This review contains spoilers
Give me a year or two, and I’ll probably know what I think of the story by then- I think I liked it?
Would have gladly traded a few of the expository scenes for some more of the slice-of-life stuff; I don’t think Iori or Hijiyama have the greatest stories, but the focus on their daily life was an appreciated reprieve from being inundated by all the “mystery box” teases. If there’s anything that might weaken this game with time, it’s the realization that you can play through an entire character’s plotline and still not know them- ended up thinking of about half the cast more as delivery vessels for exposition than as fully-formed characters unto themselves.
Interested in how much a different character order might change that perspective, though. I’ve been thinking on KingBancho’s review where he discussed the value of the narrative despite the lack of interactivity- something I was debating over the course my playthrough. I know I enjoyed playing as Ryoko more than most of the characters because I felt the same confusion and pressure she did, constantly trying to place where I was, who was telling the truth- a feeling that was strengthened by having her sections take place under the pressure of time limit. And I wondered if other characters could've benefited from similar mechanical additions: would Natsuno's story be more compelling with stealth sections, or should Yuki's investigation have had interviews you could fail at? (I know what the armchair designer in me thinks.)
But that's an admittedly narrow view, and on a broader level, it’s the player who’s stitching the whole thing together, an editor with a hazy sense of the script deciding on the final cut. That might also explain why the game loses steam in the latter half- if you’re anything like me, you’ll rush to complete your favorite characters storylines whenever they become available, while the back end is spent begrudgingly clearing out whoever’s left, the pacing suffering more because of player agency than weak writing. There's a post by author BC that has me especially curious about how choosing a different sequence of events could change my reading of the story, as they noted playing everything chronologically made the narrative more satisfying, saying:
The nebulous satisfaction provided by the ending actually felt like a deeper and more meaningful achievement for these characters because I could understand what they overcame to get there. I saw their growth as the product of choices made early in the plot, not just a series of sort-of-arbitrary, disconnected scenarios. During moments of heightened tension, I understood what the characters stood to lose, and the way their trauma informed who they were and what they cherished.
And it’s an interesting dilemma, letting players dictate the pace of a story that stands to be weaker than a traditionally-authored narrative, but one fueled by a insatiable curiosity that’ll have you darting between stories as you start to slowly unravel the truth- something that would likely be lost if you couldn’t decide where the story headed next.
Certainly more engrossing than the RTS missions; think it mostly serves its purpose as a break from the VN sections, something you can get deep into but isn’t really a requirement- all I’ll say is that I found it was much more tactically engaging with less units. On the few missions that had an optional objective to play with 4 characters instead of 6, I was pushed to consider every facet of the game more seriously: take one sentinel from every generation to cover your bases or commit to a lopsided strategy? And in the missions themselves I felt like I had to properly strategize, really thinking about how to use my four turns to overcome the odds instead of just committing half my team to turret/missile rain duty.
But it’s the first Vanillaware game I’ve finished and one I’d like to revisit someday, so I guess that makes it a rousing success for a developer whose games I’ve spent more time trying to like than actually enjoying.
_____
Works Cited:
13 Sentinels Review, KingBancho
The Narrative Box of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, BC (The link is acting weird- had to cancel loading the page to actually see the article)
Would have gladly traded a few of the expository scenes for some more of the slice-of-life stuff; I don’t think Iori or Hijiyama have the greatest stories, but the focus on their daily life was an appreciated reprieve from being inundated by all the “mystery box” teases. If there’s anything that might weaken this game with time, it’s the realization that you can play through an entire character’s plotline and still not know them- ended up thinking of about half the cast more as delivery vessels for exposition than as fully-formed characters unto themselves.
Interested in how much a different character order might change that perspective, though. I’ve been thinking on KingBancho’s review where he discussed the value of the narrative despite the lack of interactivity- something I was debating over the course my playthrough. I know I enjoyed playing as Ryoko more than most of the characters because I felt the same confusion and pressure she did, constantly trying to place where I was, who was telling the truth- a feeling that was strengthened by having her sections take place under the pressure of time limit. And I wondered if other characters could've benefited from similar mechanical additions: would Natsuno's story be more compelling with stealth sections, or should Yuki's investigation have had interviews you could fail at? (I know what the armchair designer in me thinks.)
But that's an admittedly narrow view, and on a broader level, it’s the player who’s stitching the whole thing together, an editor with a hazy sense of the script deciding on the final cut. That might also explain why the game loses steam in the latter half- if you’re anything like me, you’ll rush to complete your favorite characters storylines whenever they become available, while the back end is spent begrudgingly clearing out whoever’s left, the pacing suffering more because of player agency than weak writing. There's a post by author BC that has me especially curious about how choosing a different sequence of events could change my reading of the story, as they noted playing everything chronologically made the narrative more satisfying, saying:
The nebulous satisfaction provided by the ending actually felt like a deeper and more meaningful achievement for these characters because I could understand what they overcame to get there. I saw their growth as the product of choices made early in the plot, not just a series of sort-of-arbitrary, disconnected scenarios. During moments of heightened tension, I understood what the characters stood to lose, and the way their trauma informed who they were and what they cherished.
And it’s an interesting dilemma, letting players dictate the pace of a story that stands to be weaker than a traditionally-authored narrative, but one fueled by a insatiable curiosity that’ll have you darting between stories as you start to slowly unravel the truth- something that would likely be lost if you couldn’t decide where the story headed next.
Certainly more engrossing than the RTS missions; think it mostly serves its purpose as a break from the VN sections, something you can get deep into but isn’t really a requirement- all I’ll say is that I found it was much more tactically engaging with less units. On the few missions that had an optional objective to play with 4 characters instead of 6, I was pushed to consider every facet of the game more seriously: take one sentinel from every generation to cover your bases or commit to a lopsided strategy? And in the missions themselves I felt like I had to properly strategize, really thinking about how to use my four turns to overcome the odds instead of just committing half my team to turret/missile rain duty.
But it’s the first Vanillaware game I’ve finished and one I’d like to revisit someday, so I guess that makes it a rousing success for a developer whose games I’ve spent more time trying to like than actually enjoying.
_____
Works Cited:
13 Sentinels Review, KingBancho
The Narrative Box of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, BC (The link is acting weird- had to cancel loading the page to actually see the article)