13 Sentinels is Plot Twist: The Game. It has a ridiculous amount of twists. But that's not a bad thing. What starts as a time travel thriller with robots turns into anything but, with each new twist unravelling the plot's true nature like an onion. Every chapter reveals a new layer, and while there are a few bits it feels like they skimmed over, the full picture not only makes sense, but is a full-blown epic.
The gameplay isn't nearly as epic, but it works. The biggest problem is it gets in the way of the story, which is the selling point. You can spend the first 15 hours after the Prologue doing nothing but following the story, but eventually, you have to get in the robot, Shinji.
It's okay. It does get intense in the later stages, and there's some satisfaction to slaughtering hordes of enemy robots at a time. But you'll be spending a lot more time with the story, which is more of a classic adventure game. Half the time, it feels like the RTS segments are there to pad the game out. They don't hurt the game, but next to everything else, they don't feel like they belong, and it'd be an even better game if they cut them out and had you play out the important bits like the rest of it.
But other than that? It's beautiful. In both senses of the word. The graphics are gorgeous, and the music is excellent, wrapping the package in an incredibly lavish bow. But at its' heart is its story. It's a labyrinth sci-fi epic, grounded by a believable and compelling ensemble cast despite the sheer scope, and elevated by everything else.
13 Sentinels
13 Sentinels is Plot Twist: The Game. It has a ridiculous amount of twists. But that's not a bad thing. What starts as a time travel thriller with robots turns into anything but, with each new twist unravelling the plot's true nature like an onion. Every chapter reveals a new layer, and while there are a few bits it feels like they skimmed over, the full picture not only makes sense, but is a full-blown epic.
The gameplay isn't nearly as epic, but it works. The biggest problem is it gets in the way of the story, which is the selling point. You can spend the first 15 hours after the Prologue doing nothing but following the story, but eventually, you have to get in the robot, Shinji.
It's okay. It does get intense in the later stages, and there's some satisfaction to slaughtering hordes of enemy robots at a time. But you'll be spending a lot more time with the story, which is more of a classic adventure game. Half the time, it feels like the RTS segments are there to pad the game out. They don't hurt the game, but next to everything else, they don't feel like they belong, and it'd be an even better game if they cut them out and had you play out the important bits like the rest of it.
But other than that? It's beautiful. In both senses of the word. The graphics are gorgeous, and the music is excellent, wrapping the package in an incredibly lavish bow. But at its' heart is its story. It's a labyrinth sci-fi epic, grounded by a believable and compelling ensemble cast despite the sheer scope, and elevated by everything else.
Even with the RTS, it might be my GOTY.