13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Part #1

Part 1: Juro Kurabe 1

Music: Brat Overflow (Hitoshi Sakimoto) (Listen to this)

I debated whether or not to include the music in this LP because there’s quite a lot of it, but I ultimately caved because it’s all just so good. It’s composed by members of Hitoshi Sakimoto’s independent production company Basiscape. You might be familiar with Sakimoto as the composer behind Final Fantasy XII and Valkyria Chronicles. He also did another Vanillaware title, Odin Sphere. He does some work on this game as well, but most of it isn’t him personally (though this track is). It’s all stellar though; if you were worried that the quality or feel might vary too much due to the number of composers, you shouldn’t be. This is legitimately one of my new favorite game soundtracks. Basiscape rules.

I feel the need to credit the other amazing composers who worked on this game, so here’s all their names: Kazuki Higashihara, Yoshimi Kudo, Rikako Watanabe, Kikuchi Yukinori, Mitsuhiro Kaneda, and Azusa Chiba. I’ll include a credit after each track so you can know who did what.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic preventing in-person recording, the English dub had to be recorded remotely and added in with a free day one patch. It’s still fantastic.

Music: KAIJU (Kazuki Higashihara)

A teenage boy is running against the tide of people… He sees something ahead of him, and stops.

Another teenager, a girl this time, is also running toward the source of the danger.

She stops in the middle of the road.

She lifts her skirt and swipes the skin, revealing a glowing blue “START” logo.

And then, out of nowhere, a giant robot crashes into the street behind her, shattering the glass windows all around it.

The girl is enveloped by a blue glow and disappears, and the robot activates…

The boy runs up, seeing the robot stand tall…

(It’s really happening… Just as you said.)

(So we’ll do what we have to do. Get in the robots and fight. Our fate was sealed a long time ago.)

Music: (VALINE) (Yoshimi Kudo)

What the… Where did my clothes go?

Straight to the important questions with this one.

Warning: Deimos signatures approaching. Enemy in range.

Was that… my voice? It’s like hearing myself talking in my head…

Preparing to intercept. Initiating tactical analysis.

A giant creature, towering above the skyline, approaches.

It-It’s coming this way! Ohhh… How do I move this thing!?

Gouto-senpai? What are you…?

Why are you in Sekigahara’s Sentinel?

Senpai… Are you like Ei-kun, too? Did you come from the future?

I’m sorry, what? We’re jumping right in it, aren’t we?

We can discuss that later. Do you understand the situation we’re in? That area is under attack by D-forces.

I came here to fight! But… I don’t know how to control any of this. And this robot’s not making a peep…

No time for a full rundown. We’ll have to settle for the fundamentals. Sentinels are made to be controlled with your mind. Think of it as another body connected to your brain. Try to direct it. You can do it.

That’s the link system of the nanomachines inside your brain. You’ll also have a direct feed of information from the Sentinel’s sensors. It should sound like your own voice is speaking directly to you. For now, you’ll just have to get used to it as you fight. …Can you move?

Y-Yes! I can walk, Senpai.

They’re coming closer.

That’s your equipment interface. Use that to neutralize the D-forces in front of you.

I dunno if I’m doing this right, but… How’s this!?

All right, let’s select Iori…

And once we’ve done that, select “Arm-Mounted Machine Cannons” from the Action menu.

They’re wiped out easily.

Slow down. Different combat situations might call for different weapons. If they’re all concentrated in one area, you could use a wide-impact armament like the rocket launchers.

What? What!? Uh, okay, rocket launchers…? Where’s the rocket launcher button?

Check your display… The rig is on your shoulders. Focus on them.

My shoulders… Is this how I do it…?

And they’re all gone.

A massive kaiju is approaching from behind.

Fuyusaka-kun! No. 15’s taken damage to the rear exhaust system…

Another Sentinel’s been transmitted behind you, Fuyusaka-kun. But who is it…?

Moving to cover Fuyusaka-san.

Don’t worry, you get used to the teenagers all being naked while piloting the giant robots. Small consolation, I know.

Kurabe…? What are you doing here?

I can’t let this turn out like Sector 3.

Izumi…? No, there’s no way his memory could have returned…

What the fuck!? We've got time travel and amnesiacs? Already????

I remember… doing this in my dreams… I think I can do this.

Wait until we call for backup, Izumi!

My name… is Juro Kurabe.

Juro punches the robot, knocking it away and destroying it.

But how…?

Okay, maybe hold back with the praise there Gouto. All he did was punch it twice.

Chapter 1: Juro Kurabe 1

Music: In The Doldrums (Rikako Watanabe) (Listen to this)

Juro looks around.

What is going on?

Shiba-kun…

Like something’s off.

What the…

Going to school, living my life… It’s like I’m not supposed to be here.

You’ve seen too many movies, man.

“Consider” is just a stellar verb for this. A+ job there.

(But he’s a good friend. I always talk to him about action flicks.)

Thanks for letting me borrow it.

Already? I just lent it to you yesterday! You wasted no time!

Can you blame me? Giant robots, fights in the city… I was on the edge of my seat!

*chuckle* You sure love mecha, don’tcha, Juro?

Use Video Tape on Kyuta Shiba

Let me know if you have any others to recommend.

Sure, yeah.

Do you think it’s too much? Well, now that you mention it… I’ve been seeing this stuff in my dreams, too.

You’re showin’ all the signs. Soon enough, you won’t know the difference between fiction and reality.

Yeah, yeah… I think I’ve seen a movie about that.

We can move at two speeds. Walking…

…Or slightly more brisk walking. It’s basically just halfway into a light jog. In certain scenes we can actually, you know, run, but I guess that’s not a great idea in this limited space. I’m not sure there’s ever a moment where we’ll actually need to run, but the option’s there.

Those of you who have followed my Persona 5 LPs will know that I never pass up an opportunity for a good eavesdrop. What do these two have to say?

Uh, sorry… I’ve got plans with someone.

Let me guess… It’s… Nenji-kun, right?

Ew, no. I mean, it *is* a guy, but…

Iori-chan met someone special too. I’m the only one left… You’re all so lucky with boys!

This little animation of her pouting is ridiculously adorable.

Deep breaths, Miwako.

Did you need something?

Er, not really.

Busted!

And we’re automatically forced to walk away.

Let’s examine this sleeping student.

Should I wake her up? Come to think of it, in that movie yesterday… The girl piloting the robot looked awfully familiar.

(She always seems to be sleeping. It’s odd. And then she shows up in my dreams… I can’t help but be a little curious about her.)

Now, we talk to Shiba again…

I saw that one video up for rent.

Really?

Yup! Gonna rent it?

I’ve got to!

Gimme a minute. I’ll be right back.

Guess I’ll wait here… Wonder what he’s up to.

Consider That One Video

(That movie’s a hidden gem. It’s tough to get a hold of these days.)

While we wait for Shiba to get back, Juro can interact with Fuyusaka again.

Mrgh…

Class is already over.

Kurabe-kun…?

You were out cold, huh?

Just now, I… I had another weird dream. And you were there…

Huh? Me? What kind of dream was it?

This sucks, man. Can’t find Amiguchi anywhere. Waaaait a minute. What’s goin’ on here? You two are lookin’ awfully cozy.

(blushing) I-It’s not like that.

……

Oh yeah? Then what’s the problem? Heheh! Don’t mind me! Carry on.

Let’s talk about this some other time.

…… Y-Yeah.

Iori then walks over to the other two girls.

Okay! See you tomorrow.

Fine… Guess single girls walk home alone…

Hey, I’m sorry. I’ll buy you a crêpe next time.

Now, if we stand in a specific spot here, directly between “Usami” and the desk in the foreground with the school bag laying on it…

Could you move?

Sorry.

And we get pushed away again. All of this is pointless, but I think it’s kinda neat so I’m wasting my own time by showing it off.

I loved the view from the old classroom… But the new one’s not bad either. I can see the whole schoolyard.

They’re really supporting one another… Maybe I should join a club too.

I know, I shouldn’t tease ya like that… But it’s your fault for keepin’ secrets from me.

*sigh*

But seriously, Amiguchi… We gotta catch that guy, and quick.

You want to hang out again that badly?

He’s got all the good video games! They’re just waitin’ for me to play ‘em.

He’s never around unless you make plans.

Consider Shu Amiguchi

(Amiguchi-kun’s not the most responsible guy, but… He’s smart, athletic, and popular with the ladies. On top of that, his family is rich… He’s got all the latest video game consoles in his room.)

Use Shu Amiguchi on Kyuta Shiba

Maybe he’s still around.

Oh, in the cafeteria? That’s right! He was there during break, too!

(in the background) Umm…

Grab your stuff and come on!

What is it, Sawatari-san?

Those papers on the podium… Could you take them to Ms. Morimura in the nurse’s office?

Me?

Well, it’s your turn this week…

Oh, is it?

Y-Yes, that’s right… Please take care of it.

“Keyword alerts” tell us if we have un-considered Thought Cloud keywords (green) or words we can use in the environment (red).

Use Stack of Papers on Kyuta Shiba

These papers… I need to take them to Ms. Morimura.

Ugh, seriously? Well, do whatcha gotta do. But we’re not giving up on Amiguchi, all right? I’m gonna head over to the cafeteria. Grab your bag and meet me there when you can.

With that, Shiba leaves.

Now, we just have to pick up our bag so we can go.

So, I haven’t brought it up yet, but… look at this fucking game. It’s goddamn beautiful. The way the rays of light filter through the window and the halation around the windowframe, the way in the previous scene the character sprites would get darker if they weren’t in direct sunlight (which is a huge pain in the ass for me as someone trying to grab character portraits, lmao), the way the light hits the edges of the characters to give them depth… it’s really incredible.

Can I just leave them here? Hm…?

Music: Sneaking Suspicions (Kikuchi Yukinori)

What *is* this?

I’ll just take a peek.

It’s my photo, but… The last name is wrong. I’m Juro Kurabe. …… Symptoms… Psyche stabilized via drug administration. The patient is obedient… General good health… Drugs, huh.

Music: In The Doldrums (Rikako Watanabe)

…Now, I know what you’re thinking, and we’re above the low-hanging fruit of making crude jokes about this character design. It’s… blatant, yes, but it’s also the only character design of that sort in the game, which is honestly impressive considering that Vanillaware also made Dragon’s Crown (and to a lesser extent, Odin Sphere), featuring designs that make this look positively restrained. So, I think we should acknowledge that it’s a bit silly and move on, okay? No jokes? All right.

Boobs.

If you can use a Thought Cloud item on a character, that’s generally the way you progress. Talking to the character instead usually just leads to a perfunctory line of dialogue or two, often with a “hint” reminding you of the item they want you to use. For example, talking to Morimura leads to the line “What brings you here?” and nothing else until you use the required item.

Also worth noting, when you exhaust a character’s dialogue like you’re playing fucking Dark Souls their name will turn red. Convenient.

Use Stack of Papers on Ms. Morimura

You brought them back for me?

I was told it was my turn this week.

Wait a minute—if she “forgot” them, why is it Juro’s “turn” this week to bring them back? Does she just forget them every single day so the students formed like, a chore wheel for it?

I see. You’re a good kid, Kurabe-kun.

I should go to the cafeteria.

Oh, one more thing. Kurabe-kun…

Look! The rays of light are making it harder to physically see the character sprites! This game is gorgeous!

Use Condition on Ms. Morimura

You know.

Juro just… looking directly at her boobs here.

Dizziness? Headaches? Are you getting enough sleep at night?

W-Why do you ask?

There’s a nasty cold going around.

At this time of year? That’s a bit odd, isn’t it?

I’ll give you some medicine just in case.

N-No thank you… I’m fine, really.

I see.

If you’ll excuse me…

Suddenly, Shiba bursts through the door!

Shiba-kun… What’s up?

Amiguchi wasn’t in the cafeteria. Figured I’d try here. Well, guess that’s all we can do. Let’s drop by the video store on the way home. C’mon.

Eh, we couldn’t catch Amiguchi… The video store was a waste of time… This sucks, man.

It’s true that one video was already rented out… But we didn’t come back empty-handed.

What, that old-ass kaiju flick?

Deimos vs. Mecha-Deimos! It’s a real masterpiece from ‘74.

You and your giant robots…

Hey, I got a flyer from the theater the other day. It showed what movies they’re playing this month. Guess what was on there? The original Deimos! Do you want to go?