The English language voiceover tracks will be a Day 1 patch when the game releases on September 22. Players who pre-order now at physical retailers can secure a copy of an exclusive artbook, containing character profiles, while digital pre-orders through the PlayStation Store will receive a digital artbook.
13 Sentinels combines the signature hand-painted style Vanillaware games are famous for with character-driven adventure sequences, interspersed with frenetic top-down tactical combat as you customize your mech and fight off wave after wave of kaiju. The storyline will be decidedly non-linear as players shift between the past, present, and future while revealing the various connections and relationships between the titular array of characters. Each character will have their own distinct storyline displayed in a mixture of side-scrolling action and visual novel narrative, as players attempt to unravel an epic mystery stretching from WWII to the distant future.
Meanwhile, battle sequences take on a RTS feel as up to six characters jump into giant robots fighting to protect humanity from extinction at the hands (and claws and teeth) of the kaiju. Tactics can be adjusted by pausing the battle to adjust positions and prepare special abilities to deploy for maximum effect.
13 Sentinels is set to release September 22, following a two week delay. The title will be available exclusively on PlayStation 4.
