Where do i even begin with this? This game is absolutely fantastic but there's not much i can actually say about it, not because there isn't a lot to say but because there's a lot i shouldn't say. This review will be brief because as much as i want to say "this game is good, just trust me bro", i do want this review to have a little bit more substance.
The biggest draw of this game is the story. How? I won't tell you, you just gotta experience it for yourself. But i will say i haven't been this intrigued in a game's story in a long time. While i won't go into specific details, i will say this game's story absolutely nailed In Medias Res, a method of writing that most people get wrong whenever they try it. I also ended up liking pretty much all of the protagonists here, with the exception of one and even that one had less to do with the writing and more of i just don't like that type of character.
The gameplay is pretty sweet too. It's a fun RTS even if it's braindead on anything lower than Intense. While i can criticize the fact that the map layouts are all basically the same, i was able to gain enough satisfaction from the battles that it never really got old for me. On Intense, the battles can get pretty hectic and the framerate can actually take a hit because of how much going on. All the stuff that was going on is exactly why i liked it though, seeing a bunch of damage numbers pop up made my monkey brain light up.
The music is also very goodeven if i'm listening to it more as i'm writing this because it kinda got drowned out a bit when i actually played. The composers of this game also composed the music for Valkyria Chronicles, which is weird honestly because i can't really remember a single track from Valkyria Chronicles 1 and 4.
Honestly, this game doesn't really have any big flaws i can think of. I mean, i can say something specific about the plot but that'd be spoilers and you really wouldn't want. Anything else is just minor. Like i could say that the character designs are a little bit bland (even if the artstyle itself is really nice) and i don't like the mech designs because i don't like bulky mechs in general. But this doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Honestly, this game is a 10/10 masterpiece imo. The "it's good bro, trust me" folks were right.
Play 13 Sentinels.
The biggest draw of this game is the story. How? I won't tell you, you just gotta experience it for yourself. But i will say i haven't been this intrigued in a game's story in a long time. While i won't go into specific details, i will say this game's story absolutely nailed In Medias Res, a method of writing that most people get wrong whenever they try it. I also ended up liking pretty much all of the protagonists here, with the exception of one and even that one had less to do with the writing and more of i just don't like that type of character.
The gameplay is pretty sweet too. It's a fun RTS even if it's braindead on anything lower than Intense. While i can criticize the fact that the map layouts are all basically the same, i was able to gain enough satisfaction from the battles that it never really got old for me. On Intense, the battles can get pretty hectic and the framerate can actually take a hit because of how much going on. All the stuff that was going on is exactly why i liked it though, seeing a bunch of damage numbers pop up made my monkey brain light up.
The music is also very good
Honestly, this game doesn't really have any big flaws i can think of. I mean, i can say something specific about the plot but that'd be spoilers and you really wouldn't want. Anything else is just minor. Like i could say that the character designs are a little bit bland (even if the artstyle itself is really nice) and i don't like the mech designs because i don't like bulky mechs in general. But this doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Honestly, this game is a 10/10 masterpiece imo. The "it's good bro, trust me" folks were right.
Play 13 Sentinels.