Today’s issue of Weekly Famitsu included a large spread on Vanillaware’s upcoming game 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.
First of all, we take an extensive look at the characters, before we move into the meat of the reveal.
The main menu of the game includes three options, Adventure is where you play the story and interactions among characters, Battle is self-explanatory, and Archive lets you review events.
The Adventure part is created with Vanillaware’s beautiful art and typical sidescrolling gameplay, narrating the core of the story. While going through the story of the 13 heroes, we approach the solution of a massive mystery. The “Cloud Sync” system holds the key to the progression of the story.
Interaction within the Cloud Sync system is done by selecting keywords that appear during conversations. Thinking lets you come up with new keywords and those can even be exchanged among characters during dialogue.
Each protagonist has a dedicated episode focused on them and another closely related character. Following these stories leads towards the solution of the great mystery. The options selected in the Cloud Sync system and who to talk to are also important factors.
While we have seen the characters wearing mostly their school uniforms so far, depending on the situation and progress of the story, they will change their clothes and hairstyles.
Moving on to the Battle part, it’s where battles are fought with simulation RPG mechanics. The player will have to strengthen and customize the mecha piloted by the 13 heroes and defeat the hordes of enemy monsters. A “Casual Mode” is included for those who just want to enjoy the story.
Each protagonist has different abilities and one of four different classes, melee, universal, long-range, and flight. Each battle is easier to beat using the appropriate classes.
Monsters will attack aiming to break the absolute defense line and reach the base. The purpose of the heroes is to stop them in their tracks by using the weapons of their mechas.
It’s possible to select different actions to perform and depending on the progress of the battle conversations will happen between the pilots. By using chips earned in battle, it’s possible to customize the robots.
At the moment it’s unknown why the heroes pilot the mechas in battle, but they appear to do so in a rather relaxed manner despite the tense situation. They also appear naked while at the controls. The reason has not yet been explained.
The Archives part of the game goes in-depth into the lovingly created worldview of the game. It allows the player to rewatch event scenes and to check files on characters, robots, and more. Each is explained with beautiful illustrations. New files can be unlocked by using points earned in battle, and it’s also possible to unlock new episodes in the adventure part.
Since it’s Vanillaware, food also plays a role, and it’s portrayed beautifully as in previous games from the developer.
You can check out all the screenshots below.
If you want to see more, you can check out the latest gameplay release and an earlier trailer.
Vanillaware has also been teasing another game, of which we’re supposed to hear more after the completion of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim releases in Japan on November 28, 2019, exclusively for PS4. A western release has also been announced a while ago, but we don’t know much about it just yet.
[Source: Weekly Famitsu]
