Atlus has announced it will be bringing its "critically acclaimed" sci-fi epic 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim to Nintendo Switch on 12th April 2022 here in the west.
This title by Atlus and Vanillaware is described as a dramatic experience blending visual novel, light puzzle elements, and RTS - where the future lies in the hands of 13 young pilots and their sentinels. As the player, it's your job to unravel their stories and uncover the truth across an intertwining narrative that spans across time and space.
The same title launched on the PlayStation 4 last September, and our sister site Push Square awarded it nine out of ten stars. Here's what they had to say in its spoiler-free review:
"13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a phenomenal visual novel — and a surprisingly great strategy game. In trying something different, Vanillaware has crafted one of its best games yet. It's got an engrossing story that's absolutely packed with mind-blowing twists and endearing characters, all wrapped up in a gorgeous visual style. Don't sleep on 13 Sentinels — it's one of 2020's finest."
Is this a game you would be interested in playing on the Nintendo Switch? Leave a comment down below.
Comments 139
YESSSSSSSS. I've been hoping this would make it over. Glad I didn't crack and pick it up on PS4.
Hopefully this leads to other Vanillaware ports. I was thinking of buying a vita for their games
Removed - unconstructive; user is banned
Yes! Okay I did buy it on PS4 (although yet to finish) but I much prefer playing such VN-style games in a portable setting.
Uhhhh....? Okay....?
I have no idea what kinda game this is?
Cool, maybe this will open a door for Dragons Crown or Muramasa. Truthfully I’ve wondered how Vanillaware has done in recent years. It seemed like 13 Sentinels was in development forever and sold poorly.
@MrHonest anime thrash? Poor summer child, you don't know what are you talking about.
Oooh, this game is pretty good. It has a heavy aspect on the VN style games but the tactical gameplay aspect of this game is phenomenal. I spent a lot of hours on finishing this game and every second was worth it.
WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUU-
Wow, not in a million years would I have expected this to happen. To be honest I can't wrap my head around how this happened.
Edit: Actually I just now remembered that they had to scrap the Vita version because of performance issues and that the PS4 sometimes has trouble running the game so that just makes this even more surprising
@MrHonest,
That's pure bait.
Great. I've heard good things about this game.
Been sleeping on buying this one for a long time. Maybe a Switch port is all I needed to entice me? We shall see!
One of the best games of 2020 indeed. Absolutely amazing gameplay and story. Just buy the game, you won't regret it.
@The-Chosen-one
Sci-Fi Tower Defense/Visual Novel
...And I kid you not, I just bought it for PS4 last Thursday during the Black Friday 2021 PSN Store Sale. Had I known it'd come for Switch, I'd have waited. Oh well, still awesome news.
Hopefully they later bring more of Vanillaware games, such as Odin Sphere, Dragon's Crown and Muramasa.
Fantastic news, I have was jealous as I don’t own a PS4.
Day 1 for me.
Peak fiction finally arrives on the go! This game is a masterpiece. Those who haven't played this yet are in for a treat as this is one of Vanillaware's most standout titles in their already amazing library.
Oh awesome! This and Nier Automata were the two PS4 games I wanted to play so badly, I almost bought that console. In the end I didn’t think the outlay of funds and being even more tempted by even more games was worth it.
But I’m excited to see this coming to Switch!
I see “visual novel” and worry I prefer to play games more than read them, but on second thought I’ve been playing Super Robot Taisen games since the Saturn era so 13 Sentinels will be a treat. Where do I preorder!? 😆
Yet another 2022 Switch highlight and finally some Vanillaware on the platform. Granted, a lot of their other stuff is portable on Vita anyway; 13 Sentinels wasn't. Frabjous news.
Yes! I've had it on backlog for the longest time and now there's no reason for me not to play it
I beat this on PS4 and got the Platinum, absolutely amazing game I highly recommend it to everyone. Such an incredible story and characters, it's truly an unique experience you can only go through once. I wish I could erase my memory of playing the game so I could relive it all again. Will gladly pick this up again on Switch to support it and see how great the game looks on the OLED.
@MrHonest Then you will miss out of one of the best story games in recent time just because you think it's "anime trash"
What kind of unconstructive comment is that anyway?
I've had my eye on this for a while. I'm glad I didn't buy it on PS4 yet, as it looks like a better fit for the Switch.
Finally on a console where it will sell way better than on PlayStation.
I think.
Not normally into visual novel style games but this one has me interested
Atlus will bring anything to the Switch that isn't Persona lol.
By buying it on the Switch I know my money will be used to fund more japanese games and not just western AAA like Sony always do.
Physical version? I hope so
As someone who's played this on PS4 a year ago, I highly recommend it! The only problem is that I can barely reveal what makes it so good without spoiling it. You really have to go into it blind.
Now if they could only free Muramasa Rebirth from Vita hell, for God's sake...
Finally, 13 Sentinels on the go! After the cancellation of the Vita port, I'd hope for this to be on the Switch and it's finally here! I have it on the PS4 but I'm definitely double dipping. Here's hoping for more Vanillaware games ported on Switch.
I hope this means other Vanillaware games like Dragon's Crown, Princess Crown, Odin Sphere, and Muramasa are all likely for Switch remastered in the future too.
One of the best sci-fi stories I’ve ever witnessed, give this a go people! Hope it sells well this time.
@FX102A is it worth playing? I’m a JRPG fan but was never sure about this one
I have it on ps4 already, but I might pick it up for switch too if it’s on sale. It’s a good game and I’d highly recommend it.
I stumbled across the phenomenal soundtrack for this game during my work YouTube listening and have been interested in it ever since. Glad to read the story and characters are worth it too. Definitely keeping an eye on this one!
@The-Chosen-one Half sci-fi visual novel, half real-time strategy. It’s really amazing game — the best sci-fi story since Steins;Gate.
@Low It actually sold pretty well by Vanillaware standards — 500k worldwide — and will probably double that with a good price and solid port to Switch.
Very excited about this news. April is a long wait though.
Great news! Heard a lot of great things about this one. Day one for me
This is an incredible game. One of the best games I've played all year in fact. I never expected it to leave the PS4, happy that others will now get a chance to play.
@Mattock1987 If you like a mind-warping story, yes. I wouldn’t call it a JRPG but it is definitely in the vin diagram for many JRPG fans. Amazing, amazing story, super fun RTS-lite battle system, and gorgeous art.
Have you played Shin Megami Tensei V yet? For a JRPG fan, it’s the goods!
@Specter_of-the_OLED I would happily pay $50 for Muramasa HD with all the DLC on Switch.
@OldPierre77 objective and metacritic? A game is always subjected to subjective opinions although you kinda grasp if a game is good, okay or bad from the reviews off of it.
@Spiders oh ok, I am playing and loving SMT5 atm, so if this game is similar and just as good I may give it a go, cheers
Does the sales of SMT5 have something to do with why they are now considering releasing this for Switch. I think so.
13 Sentinels barley sold on Playstation and over a year later can't see it selling any better on Switch
(Throws debit card at screen) Day one.
Great news!! It looks pretty good indeed.
@KBuckley27
It sold half a million brah, that's not barely selling
@Spiders
Hope so, maybe all the other vanillaware games will be ported then too
@steely_pete 2 years to sell 500k copies with ATLUS name attached to the game is not good when smaller games are selling way better much faster
Awesome news! This was easily my GotY in 2020, such an interesting way of telling a story. Loved the English VA cast too. Highly recommend to any visual novel fans.
...guess I should have continued holding off.
Oh well. Double-dipping for a Switch copy!
It will definitely sell better on a console, that’s popular in Japan, doesn’t butcher Japanese games in any way (censorship, etc.) and hasn’t focused on westernized, cinematic, story driven games. (:
Will definitely look into this.
This is great! I gave up in hoping for ports. Just got it on sale for PS5 on black friday.
Looks interesting. Will wait for reviews on this one as usual
@KBuckley27 500k for a PS4 exclusive that is half-adventure, half-RTS (two dead genres) made by a small company (Vanillaware) is decent.
This is one of my favorite games of all time. The story is bonkers (in the best way), the battle man are thrilling, and the music and graphics are perfect.
Glad to see it coming to Switch finally.
This game is incredible. Easily Vanillaware's best game (as someone who has been playing their games since Odin Sphere's PS2 release). It's also the best story of any game released in 2020.
@Lando_ man, I WONDER what console you are talking about there. *wink, wink
@SwitchForce maybe it’s on Vanillaware’s side. Maybe Vanillaware wanted to port this to Switch because if I recall correctly, 13 sentinels sold about over 500,000 copies and the fact the Switch is popular in Japan while PlayStation isn’t and given that some Japanese companies that are more Japanese first, West second like Atlus and also in a way Spike Chunsoft they have to port more games to Switch for $$$$$ and they know they could make a lot of money.
Basically it’s probably on Vanillaware’s decision to do port it and Atlus supported that decision
was waiting for this
Very beautiful art style and good stories, but I don't like the battle system at all.
I've heard this one is really good so I'm excited to see it coming to Switch. I'll probably pick it up in April
Let's get Scarlet Nexus on Switch next!
I have it on PS4 and I definitely recommend it for those who haven’t played it. A really great game that you just want to see what happens. Not something I would double dip for though.
"This title by Atlus and Vanillaware-"
SOLD
@Lando_ not only that but the Japanese people who DO buy a Playstation in Japan, they mostly only buy it for 3rd party games and ALMOST ZERO first party games. Call of Duty somehow is pretty popular in Japan and yet it is only the PS4 version of Vanguard not even the PS5 version of Vanguard.
@nintendolife https://www.nintendoenthusiast.com/square-enix-life-is-strange-true-colors/
I feel this could be interesting here
This is why I hold off for Switch versions.
The first Vanillaware game on Switch. Good. Let's kick this tub up to speed.
Physical version please!
Amazing I have been looking to play this and just wasn't up for getting a PS4 for it, guess I really need to wrap up Trails of Cold Steel 4 and a few other JRPG so I have my schedule clear. Great news
Don't skip out on this game if you like visual novels! It's amazing.
People gushed about this game when it was new, so I may check it out.
great news too bad April is so far
This game is a true masterpiece, I actually love it so much. Such a visual treat and great to play.
Hopefully this is far from the last Atlus game they are porting over if all those polls actually meant something
Clearly the Nintendo Switch is slaughtering all of its competition in Japan and that is starting to bear fruit to all of the other regions as well in the form of powerful hitting software. The Switch is the DS/PS2 of the modern era.
I got this on ps4 for my birthday earlier this year and I absolutely loved it. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants an awesome story with amazing visuals. I really hope Atlus will bring more vanillaware games to the switch. Dragon's Crown would be the best choice because of how the switch is a local multiplayer machine. Odin's Sphere is amazing too. I would also like to see Grimgrimoire get another chance, and Muramasa would be a good fit since it was originally on the Wii.
This makes me so happy! I LOVE when I hold out buying a game in the hopes that it comes to Switch and then it happens! This is outstanding news: please consider me happy and not a potential buyer but a secured buyer.
@mariomaster96 My opinion, dude.
@Lando_ Hey these western cinematic games sell more than most Nintendo franchise. Just saying lol
@johnvboy Nope.
@JokerCK Looks like anime garbage to me.
@sailornic if the game runs and looks good on Switch then I would say for Atlus to take their time on it
@MrHonest he is talking about Sony's western cinematic games and how most of them aren't popular in Japan (Ghost of Tsushima sold good I think in Japan)
@anoyonmus i know what he is talking about and my point still stand: Western cinematic games sell more than Nintendo’ s franchise exempt for Smash, Mario kart, and Pokemon.
And Japan is declining so that doesn’t matter much.
@MrHonest and looks like you need attention kid. Also why did you delete your comment if this is looks like garbage for you?
@JokerCK Kid, I didn’t delete anything?
Think I will just echo what many others are saying about bringing over the other Vanillaware games in a collection or something. And maybe Princess Crown too, think that was by the same people before they became Vanillaware. Had it on the PSP years ago but having no Japanese it was near impossible to follow.
Wow. That game is the last one, for which i still hold on to my PS4.
(have not bought it yet, but its on my to play / buy list)
With God of War being ported to PC and this to switch, it's time to finally sell it.
Very cool. Was really hoping this would get ported to Switch after hearing positive impressions across the board. Yet another 2022 Switch release to look forward to!
@Low 13 sentinels sold pretty well on ps4 considering its niche. Muramasa is not an Atlus game
Lol I was JUST about to get this yesterday on BF sale for $20 but something told me to hold off and wait for a possible Switch port.
looking forward
Vanillaware is pretty much a company I'll buy blind.
One of my top 2020 games, and imo the best story in a game ever. Do I double dip to play on SWOLED? Perhaps...
@Spiders
Thanks this helped me alot.
Never heard of this game.
Okay now bring over aaaallll the other Vanillaware games to switch. I'd settle for even a PC release. Just save them from Playstation hell.
@MrHonest.
Pure attention seeking bait at it's finest, at least be honest about it.
@OldPierre77 yeah in a perfect world that would happen, however there are things wrong with metacritic as a whole. There is no clear idea what the difference is of a 96 score and a for example 95 but i get what you mean. Speaking of which a reviewer that also scores with up to a max of 5 stars is also weird in my opinion just like using a metric up to a 100 with increments of 1. Especially when a the same game with the same content and same performance has a lower score on pc then on console for example. Or vice versa.
Also the site “gauges/guesses” from a few websites that don’t give numbers to their reviews anymore like kotaku what their review would translate to into a number. And that (given that they are huge sites/contributers) can change hard if the games does not have a million reviews.
But anyway I do understand your point about the general consensus of their scores.
@johnvboy no it’s my opinion. You’re welcome to disagree.
@MrHonest,
Not into this game to be honest, so your opinion is fine, but the way you stated it in your first comment was surely to wind people up.
@Teksetter Resist the temptation if you want to keeping being a Nintendo fan. I bought a PS4 a few years ago. Sony sent me a PS5 at launch. And I bought a Switch at the beginning of lockdown. The Switch has a layer of dust an inch thick. I just can't do Nintendo anymore. After 60 fps, sub 30 doesn't cut it.
@Ambassador_Kong
Hey, it’s possible a shiny new PS5 could lure me away from the Switch, but since launch I’ve really had thousands of quality game hours with it. Plus I’m a mom and like to game together with my kids. I decided a long time ago to be a single-platform gamer, and Nintendo remains the best fit for me.
I’m missing out on the 60fps, 4K beautiful AAA games, for sure, so if those are the types of games that grab you, then roll with them and enjoy! Maybe at some point you’ll dust off your Switch if you’re on the go or an exclusive game tempts you back.
@Mattock1987 No not at all!!! I’m playing SMTV too and loving it... just wanted to makes sure it was on your radar.
13 Sentinels is almost all story, but there is a ton of suspense and I really enjoyed the themes and trying to figure out what was really going on. I guess they’re both dark, mature, and play with tropes and expectations.
@MrHonest Sure, but you’re still talking about a handful of games from less than a handful of publishers. There’s a reason so many games have been Switch/PC over the last few years; for the majority of the industry that isn’t making cinematic-AAA, Switch prints money.
@KBuckley27 500k for a visual novel with many delays, zero marketing, and against Avengers and Genshin Impact is pretty solid. It’s going to do great on Switch if they nail the pricing ($29.99-39.99).
Nintendolife should pick up the Nintendo angle.
Smash Bros Daddy Sakurai says 13 Sentinels a must-play:
https://www.dualshockers.com/masahiro-sakurai-praises-13-sentinels-aegis-rim/
Definitely going into my Switch collection. Love the series.
@Spiders I hope it is around that price
@MrHonest
"Western cinematic games sell more than Nintendo’s franchise bar Smash, Mario kart and Pokemon."
I'm gonna need a source in that lol
@westman98 it’s not hard to figure it out when half of Nintendo’s franchise is dead lol
@MrHonest
Nobody is talking about F-Zero or Golden Sun here.
So I ask again, source?
@westman98
https://mobile.twitter.com/ZhugeEX/status/1183442551824666625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1183442551824666625%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-17800966953774491276.ampproject.net%2F2111060251009%2Fframe.html
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.polygon.com/platform/amp/2018/6/14/17465488/the-last-of-us-sales-17-million-ps3-ps4
Found nothing on Nintendo since they don’t share much. I would say these two for example would put over Nintendo games like Mario Golf, Metroid and Mario Tennis.
@MrHonest Western cinematic games only worth $20 max bargain bin prices though, as market dictates. So much for the sales record.
@MrHonest
Ok, so that's a whopping 2 cinematic western games - hardly representative of the entire genre.
Meanwhile...
https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/index.html
> The top 6 best-selling Switch games have outsold both Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us PS3 + PS4.
> Super Mario Party has outsold Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us PS3/PS4 individually (but not combined).
> The recently-released Diamond/Pearl remakes are also sure to outsell both those titles as it's launch has been massive.
> Since we are also adding sales across generations, NSMBU on Wii U + Switch has sold more than Uncharted 4.
@MagnesG No point to be insecure dude. It’s going to be alright.
@westman98 Dude, you literally proved me right. You aren’t really good at this seriously. Except for Nintendo Flagship franchises western cinematic games sell more than most of Nintendo’s low budget games.
What a self-own lol
@MrHonest
Your examples consisted of two games, one of which includes the sales across two console generations.
The recently released Guardians of the Galaxy game is a big flagship western cinematic game, and it is probably going to sell more like Metroid Dread/Mario Tennis than Animal Crossing/Pokemon. Does that mean Nintendo games are bigger than western cinematic games?
@westman98 Half of your list includes multiple generations too. Like BOTW.
@MrHonest
That list only counts sales of the Switch versions of games. Add in sales of the Wii U version, and Mario Kart 8 would be a 47 million seller, Breath of the Wild would be a 26 million seller, NSMBU would be a 17 million seller, etc.
What you are doing right now is picking the biggest western cinematic games (Uncharted, The Last of Us) and comparing them to the smaller Nintendo games (Mario Golf/Tennis) to say that western cinematic games are more popular than Nintendo games. That, of course, is an inherently unfair comparison - it's like if I claimed that Splatoon was more popular than Grand Theft Auto because Splatoon 2 outsold GTA Vice City Stories on PSP.
The actual sensible comparison would be the compare Nintendo's flagship titles to the flagship western cinematic blockbusters. In that case, Nintendo's games are more successful.
@KBuckley27 There have been a lot of games that sold better on the Switch than on PS4. Disgaea 5 is the first one that pops to mind and one of the most dramatic cases, as Disgaea 5 Complete on the Switch quite likely saved the series from cancellation. There's a certain style that just catches fire on the Switch, and I think this is one of those games.
Removed - flaming/arguing; user is banned
@MrHonest
Good to see you no longer have a rebuttal and are just resorting to "Take the L, bro".
Have a nice day 👍
This was probably the only VN i've ever cared about to be honest. the RTS phases was fun too. Platinumed it pretty much instantly.
Although, i'm worried. I played this through on a PS4 slim and the RTS segments had some serious framerate issues when effects was going out the wazoo. (non existent when played on PS5.)
There really is no reason, given how powerful the switch is, that it won't happen here as well.
@westman98 nah I just think you lost this one. Like i said, no big deal.
Have a good day too✌️
@westman98 hmm didn’t Animal Crossing and Smash Ultimate sell a crap ton
Never heard of it, looks great. Muramasa and dragons crown please
You lads are in for an absolute treat. This is the only game I've ever platinumed and it haunted my thoughts for weeks after completing it.
Congrats!
@anoyonmus
"If you ignore all the Nintendo games that sell a crap ton, then Nintendo games don't sell a crap ton."
@Spiders Would be great seeing that price but on the Japanese trailer it indicates the standard full price (which is the same with the PS4 west version) so it is doubtful. However, Atlus games regularly get good sales on the eshop shortly after release so I would probably get it then.
It's got a really good MetaCritic score on PS4 and IGN nominated it as one of the best Adventure/Puzzle games of 2020, so I'll buy it as long as it runs well on Switch.
@MrHonest
It’s okay if you like those kind of games. : ) I personally don’t. Playing Uncharted Golden Abyss on my Vita at the moment, and it’s boring af. It’s one big cutscene with a bit of shooting and climbing. :/
@Lando_ They gave Uncharted 1-3 for free on the PS store during the early days of the pandemic and I just couldn't get into any of the games. To each his own I guess.
Fantastic game. Its one of the few games I have the platinum trophy for.
It was an absolute joy to play, one of those games I was sad to finish as I enjoyed my time with it so much.
Omg I was so bummed out when they cancelled the Vita port, I'm getting this day 1 when it comes out on the Switch.
@Octane_st1m
Yes. Sadly I’ll never get why people like those interactive movies with little gameplay elements. I’d rather watch a movie. :/ Focusing on that type of game, Sony made me switch to Nintendo systems. :/ To each their own, right.
@Filidecht Hahaha it’s one of my two Platinum trophies, the other being After Burner Climax on PS3 hahaa
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