The Nintendo Switch port of combination visual novel and real time strategy game 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is currently scheduled to release on April 12, 2022. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, which was created by Odin Sphere and Dragon's Crown developer Vanillaware and localized by Atlus West, was first released for the PlayStation 4 in Japan in 2019. It later received a worldwide release, also for the PlayStation 4, in late 2020, due to delays in the localization process caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim tells the story of thirteen teenagers chosen to pilot giant robots - the titular Sentinels - and protect their city from an invasion of mysterious enemies called Kaiju. The game alternates between non-linear story segments, told in a visual novel style with branching paths and endings, and real-time strategy combat sections where the pilots must fight wave after wave of Kaiju. Upon its initial release, the game received primarily positive reviews and was praised for its intriguing story, compelling central mysteries, and the ability to play as all thirteen pilots.
A Nintendo Switch port for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim was announced in November 2021, with an official release date of April 12, 2022. The Switch version of the game makes several changes to the combat section of the game, including adding two new skills for each character to equip. Although the game has already been out on the PlayStation 4 for over a year, publisher Atlus has set strict guidelines for those hoping to stream the Nintendo Switch port. Streamers were asked to warn viewers of potential spoilers before streaming the game, to avoid spoilers in thumbnails or video descriptions, and to not stream any of the game's ending cut scenes taking place after its final battle.
Atlus's request is an understandable one. 13 Sentinels' story contains a number of mysteries, and some are not answered until the final cut scenes. In his weekly column for Famitsu, Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai listed 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim as a "must-play game" and encouraged fans to play the game themselves rather than watching a streamed version. Sakurai felt that this was the best way to experience the game both because of the story's many twists and turns and its deeply emotional, personal nature. The story of 13 Sentinels has also been nominated for multiple awards, including Japan's prestigious Seiun Award for Media.
So far, review outlets have spoken positively about the upcoming Nintendo Switch port of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. Initially, some fans were concerned that the game's intense battle sequence, in which several hundred enemies may appear onscreen at once, would be too much for the Nintendo Switch to handle. However, reviewers have said that the Switch port of 13 Sentinels does justice to the game's classic Vanillaware art style.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is currently available for the PlayStation 4 and releases for the Nintendo Switch on April 12, 2022.
Source: Atlus