incredible game. it took me a while to get into because of the way the game is paced and structured. like, it's hard to absorb the first few hours of the game when it's so cryptic and you know nothing about it. but the more you play, the more you start to understand it, the more you love it.

i generally don't think that video game stories demand a lot of critical attention. for better or worse, they're often laid out in a very simple way and they're easy to grasp. here, that's not really the case. 13 sentinels actually demands some critical analysis. you gotta pay attention to every detail, because you know it'll come up again later. initially, this was jarring but once i got used to it i loved it.

while this game is definitely more story than gameplay, the gameplay that's there is fun and never felt like it dragged on.

i also think the story's structure benefits from being a video game rather than just a visual novel or other medium. being able to pick and choose which order you do it in (minus the progression-gated events that most protagonists will have towards a certain point) works out pretty well and the puzzle nature of it makes me think that this story wouldn't work in any other medium.

the story itself: amazing. executes established sci-fi tropes in a compelling way. just genuinely great writing.

all things said, fantastic, 10/10, highlight of this generation and gaming as a whole