Big feels for the Billy Tribute. He was one of my favorite VAs for anime dubs/other english dubs, and I also liked his gaming stuff like the smash bros compilations. He was one of the people I most wanted to meet at a convention, even if that can’t happen anymore. Hearing that he voiced Nenji was part of why I was glad you played 13 Sentinels, and I’m really glad you loved Nenji’s character and Billy’s voice acting so much.
Hey Nico, I do have to make ONE correction, a better reference for Megumi's story is Madoka Magica because in that anime, our main chars do have to defeat 'witches' and contracts are involved. It's pretty funny too considering Megumi's English VA Cristina Vee, who voiced one of the major chars in the franchise, Homura, and in her magical girl form, she used guns lol.
It's likely more directly a reference to Madoka, but Madoka is a subversion of magical girl shows as a whole, so the Megumi arc is essentially just another parody of the same concept.
Nico's point still stands. While there are clearly some story beats that carry over from Madoka, the big twist there is how totally untrustworthy Kyubey really was. While in 13 Sentinels, we have extra reasons to assume this cat is going to dick us over, but he ends up having our protagonists' best interests at heart.
I don't often comment but goddamn man, I will gladly do so in this video not only to give it more engagement so more people can see it, but also to praise the amazing work Nico and Sai did crafting this. I love video essays and I usually place them in the background as I do chores or work on projects, but this one. This one I had to sit down in front of my monitor and watch carefully. The amount of passion you can hear in Nico's voice is truly captivating, and the editing visuals make the experience even more enthralling. The almost 1 hour passed without me even realizing it, from how engaged I was with the essay presented. I'm not a big fan of Sci-Fi, even getting around to watch Star Wars only last year out of having nothing else to do, but somehow 13 Sentinels captured me in a way that nothing else in the genre managed to do. I'd tune in to Nico's videos as soon as I could after release, and tried to keep track of all the details presented by the story (HAH GUESS HOW THAT TURNED OUT), and even after the LP was done, I went to search more creators to watch their own lets plays of the game, to see what they thought of characters and how they would experience the story. Needless to say, while I'm not a converted fan of Sci-Fi, 13 sentinels appealed to my creativity and writing passion in a way few pieces of media do. This game is so unique and special I really hope more and more people get to experience it, so that maybe one day we can have something new- not exactly the same, i doubt you can ever replicate what 13 sentinels did- but something inspired and daring in its own genre like 13 sentinels was for Sci-fi. Thanks for the amazing essay Nico, will definitely watch it again. Only minor nitpick: Miwako is best girl and deserved at least 30 more minutes of praise. But I'll let you pass with a warning this time.
I was so curious as to what this video would be, then I saw the title and went "understandable, have a good day". Time to continue praising this game into kingdom come and hoping people realize its brilliance
MASSIVE props to Nico and Sai for this stunning work of passion. (The thumbnail artwork by Qosic, too, is just the perfect icing for an already splendid cake.)
Just an FYI, but adult Juro is actually voiced by Ben Diskin, who also voices Shiba, not Chris Hackney. Besides that, you did an awesome job with this video essay!
For whatever reason, Ben Diskin is the one VA that Nico can never recognize even though he really only does like, three different voices that are all instantly identifiable and has been in tons of stuff.
When a Let’s Play of a game gets a 8+ hour livestream dedicated to the lore AND a video dedicated to EVERYTHING about said game… You know that this game is #1.
I still think one of the hardest hitting scenes in after Megumi rescues Juro from Okino and he describes to her his memories of being in his sentinel and fighting to defend her city. When the screen goes dark and you see the holo-screen display him in his sentinel, repeatedly overriding the ejection sequence, just so he can keep fighting for one more minute. For one more second. For just that tiniest of moments longer on the off chance that maybe, beyond a hope of a hope, that he could save her and the city she loved. Fuck man, that still gets me.
For me, one scene that still punches me in the gut is when Takatoshi finds his 2188 logs and is forced to confront love and loss in equal measure as he learns about his life with Okino. It's such a unique way of rendering a love story: seeing that it's all gone wrong before, ending in bloodshed and tears, but choosing to try again anyways in the hopes that this time, you'll be different.
Wow, I'M amazed at how amazed Nico was to have gone as far as he did in expressing his true passion for this game. I remember that Let's Play, and how much Nico truly dived in and experienced that game for all it had, so glad to have seen his passion never wavered since. I hope someday to create something just as amazing as 13 Sentinels to evoke the same appreciation Nico clearly showed. Keep it up Nico, I'd LOVE to see more content like this, this was inspiring.
What do you know? I’m playing through this, like, right now! Saw it on sale and had to pick it up on Switch after hearing your raving reviews about it while you played, and it’s been fantastic so far! Thank you for introducing me to yet another fantastic game, as you’ve done many times in the past.
Honestly, we should have seen this coming. We all need to find someone that appreciates us as much as Nico appreciates 13S. Now in a more serious note, this video was amazing Nico and Sai! The edits were amazingly made and of course the actual script and topics talked about were interesting, funny, and showed a great homage to this great story. I will forever remember experiencing this story with Nico and the penguins.
I think this is my best chance to thank you Nico. 13 Sentinels is currently my favorite game of all time. It was what got me hooked into sci-fi as a genre more than any other work, and I really adored the entire cast of this game. My favorite character turned out to be Juro, as I really liked his story and what his character went through, but there are a LOT of close seconds behind him. This video is stellar, and goes over pretty much everything there is to fall in love with in this game. And I never would have found out about this game's existence if it weren't for your let's play of it. I watched the first couple of episodes, got hooked and got the game so I could experience the rest of the story by myself. Then I binged the rest of your lp after to see your reaction, waiting for moments to see your reactions. So truly thank you Nico. Because of you, I discovered a game that truly means a lot to me.
Can't believe it's been 2 years already since the Let's Play. Incredible work, man, god knows more people need to experience this game, I'll also always remember the 8 hour lore livestream very dearly.
That last statement from the creator about how he wanted to redefine how a story is told in a game is what hit the most for me. I love games with stories that have multiple endings or have mutliple story paths you need to take to get the whole picture. It allows the same story to give many different experiences depending on the order you saw the main plot points. Video games are really one of the few mediums that can really allow you to do that because of the agency it gives the player in following the story. A linear story is fine and works a lot of the time, but other mediums like movies and books kinda have to be linear (except for exceptions like the Netflix Bandersnatch). When you have a medium like a video game that allows for that freedom of order, why not take advantage of it
So true, Ive never seen a game use the main advantage that media has over others for telling stories - interactivity, to such an extent as 13 Sentinels.
The only other thing I can think of that does something similar is AI the Somnium Files, and how each route will give a fragment of info that all comes together in the True Ending.
This game is 100% one of my ALL TIME faves. I can't emphasize enough how GOOD it is. Every twist is EXCEPTIONALLY crafted, which is insane considering how much agency you have in the order you experience them in. My first experience with this game was your LP, and then I begged my mom to get it for me and sit with me while I played through it, and she really enjoyed it too. And, for your benefit, my mom and I unlocked Gouto early enough that after the prologue of it she expected *his* storyline to be the one investigating Nurse Morimura's murder, not Sekigahara's.
13 Sentinels is a game I have a lot of respect for. The sheer ambition and scale is mind boggling. Being there for Nico’s LP was a treat. I think having analysis/gushing videos like this will be fun every now and then, yeah, especially for those times where you need a break from regular LPs
This game is such a rare treat. The fact that there aren't more essays about it really is a crime. When I was watching the play through, I convinced my friend to play it. We spent a while trying to talk to each other about theories that we had, but we had to precede all of our text conversations with which routes we had seen just so we wouldn't accidentally spoil each other. It was such a fun time. I'm really happy this video exists. For one, Nico and Sai did a fantastic job presenting the information in both the writing and visual editing. The passion in your voice is pure serotonin. I've actually been excited to watch this all day. I only gave myself the chance when I knew I would have the time to watch it in one sitting. I knew I wouldn't want to stop. The fact that you're able to gush for an hour about the game is truly a testament to how phenomenal the story is. It's a roller coaster, a conspiracy board, a gut punch, and a warm hug, all wrapped up in one bananas narrative. The writers, the artists, the directors, and the voice actors put their heart and soul into this game. Despite every challenge that could've destroyed the game, they were able to craft a narrative that impacted so many people in different ways.
I really enjoyed this analysis of 13 Sentinels. I would like to thank you for introducing me to this game through your LP. About Billy Kametz, I remember getting home one day and was saddened by the news of his passing. He was an amazing voice actor, and I really enjoyed a lot of the characters he has voiced. Nenji Ogata is no exception, and I really liked how Billy brings him to life. Rest in peace, Billy Kametz.
51:13 “It defied the genre norms and carved its own path to something truly unique and wonderful” So I guess you could say it…broke the mold? But seriously, I could feel the passion from this video the whole way through. Good job to Nico and Sai and Qosic!
I played _13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim_ for the first time last year when I got my PS5. After watching your LP, I had to play it for myself, and I'm glad I did because the game is fantastic. Rest in peace to Billy Kametz, who played Nenji Ogata as well as Ferdinand von Aegir in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. P.S. 13 times 12 is 156, not 165.
I’d give this a THOUSAND likes if I could man. This is one of the most impressive vids on your channel, imo. The in depth dissection, the passion behind every sentence, the humor, the pacing, the editing!! Masterpiece. Would love to see more of these in the future.
I've only watched nicos lp of the game to completion, but 13 sentinels was so amazing that I went and bought it myself(haven't played it yet, I want to make sure my mind isn't fresh on the game before I do), but seriously, everything from the characters to the insane story, to the characters, to the incredible music, to the fockin amazing characters, to the artwork that's just gorgeous, and if I haven't mentioned it yet, the characters. Best boy Takatoshi for life, lol. I'm not surprised that Nico did a video on this, but I hope that it brings people towards his channel and his lets plays, especially of 13s
I'm surprised Nico went into the background of the game but didn't mention that there were supposed to be 15 protagonists originally, but the other two stories had to be cut, but the characters are still in the game.
@@colt1903 Good question! My thinking is either they'd put Okino in Gouto Jail to avoid spoilers, and/or the majority of their story would fill in stuff from previous loops.
The passion you guys put into this makes me so incredibly happy to know not just the game, but also your channel. I was thinking of making one myself where I can just talk about things I love, and the passion you guys put into this video made me want to do it all the more. Thanks for the hard work! I can't wait to unpack this love letter to one of the most brilliant games these last few years
GOATED video, love to see you spread the 13 sentinels hype even more. Sidenote though, all adult versions of Juro isn't voiced by Chris Hackney, but rather Ben Diskin, who also voices Fluffy/Shiba in the game.
Was that officially revealed or is that fandom saying it? I just ask because before Ayato from GI released, I saw many people thought he was voiced by Ben Diskin so they seem to have overlapping points in range
Are you sure? I'm asking since Chris is theoretically able to do both voices. I can hear a little bit of Dimitri in his Adult Juro voice. He also voiced Boey from Fire Emblem, which is even higher pitched than Juro. I think he's got the range, but I could be wrong. Weird that I can't find a credit for anyone other than the teenage main 15 characters.
I have never played this game before so this is gonna sound weird, but thank you for this video Nico. It's always been a dream of mine to make my own videos gushing over stuff I love, and seeing you make this 50 minute video essay out of sheer love for this game gives me inspiration to put in the time for my own videos. Passion is infectious and thank you for sharing yours.
Just when I thought I was finally over Billy Kametz's passing... you just HAD to make me cry again! Ferdinand von Aegir is my favorite FE3H character and it's partially, if not mostly because of Billy's brilliant performance selling me on his character. The heart he gave to Ferdinand is what saved the character from just being Lorenz 2.0 to me. Some VAs just bring something special to the characters they voice and Billy was one of those VAs.
I still remember the early days of this gem coming out, when you and I were the only LPs of this on UA-cam. I wish more people would experience this amazing story!
Nico it's thanks to your LP of this game that I decided to buy it & play it on my own! I had also never heard of it before then and initially I wasn't interested, but it's now one of my favorite games ever. I'm a huge lover of sci-fi stories and I was blown away by how intricate the plot is! And the characters are all so lovable. I recommend it to all my friends any chance I get!
Honestly I teared up a bit while watching this video. It's so good to see this game get the recognition it deserves. Your analysis is so in depth and is very touching. Thank you so much for making this video, Nico. 13 sentinels is truly a masterpiece.
One of the best Sci-fi stories of all time, 13 Sentinels deserve more love! Amazing video and big props to Sai, he did a great job with the editing like always! I would also love for more Nico's video game essay in the future. For example i think it would be interesting to hear Nico's opinion on a game like Xenoblade 2 and how the best qualities of that game make other flawed aspects of the game to become weirdly endearing, or hearing him gush about the Great Ace Attorney for an hour.
I watched your lets play and Woolie VS of this game at the same time when this game came out; and seeing your different experiences, theories and reactions to everything was a real good fun time for me.
Yess, we’re still talking about this game. Never seen anything this grossly underrated. I love everything about this game. Glad to get another Nico video essay out of this.
This game is amazing! I've finished last month and I can say that it's so we'll written! The English VA is on point (I would love a version in Brazilian Portuguese, which is my native language, but oh well...). Greetings from Brazil, Nico!
This has been my favorite game of all time ever since watching your playthrough, and I’m having trouble thinking of many games that come even close. I’m so glad that 13 sentinels became more successful, albeit not immediately like other more heavily advertised bestsellers. And seeing in both this video and it’s comments that we’re STILL thinking about it warms my heart and really shows how incredible this game truly is that it can still bring so much joy for so long. There really is no game quite like 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. Now that I have added my comment to interact, I shall now return to the depths and rewatch this video several times in a row because I’m nearly crying right now at how incredible it is. Thank you, Nico, Sai and Qosic for this phenomenal addition to the internet. :) I shall stay classy, penguins
OMG YESSSS! I actually bought and played this game myself because of Nico's high praise for it in his top games of 2021(?) video. I'm so glad I did it was such a fun ride. This video is such a nice homage to a highly underrated game that deserves more love.
This game is actually the first time I was compelled to fully watch Nico's LP of a game I never played. I started in January of 2021 out of curiosity and ended up binging it from start 'til the most recent video, and kept up with it every week afterward. The story and characters were engrossing, and the music was very exemplary. Genuinely holding off on playing it so I can forget some bits of the story so I can experience it anew.
As one of my favorite let’s players, someone who combines goofy lightheartedness and genuine thought and passion into their videos, I’d love to see more analysis videos from you and Sai in the future. Of course, they do take a lot of work, but I’d be glad to see more videos like this, where you just talk passionately about why something is important to you, if you want to make more of course.
I LOVE YOU NICO YOU BEAUTIFUL MAN. I bought 13 sentinels even after I watched your full let's play, and I haven't even played it much, I did it to support the devs. It was a wild ride and I loved getting to enjoy it with you. Now here I sit back, grab a drink and watch this video because you know it's going to be good.
I am not surprised that this is what the video is about. As Thirteen Sentinels Aegis Rim has a great story and an amazing way for the player to discover it. Since looking at all the story cutscenes in the chronological order they're supposed to be seen makes you understand everything properly. Also how the 13 protagonists all interact with each other's stories is brilliant. Since it leads to great character interactions and just various more questions about what is going on with them. And thanks for telling everyone how to do the two most annoying parts of remembrance and how to progress the story. It will help them know what to do.
This was a truly amazing video, Nico. The weeks that you and Sai spent making this video were well worth it in my opinion. I loved this game to DEATH when I played it. I had seen your first episode of the lp, and after that I stopped watching because I had wanted to see the rest for myself so the next day, I went and bought a copy and started it up. The story, the characters, the phenomenal english dub is goddamn one of the BEST I've ever heard in anything really, not just a game. It just captivated me and I was so glad to just take about an hour to revisit thinking about this game with this video. Thank you, my guy.
I’ll be be back in a few months to see how many people stopped to play this game. It’s genuinely one up there as one of my favourite games (despite not being able to play it). With a gorgeous art style and unique way of telling its story, it’s hard not to fall in love with it. It’s definitely deserves its praise and I really really hope this video brings more attention to it. I want to hear more people talk about this game, how they experienced its story and unravelled its secrets (and if they also took 8hrs to piece it all together) Thanks for putting this together! This game truly deserves it more than anything
Never seen Nico enjoy a game so much that he makes a documentary style video to talk about it. He played this game some time ago that I’ve forgotten a lot of what happened in it. So it is nice to get a refresher and to see his passion for this game is still as strong as ever.
Finished this game today. It's such a love letter to anything sci fi. The story is so good, my mind was blown every time I made progress in the game. So good
This video was so beautiful. It really summed up my thoughts on this masterpiece of a game as well. Great job Nico, you have done this game so much justice.
I was one of the very few people who saw the official trailer of this game on Atlus' channel and I played it simply because I like time travel and multiple stories converging into one. 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim isn't just my favorite game of 2020 (even though I played it in 2021), it's one of my favorite games ever, period. The fact that they managed to create and entire world of lore and story and memorable characters all while going through development hell and the pandemic is just mind blowing to me. Combining the style of a mystery visual novel and a tactical RPG sounds like a difficult task, but they pulled it off seamlessly! I still adore this game even two years later! I'm still getting my brothers to play it along with a few friends. I hope this game continues to grow in popularity and gains a bigger following. Thank you Vanillaware... thank you Kamitami... for making one of my absolute all time favorite games.
This game was an absolute pleasure to play, and it makes it all the more special when you consider all the factors surrounding its release could have prevented us from playing the masterpiece that it ended up being. This video was absolutely well done too, very Nico, very enjoyable, and just as passionate as the game it's covering. Big respect! Also, I know what's coming next. *Door breaks down* Nico: JEZUS CHRAIST! Penguins: Hey Nico, when you gonna play Odin Sphere? Nico: Goddamit penguins I'M DOING IT NOW!!!
I can't believe this timing, I literally just played this game and watched your LP/livestream! Thank you so much for raving about this game Nico, I'm not sure I ever would have played it otherwise
I honestly feel like english dubs are not always as bad as people tend to stigmatize them to be. And like you said, if they generally are really bad it's not all on the actors themselves, and this includes previous dubs from the early 80s and 90s in which the recording in the West was not as refined as they are lately. I still remember a very rare and amazing experience at my college's small convention (Mikomi-Con), where Johnny Yong Bosch was actually one of the guest speakers in a panel for his career as a VA. He recalled doing his research and watching the original clips of an anime he was going to work on, wanting to experiment with what he gathered from his review of the series and the character he was going to voice. But the director and writing team completely disregarded his feedback and told him how 'they' thought he should portray the characters, which was to be a "surfer dude" instead of the clever yet somber person he was in the anime because "his eyes were always closed." So if you find that English characters are not up to par with their original counterpart, it's probably because somebody who just wanted to make a quick buck shut down people's feedback in favor of their opinions.
13 Sentinels! YA! I've guessed it was this but I expected to be wrong. This game is so well crafted and put together. I love how each character is living out a very different kind of story, and yet the all fit together seamlessly. Not to mention the boatload of twists that even the characters who are mostly in the know are turned for a loop. Pun unintended. But welcome.
I just wanted to thank you, Nico. If it wasn't for your first set of videos on this game, I would not have heard about it myself. I would never decided to stop watching you and play through and experience the story for myself. It is a truly special game... and thanks for reminding me I can now reexperience that feeling I had through your playthrough. Time to hop back in time and watch it from the beginning!
Honestly I'm down for this style of vids in case you ever want to talk about other games you like! This was honestly a banger vid and reminded me how much I loved your playthrough (and how I seriously need to buy the game for myself or a friend one day)
I really hope we get more videos like this. Not SOON soon, but I'd like to see you do video essays on the history and your experience with these games to give them the attentions and respect that they deserve.
This game is the perfect example of how to mingle expositive storytelling and rewarding gameplay experience. You use the points you get based on your perfomance in the Destruction mode to unlock the entries in Analysis, which then gave some perspective (or not) on things you've seen / had yet to see in Remembrance. Or you would get more confused or would give that "Oh, I get it!" moment regarding a scene you watched several hours prior. Other thing that stayed with me is the way how you sort of follow the breadcrumbs of the different timelines is totally different based on how you tackle the POVs of each character. And what is a regular early plot point in your playthough it's a mindblowing plot twist in other person's. I felt this happened a number of times as I played the game myself, and afterwards, watching Nico's LP. Really brilliant stuff!
Every few months I just randomly look for new content on this game. After watching your entire playthrough and twitch breakdown, I'm happy to havs stumbled on this. Thank you for being such an advocate of this masterpiece. RIP Billy, let's hope that we might get more from these characters in the future!
Awesome video Nico! 13 Sentinels is an amazing game that deserves much recognition. Would also like to shoutout the JP voice cast of the game since they also did an amazing job.
I've been aware of, and eager to play 13 Sentinels ever since the games' western launch, but wasn't able to play it up until november of last year. Now that I have finally played it for myself, I can safely say that it's a f*cking masterpiece, and that it deserves every bit of praise it gets.
I first started watching your LP, but I enjoyed it so much I bought the game for myself by episode 6. Played through the the entire game and then watched your entire LP. A truly awesome game.
13 Sentinels has become one of my favorite games, and I have your channel to thank for it! I wasn't aware it existed, but after watching the first episode of your LP I just knew it was a game I wanted to experience first for myself. Bought and finished it before you even finished the playthrough and eagerly watched every new episode you released. Now I am among the game's cult following recommending it to everyone I know haha
The thing that strikes me the most about 13Sentinels is how much Mind Screw Visual Novel vibes it gives me. Everything from the likes of Kotaro Uchikoshi (Infinity, ZE, AI) and Takumi Nakazawa (Infinity, I/O, Root Double) I also got from playing 13S. And I _love_ it for it. I loved the visual novel-y adventure segments and spending time in the analysis section piecing together all the parts. It even has a number in title, just like some VNs! That totally counts.
I was watching Please Save My Earth OVA a couple of months ago and came across the scene where the main characters are discussing their dreams. I thought, "This conversation looks familiar." Then it hit me, it's the same scene as Iori's prologue where she eavesdropping on Juro and Shu discussing their dreams, down to the accidental innuendos and misunderstanding. "Oh, so that's where it came from," I thought to myself. It also serves as a good foreshadowing of the true nature of the recurring dreams. In the original Please Save My Earth, the dreams are actually the memories of the characters' previous lives as researchers in the moon colony. In the game, the dreams are the memories of the characters' previous incarnations, while not on the moon still retains the sci-fi elements. Both casts are also the last of their kinds who by the end of their respective series, manage to find happiness in their respective new planets.
Hey, I just finished the game recently and would like to say that you gave the game justice. Many of the things you have said were my sentiments as well; words that I failed to construct bc it felt like I would fail to describe how ambitious the game was. Solid take!
After seeing your Let's Play of it, I wanted to play this game myself, my only concerned was the Tower Defense mechanism, because I generally hate those types of scenarios. So with NO regret when I finally got the game (it sat on my shelf for several months because I was playing other games lol) and I finally got played it, I did set it to Easy mode and the Destruction portion was enjoyable at times, but I still have it as the weakest part of the game. Thank God for the added support the Gen 2's and 4's give oi! But yeah the story was amazing and how I unlocked the chars was different than how you unlocked them Nico and it was very cool! I definitely will be replaying this game again. My fav chars are still Iori, Ei, and Okino. My fav routes though are Natsuno's, Shu's, and Taka's.
Nico coming out of left field with this relative dissection of 13 Sentinels. Honestly, the game blew my fucking mind when I saw it through Nico's blind LP. I'm still blown away by what the game was able to accomplish, even if I don't think about it constantly. It's a true dedication to their art that the story and structure of this game turned out as good as it did. When a game company wishes to make a game that's ambitious in its scope, and also GIVES a shit about it being important to get right, you know you have a masterpiece on your hands.
Holy wow! I was in the middle of rewatching nico's 13 sentinels series and suddenly this appear in my search bar! I had to double take, such coming outta nowhere! Thank you so much for completing the experience nico!
Wonderful anaylsis video on this really, really enjoyable game Nico! As someone who really loved your LP of the game and the subsequent livestream that delves deeper into the story, this video essay was really fun to listen to. Great work as always!
Seems like others beat me too it, but I am just commenting to thank you for showing me this game. I saw the first episode of your play through, and was hooked instantly. Now, 13 Sentinels is easily one of my favorite games of all time. I downloaded it myself, beat the entire game, and came back and finished your play through to experience it again. Stunning. I had never experienced Sci-Fi to the same extent, and will never will. Thank you for showing me one of the greatest games I have ever played
This is the best kind of surprise. I love this game so much, it's such a masterpiece and a fascinating mix of my favorite genres that just hit me out of nowhere when I least expected it. I'm so happy to see you share that passion and love and promote the game whenever you have the chance. I never get tired of 13 Sentinels content. Thank you so much Nico!
This couldn't have come out at a better time... Just finished the game myself and watched that 8 hour stream of yours trying to piece it together. I share you sentiment its definitely way up there now in my favourites.
This game is amazing, and I'm so glad you dedicated a video to telling people exactly why! I watched maybe two episodes of your LP of it -- and then went out, bought it, played the whole thing -- and loved it to pieces! I'm really grateful you introduced me to this game, because it is a fantastic experience!
It's been over two years since this game came out, and it's still legitimately one of the best games I have _ever_ played. It's so good that I actually ended up buying it not once, not twice, but _three_ times. The first time, I bought it digitally on my PS4. Then I "corrected my mistake" of only buying it digitally by buying it physically on PS4. (I like to buy all the games I _really_ care about physically.) _Then_ I bought it physically when the Switch version came out just because I loved it so much and wanted to support the developers. That is the first time I've even double-dipped, let alone triple-dipped, on a game. Not even Kingdom Hearts has caused me to do that yet.
Nico you literally introduced me to this game when you started playing this and I can never shut up about it ever since. I'm glad to see you talk about this again cause I will never be tired of hearing anything about it
I've replayed 13 sentinels 4 times by now. I love watching streamers react to the absolute batshit insane twists this game runs your way. Even with finishing my 5. playthrough now, I'm still looking for new streamers to watch to see how insane this game is.
Yes!! I finally played this game a few months ago after being on my backlog for so long and out of nowhere it went up to one of my favorites ever!! I hope more people check it out with this, it feels like a game so many would enjoy but just no one knows about!
One of the greatest games ever made, and you summarized it really well why that is. Bravo to George Kamitani and everyone at Vanillaware for making this game, cause I'd be proud of that as a game developer.
this is so crazy that you’d be making this video right now when i just finished watching your 13 sentinels play through!!! it’s truly one of my favourite games and i wish that it’d get all the love it deserves 😭❤️
My journey through 13 Sentinels was possible because... Well, because of you! I began watching your Let's Play and eventually, around 1/3 into your videos as you posted them, got so invested into the story that I had to see the rest for myself, completely blind. So I did that. I bought the game full price on PS4 as my Christmas present that year, and grinded the shit out of it. No joke, I beat this game in a matter of DAYS and even got out of my way to get all of the trophies to Plat this game. Which, granted, this game doesn't have that many trophies to begin with so it's not a difficult task, but the fact that I still did just goes to show how much this game means to me. I, a person who greatefly prefers fantasy over sci-fi any day, would recommend this game to anyone I know who enjoys great stories. Because I think this game is great for everyone, both people who enjoy the genre, and those who enjoy it passively like me. Due to the nature of the game, having 13 main characters and all, there is something for everyone here. Everything is so rich and detailed that even my least favourite characters I cannot say are badly written, they're just not my faves compared to those I did enjoy the most. All the VAs did an amazing job but, of course, I gotta give a special shout out to Billy Kametz, not just because of his legacy, but for giving it his all to bring to life my absolute favourite character in this game: Nenji. Half of his character is his voice, his inflections, his moods, and Billy conveyed all of that beautifully.
Before I watch this, I did want to say thank you Nico. I saw the comments you were making about this game on Twitter when you first played it, and those comments inspired my to play the game for myself. I'm sure you'll touch on all the things that made this game so amazing, but I would honestly challenge anyone who has played this game to pick out any flaws with it. I really don't think you could find any gripes with this game outside of flaws that might be subjective. This really is one of those one-time experiences that I wish I could wipe my memory of so I can experience it again and again.
You know, because of your lets play of this game I felt so empty afterwards that I actually bought a fan made manga of 13 Sentinels called Year One after finding out about it through DeviantArt. Gotta check it out Nico, or anyone who loves this game and want to see some continuation from the ending of the game!
I do feel kinda bad I experienced the whole game by watching your LP instead of playing it myself. But to be fair, I don't have a PS4 and thought it'd be stuck in Playstation Jail forever. I never would have expected it to get a Switch port. And for the Switch port to be put on sale quite a bit. I do need to get around to buying a copy one day and giving Vanillaware my money for giving me such a wonderful experience.
![The Dimitri Documentary. [Fire Emblem: Support Science #21] Fire Emblem: Three Houses](/img/n.gif)
It had to be done.
Not long enough
Time for a more serious review, huh?
Had to do it to 'em.
I'm so glad I made pasta for tonight!!
This was well worth the wait and expectation. I wholeheartedly loved this game, and I myself STILL think about it on a regular basis. Great work Nico!
Big feels for the Billy Tribute. He was one of my favorite VAs for anime dubs/other english dubs, and I also liked his gaming stuff like the smash bros compilations. He was one of the people I most wanted to meet at a convention, even if that can’t happen anymore. Hearing that he voiced Nenji was part of why I was glad you played 13 Sentinels, and I’m really glad you loved Nenji’s character and Billy’s voice acting so much.
Can I say R.I.P to Nenji Ogata's English VA Billy Kametz! The guy did such an amazing job!
RIP Billy Kametz
Rip second best boi, o7
i cried when i saw nicos tribute
Billy Kametz was a great VA, may he rest in peace.
I am Ferdinand Von Aegir
Hey Nico, I do have to make ONE correction, a better reference for Megumi's story is Madoka Magica because in that anime, our main chars do have to defeat 'witches' and contracts are involved. It's pretty funny too considering Megumi's English VA Cristina Vee, who voiced one of the major chars in the franchise, Homura, and in her magical girl form, she used guns lol.
It's definitely a reference to madoka magica
Isn't Nenji's Story also more like the Movie "Source Code", than "Groundhog Day"?
It's likely more directly a reference to Madoka, but Madoka is a subversion of magical girl shows as a whole, so the Megumi arc is essentially just another parody of the same concept.
Nico's point still stands. While there are clearly some story beats that carry over from Madoka, the big twist there is how totally untrustworthy Kyubey really was. While in 13 Sentinels, we have extra reasons to assume this cat is going to dick us over, but he ends up having our protagonists' best interests at heart.
Megumi is based off Homura, but I believe Kamitani has said her story is mostly based off The Voices (2014)
I'm so happy we're talking 13 Sentinels! I had no inkling how great this game's story was going to be when I started. An underrated masterpiece.
I don't often comment but goddamn man, I will gladly do so in this video not only to give it more engagement so more people can see it, but also to praise the amazing work Nico and Sai did crafting this. I love video essays and I usually place them in the background as I do chores or work on projects, but this one. This one I had to sit down in front of my monitor and watch carefully. The amount of passion you can hear in Nico's voice is truly captivating, and the editing visuals make the experience even more enthralling. The almost 1 hour passed without me even realizing it, from how engaged I was with the essay presented. I'm not a big fan of Sci-Fi, even getting around to watch Star Wars only last year out of having nothing else to do, but somehow 13 Sentinels captured me in a way that nothing else in the genre managed to do. I'd tune in to Nico's videos as soon as I could after release, and tried to keep track of all the details presented by the story (HAH GUESS HOW THAT TURNED OUT), and even after the LP was done, I went to search more creators to watch their own lets plays of the game, to see what they thought of characters and how they would experience the story. Needless to say, while I'm not a converted fan of Sci-Fi, 13 sentinels appealed to my creativity and writing passion in a way few pieces of media do. This game is so unique and special I really hope more and more people get to experience it, so that maybe one day we can have something new- not exactly the same, i doubt you can ever replicate what 13 sentinels did- but something inspired and daring in its own genre like 13 sentinels was for Sci-fi. Thanks for the amazing essay Nico, will definitely watch it again.
Only minor nitpick: Miwako is best girl and deserved at least 30 more minutes of praise. But I'll let you pass with a warning this time.
I believe in Miwako supremacy
I was so curious as to what this video would be, then I saw the title and went "understandable, have a good day". Time to continue praising this game into kingdom come and hoping people realize its brilliance
MASSIVE props to Nico and Sai for this stunning work of passion.
(The thumbnail artwork by Qosic, too, is just the perfect icing for an already splendid cake.)
Just an FYI, but adult Juro is actually voiced by Ben Diskin, who also voices Shiba, not Chris Hackney. Besides that, you did an awesome job with this video essay!
For whatever reason, Ben Diskin is the one VA that Nico can never recognize even though he really only does like, three different voices that are all instantly identifiable and has been in tons of stuff.
Ah apologies, listening back, it's super obvious that's Ben and not Chris for adult Juro. Thanks for the correction, both actors are goated af.
Ben voices Shiba, Adult Juro, AND Fluffy, if I'm not mistaken!
I legitimately never knew that. I was confused on why they did it like that, but apparently it was like that in the Japanese version too
When a Let’s Play of a game gets a 8+ hour livestream dedicated to the lore AND a video dedicated to EVERYTHING about said game…
You know that this game is #1.
I still think one of the hardest hitting scenes in after Megumi rescues Juro from Okino and he describes to her his memories of being in his sentinel and fighting to defend her city. When the screen goes dark and you see the holo-screen display him in his sentinel, repeatedly overriding the ejection sequence, just so he can keep fighting for one more minute. For one more second. For just that tiniest of moments longer on the off chance that maybe, beyond a hope of a hope, that he could save her and the city she loved. Fuck man, that still gets me.
For me, one scene that still punches me in the gut is when Takatoshi finds his 2188 logs and is forced to confront love and loss in equal measure as he learns about his life with Okino. It's such a unique way of rendering a love story: seeing that it's all gone wrong before, ending in bloodshed and tears, but choosing to try again anyways in the hopes that this time, you'll be different.
Me jaw drop every revealing time
It's such a great scene, they're my OTP for a reason
Wow, I'M amazed at how amazed Nico was to have gone as far as he did in expressing his true passion for this game. I remember that Let's Play, and how much Nico truly dived in and experienced that game for all it had, so glad to have seen his passion never wavered since. I hope someday to create something just as amazing as 13 Sentinels to evoke the same appreciation Nico clearly showed. Keep it up Nico, I'd LOVE to see more content like this, this was inspiring.
What do you know? I’m playing through this, like, right now! Saw it on sale and had to pick it up on Switch after hearing your raving reviews about it while you played, and it’s been fantastic so far! Thank you for introducing me to yet another fantastic game, as you’ve done many times in the past.
Honestly, we should have seen this coming. We all need to find someone that appreciates us as much as Nico appreciates 13S.
Now in a more serious note, this video was amazing Nico and Sai! The edits were amazingly made and of course the actual script and topics talked about were interesting, funny, and showed a great homage to this great story. I will forever remember experiencing this story with Nico and the penguins.
But his mind is too fast for eyes
I think this is my best chance to thank you Nico. 13 Sentinels is currently my favorite game of all time. It was what got me hooked into sci-fi as a genre more than any other work, and I really adored the entire cast of this game. My favorite character turned out to be Juro, as I really liked his story and what his character went through, but there are a LOT of close seconds behind him. This video is stellar, and goes over pretty much everything there is to fall in love with in this game. And I never would have found out about this game's existence if it weren't for your let's play of it. I watched the first couple of episodes, got hooked and got the game so I could experience the rest of the story by myself. Then I binged the rest of your lp after to see your reaction, waiting for moments to see your reactions. So truly thank you Nico. Because of you, I discovered a game that truly means a lot to me.
yessir this game was so fire. I can't wait for unicorn overlord if its anything like this.
Can't believe it's been 2 years already since the Let's Play. Incredible work, man, god knows more people need to experience this game, I'll also always remember the 8 hour lore livestream very dearly.
dang its already gonna be 3 years and im already looking forward to unicorn overlord
That last statement from the creator about how he wanted to redefine how a story is told in a game is what hit the most for me. I love games with stories that have multiple endings or have mutliple story paths you need to take to get the whole picture. It allows the same story to give many different experiences depending on the order you saw the main plot points. Video games are really one of the few mediums that can really allow you to do that because of the agency it gives the player in following the story. A linear story is fine and works a lot of the time, but other mediums like movies and books kinda have to be linear (except for exceptions like the Netflix Bandersnatch). When you have a medium like a video game that allows for that freedom of order, why not take advantage of it
So true, Ive never seen a game use the main advantage that media has over others for telling stories - interactivity, to such an extent as 13 Sentinels.
The only other thing I can think of that does something similar is AI the Somnium Files, and how each route will give a fragment of info that all comes together in the True Ending.
The year is not complete without Nico shilling 13 sentinels and I will always be there to watch him do it. You go, Nico!
This game is 100% one of my ALL TIME faves. I can't emphasize enough how GOOD it is. Every twist is EXCEPTIONALLY crafted, which is insane considering how much agency you have in the order you experience them in. My first experience with this game was your LP, and then I begged my mom to get it for me and sit with me while I played through it, and she really enjoyed it too.
And, for your benefit, my mom and I unlocked Gouto early enough that after the prologue of it she expected *his* storyline to be the one investigating Nurse Morimura's murder, not Sekigahara's.
13 Sentinels is a game I have a lot of respect for. The sheer ambition and scale is mind boggling. Being there for Nico’s LP was a treat.
I think having analysis/gushing videos like this will be fun every now and then, yeah, especially for those times where you need a break from regular LPs
This game is such a rare treat. The fact that there aren't more essays about it really is a crime. When I was watching the play through, I convinced my friend to play it. We spent a while trying to talk to each other about theories that we had, but we had to precede all of our text conversations with which routes we had seen just so we wouldn't accidentally spoil each other. It was such a fun time.
I'm really happy this video exists. For one, Nico and Sai did a fantastic job presenting the information in both the writing and visual editing. The passion in your voice is pure serotonin. I've actually been excited to watch this all day. I only gave myself the chance when I knew I would have the time to watch it in one sitting. I knew I wouldn't want to stop. The fact that you're able to gush for an hour about the game is truly a testament to how phenomenal the story is. It's a roller coaster, a conspiracy board, a gut punch, and a warm hug, all wrapped up in one bananas narrative.
The writers, the artists, the directors, and the voice actors put their heart and soul into this game. Despite every challenge that could've destroyed the game, they were able to craft a narrative that impacted so many people in different ways.
I really enjoyed this analysis of 13 Sentinels. I would like to thank you for introducing me to this game through your LP.
About Billy Kametz, I remember getting home one day and was saddened by the news of his passing. He was an amazing voice actor, and I really enjoyed a lot of the characters he has voiced. Nenji Ogata is no exception, and I really liked how Billy brings him to life. Rest in peace, Billy Kametz.
51:13 “It defied the genre norms and carved its own path to something truly unique and wonderful” So I guess you could say it…broke the mold?
But seriously, I could feel the passion from this video the whole way through. Good job to Nico and Sai and Qosic!
I played _13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim_ for the first time last year when I got my PS5. After watching your LP, I had to play it for myself, and I'm glad I did because the game is fantastic. Rest in peace to Billy Kametz, who played Nenji Ogata as well as Ferdinand von Aegir in Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
P.S. 13 times 12 is 156, not 165.
he also voice acted Maruki from persona 5 royal
@@IWantToStayAtYourHouse Yeah but Nico has yet to experience that.
YES!!! Shed the light on this masterpiece, it's been such a long time and it still didn't leave my head and I still recommend it to my friends.
I’d give this a THOUSAND likes if I could man. This is one of the most impressive vids on your channel, imo. The in depth dissection, the passion behind every sentence, the humor, the pacing, the editing!!
Masterpiece. Would love to see more of these in the future.
I've only watched nicos lp of the game to completion, but 13 sentinels was so amazing that I went and bought it myself(haven't played it yet, I want to make sure my mind isn't fresh on the game before I do), but seriously, everything from the characters to the insane story, to the characters, to the incredible music, to the fockin amazing characters, to the artwork that's just gorgeous, and if I haven't mentioned it yet, the characters. Best boy Takatoshi for life, lol. I'm not surprised that Nico did a video on this, but I hope that it brings people towards his channel and his lets plays, especially of 13s
I'm surprised Nico went into the background of the game but didn't mention that there were supposed to be 15 protagonists originally, but the other two stories had to be cut, but the characters are still in the game.
Who are they?
@@mattkim96 Tamao Kurabe and (I believe?) Tsukasa Okino.
@@Swishyhead How the hell would they make an Okino story without spoiling damn near everything?
@@colt1903 Good question! My thinking is either they'd put Okino in Gouto Jail to avoid spoilers, and/or the majority of their story would fill in stuff from previous loops.
@@Swishyhead Makes sense to their plan AND their cutting. Their stories were woven just fine without the finer details lost.
The passion you guys put into this makes me so incredibly happy to know not just the game, but also your channel. I was thinking of making one myself where I can just talk about things I love, and the passion you guys put into this video made me want to do it all the more. Thanks for the hard work! I can't wait to unpack this love letter to one of the most brilliant games these last few years
GOATED video, love to see you spread the 13 sentinels hype even more.
Sidenote though, all adult versions of Juro isn't voiced by Chris Hackney, but rather Ben Diskin, who also voices Fluffy/Shiba in the game.
Was that officially revealed or is that fandom saying it? I just ask because before Ayato from GI released, I saw many people thought he was voiced by Ben Diskin so they seem to have overlapping points in range
Are you sure? I'm asking since Chris is theoretically able to do both voices. I can hear a little bit of Dimitri in his Adult Juro voice. He also voiced Boey from Fire Emblem, which is even higher pitched than Juro. I think he's got the range, but I could be wrong. Weird that I can't find a credit for anyone other than the teenage main 15 characters.
Crazy how you upload this just as I'm finishing up this game since I got it just this Christmas. Can't wait to watch!
Fair enough. The winds of destiny have chosen Nicob to be a virtuous prophet of the fifth sun. May all hail his benevolence and wisdom!
I have never played this game before so this is gonna sound weird, but thank you for this video Nico. It's always been a dream of mine to make my own videos gushing over stuff I love, and seeing you make this 50 minute video essay out of sheer love for this game gives me inspiration to put in the time for my own videos. Passion is infectious and thank you for sharing yours.
Just when I thought I was finally over Billy Kametz's passing... you just HAD to make me cry again! Ferdinand von Aegir is my favorite FE3H character and it's partially, if not mostly because of Billy's brilliant performance selling me on his character. The heart he gave to Ferdinand is what saved the character from just being Lorenz 2.0 to me. Some VAs just bring something special to the characters they voice and Billy was one of those VAs.
I still remember the early days of this gem coming out, when you and I were the only LPs of this on UA-cam. I wish more people would experience this amazing story!
Nico it's thanks to your LP of this game that I decided to buy it & play it on my own! I had also never heard of it before then and initially I wasn't interested, but it's now one of my favorite games ever. I'm a huge lover of sci-fi stories and I was blown away by how intricate the plot is! And the characters are all so lovable. I recommend it to all my friends any chance I get!
Gotta admit I wasn’t expecting a video essay about 13 Sentinels and I’m all for it!
This was a great change of pace, you can really tell how much Nico enjoyed 13 Sentinels in this.
Honestly I teared up a bit while watching this video.
It's so good to see this game get the recognition it deserves. Your analysis is so in depth and is very touching.
Thank you so much for making this video, Nico. 13 sentinels is truly a masterpiece.
I remain impressed at how this man’s passion and appreciation for this game only seems to have gotten stronger with the passage of time.
One of the best Sci-fi stories of all time, 13 Sentinels deserve more love! Amazing video and big props to Sai, he did a great job with the editing like always!
I would also love for more Nico's video game essay in the future. For example i think it would be interesting to hear Nico's opinion on a game like Xenoblade 2 and how the best qualities of that game make other flawed aspects of the game to become weirdly endearing, or hearing him gush about the Great Ace Attorney for an hour.
I watched your lets play and Woolie VS of this game at the same time when this game came out; and seeing your different experiences, theories and reactions to everything was a real good fun time for me.
Yess, we’re still talking about this game. Never seen anything this grossly underrated. I love everything about this game. Glad to get another Nico video essay out of this.
This game is amazing! I've finished last month and I can say that it's so we'll written! The English VA is on point (I would love a version in Brazilian Portuguese, which is my native language, but oh well...). Greetings from Brazil, Nico!
This has been my favorite game of all time ever since watching your playthrough, and I’m having trouble thinking of many games that come even close. I’m so glad that 13 sentinels became more successful, albeit not immediately like other more heavily advertised bestsellers. And seeing in both this video and it’s comments that we’re STILL thinking about it warms my heart and really shows how incredible this game truly is that it can still bring so much joy for so long. There really is no game quite like 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. Now that I have added my comment to interact, I shall now return to the depths and rewatch this video several times in a row because I’m nearly crying right now at how incredible it is. Thank you, Nico, Sai and Qosic for this phenomenal addition to the internet. :) I shall stay classy, penguins
OMG YESSSS! I actually bought and played this game myself because of Nico's high praise for it in his top games of 2021(?) video. I'm so glad I did it was such a fun ride. This video is such a nice homage to a highly underrated game that deserves more love.
This game is actually the first time I was compelled to fully watch Nico's LP of a game I never played. I started in January of 2021 out of curiosity and ended up binging it from start 'til the most recent video, and kept up with it every week afterward. The story and characters were engrossing, and the music was very exemplary. Genuinely holding off on playing it so I can forget some bits of the story so I can experience it anew.
As one of my favorite let’s players, someone who combines goofy lightheartedness and genuine thought and passion into their videos, I’d love to see more analysis videos from you and Sai in the future. Of course, they do take a lot of work, but I’d be glad to see more videos like this, where you just talk passionately about why something is important to you, if you want to make more of course.
I LOVE YOU NICO YOU BEAUTIFUL MAN. I bought 13 sentinels even after I watched your full let's play, and I haven't even played it much, I did it to support the devs.
It was a wild ride and I loved getting to enjoy it with you. Now here I sit back, grab a drink and watch this video because you know it's going to be good.
Man I'm glad you're doing this Nico. This game deserve more spotlight. Garnt and Joey also talked about this game in their podcast.
I am not surprised that this is what the video is about.
As Thirteen Sentinels Aegis Rim has a great story and an amazing way for the player to discover it. Since looking at all the story cutscenes in the chronological order they're supposed to be seen makes you understand everything properly.
Also how the 13 protagonists all interact with each other's stories is brilliant. Since it leads to great character interactions and just various more questions about what is going on with them.
And thanks for telling everyone how to do the two most annoying parts of remembrance and how to progress the story. It will help them know what to do.
This was a truly amazing video, Nico. The weeks that you and Sai spent making this video were well worth it in my opinion. I loved this game to DEATH when I played it. I had seen your first episode of the lp, and after that I stopped watching because I had wanted to see the rest for myself so the next day, I went and bought a copy and started it up.
The story, the characters, the phenomenal english dub is goddamn one of the BEST I've ever heard in anything really, not just a game. It just captivated me and I was so glad to just take about an hour to revisit thinking about this game with this video.
Thank you, my guy.
I’ll be be back in a few months to see how many people stopped to play this game. It’s genuinely one up there as one of my favourite games (despite not being able to play it). With a gorgeous art style and unique way of telling its story, it’s hard not to fall in love with it. It’s definitely deserves its praise and I really really hope this video brings more attention to it. I want to hear more people talk about this game, how they experienced its story and unravelled its secrets (and if they also took 8hrs to piece it all together)
Thanks for putting this together! This game truly deserves it more than anything
Never seen Nico enjoy a game so much that he makes a documentary style video to talk about it. He played this game some time ago that I’ve forgotten a lot of what happened in it. So it is nice to get a refresher and to see his passion for this game is still as strong as ever.
Nicob??? Video essay??? LET'S GOOOOOO
Finished this game today. It's such a love letter to anything sci fi. The story is so good, my mind was blown every time I made progress in the game. So good
This video was so beautiful. It really summed up my thoughts on this masterpiece of a game as well. Great job Nico, you have done this game so much justice.
I was one of the very few people who saw the official trailer of this game on Atlus' channel and I played it simply because I like time travel and multiple stories converging into one. 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim isn't just my favorite game of 2020 (even though I played it in 2021), it's one of my favorite games ever, period. The fact that they managed to create and entire world of lore and story and memorable characters all while going through development hell and the pandemic is just mind blowing to me. Combining the style of a mystery visual novel and a tactical RPG sounds like a difficult task, but they pulled it off seamlessly! I still adore this game even two years later! I'm still getting my brothers to play it along with a few friends. I hope this game continues to grow in popularity and gains a bigger following. Thank you Vanillaware... thank you Kamitami... for making one of my absolute all time favorite games.
This game was an absolute pleasure to play, and it makes it all the more special when you consider all the factors surrounding its release could have prevented us from playing the masterpiece that it ended up being. This video was absolutely well done too, very Nico, very enjoyable, and just as passionate as the game it's covering. Big respect!
Also, I know what's coming next.
*Door breaks down*
Nico: JEZUS CHRAIST!
Penguins: Hey Nico, when you gonna play Odin Sphere?
Nico: Goddamit penguins I'M DOING IT NOW!!!
I can't believe this timing, I literally just played this game and watched your LP/livestream! Thank you so much for raving about this game Nico, I'm not sure I ever would have played it otherwise
I honestly feel like english dubs are not always as bad as people tend to stigmatize them to be. And like you said, if they generally are really bad it's not all on the actors themselves, and this includes previous dubs from the early 80s and 90s in which the recording in the West was not as refined as they are lately.
I still remember a very rare and amazing experience at my college's small convention (Mikomi-Con), where Johnny Yong Bosch was actually one of the guest speakers in a panel for his career as a VA.
He recalled doing his research and watching the original clips of an anime he was going to work on, wanting to experiment with what he gathered from his review of the series and the character he was going to voice.
But the director and writing team completely disregarded his feedback and told him how 'they' thought he should portray the characters, which was to be a "surfer dude" instead of the clever yet somber person he was in the anime because "his eyes were always closed."
So if you find that English characters are not up to par with their original counterpart, it's probably because somebody who just wanted to make a quick buck shut down people's feedback in favor of their opinions.
13 Sentinels! YA! I've guessed it was this but I expected to be wrong. This game is so well crafted and put together. I love how each character is living out a very different kind of story, and yet the all fit together seamlessly. Not to mention the boatload of twists that even the characters who are mostly in the know are turned for a loop. Pun unintended. But welcome.
i just started but i know its gonna be incredible nico. well done!
Edit: your little part about billy made me cry. it was really sweet
I just wanted to thank you, Nico. If it wasn't for your first set of videos on this game, I would not have heard about it myself. I would never decided to stop watching you and play through and experience the story for myself. It is a truly special game... and thanks for reminding me I can now reexperience that feeling I had through your playthrough.
Time to hop back in time and watch it from the beginning!
Finally a long video essay about my favorite piece of fiction ever, I will definitely remember this video when making my own long essay about the game
Probably the most unique gaming experience I’ve ever had. The whole thing transcends the medium. Fantastic.
I for one am all I'm favor for more video essays like this from Nico in the future
Honestly I'm down for this style of vids in case you ever want to talk about other games you like!
This was honestly a banger vid and reminded me how much I loved your playthrough (and how I seriously need to buy the game for myself or a friend one day)
I really hope we get more videos like this.
Not SOON soon, but I'd like to see you do video essays on the history and your experience with these games to give them the attentions and respect that they deserve.
Oh god, we got spam bots.
This game is the perfect example of how to mingle expositive storytelling and rewarding gameplay experience. You use the points you get based on your perfomance in the Destruction mode to unlock the entries in Analysis, which then gave some perspective (or not) on things you've seen / had yet to see in Remembrance. Or you would get more confused or would give that "Oh, I get it!" moment regarding a scene you watched several hours prior.
Other thing that stayed with me is the way how you sort of follow the breadcrumbs of the different timelines is totally different based on how you tackle the POVs of each character. And what is a regular early plot point in your playthough it's a mindblowing plot twist in other person's. I felt this happened a number of times as I played the game myself, and afterwards, watching Nico's LP. Really brilliant stuff!
I had a feeling it would be something related to 13 Sentinels! Your LP got me to buy and play this amazing game and it was absolutely incredible!
Every few months I just randomly look for new content on this game. After watching your entire playthrough and twitch breakdown, I'm happy to havs stumbled on this. Thank you for being such an advocate of this masterpiece. RIP Billy, let's hope that we might get more from these characters in the future!
It's so underplayed 😭😭 UA-cam has not enough videos about it!!
Awesome video Nico! 13 Sentinels is an amazing game that deserves much recognition.
Would also like to shoutout the JP voice cast of the game since they also did an amazing job.
I've been aware of, and eager to play 13 Sentinels ever since the games' western launch, but wasn't able to play it up until november of last year. Now that I have finally played it for myself, I can safely say that it's a f*cking masterpiece, and that it deserves every bit of praise it gets.
I first started watching your LP, but I enjoyed it so much I bought the game for myself by episode 6. Played through the the entire game and then watched your entire LP. A truly awesome game.
13 Sentinels has become one of my favorite games, and I have your channel to thank for it! I wasn't aware it existed, but after watching the first episode of your LP I just knew it was a game I wanted to experience first for myself. Bought and finished it before you even finished the playthrough and eagerly watched every new episode you released. Now I am among the game's cult following recommending it to everyone I know haha
The thing that strikes me the most about 13Sentinels is how much Mind Screw Visual Novel vibes it gives me. Everything from the likes of Kotaro Uchikoshi (Infinity, ZE, AI) and Takumi Nakazawa (Infinity, I/O, Root Double) I also got from playing 13S. And I _love_ it for it. I loved the visual novel-y adventure segments and spending time in the analysis section piecing together all the parts.
It even has a number in title, just like some VNs! That totally counts.
I was watching Please Save My Earth OVA a couple of months ago and came across the scene where the main characters are discussing their dreams. I thought, "This conversation looks familiar." Then it hit me, it's the same scene as Iori's prologue where she eavesdropping on Juro and Shu discussing their dreams, down to the accidental innuendos and misunderstanding.
"Oh, so that's where it came from," I thought to myself. It also serves as a good foreshadowing of the true nature of the recurring dreams. In the original Please Save My Earth, the dreams are actually the memories of the characters' previous lives as researchers in the moon colony. In the game, the dreams are the memories of the characters' previous incarnations, while not on the moon still retains the sci-fi elements. Both casts are also the last of their kinds who by the end of their respective series, manage to find happiness in their respective new planets.
Hey, I just finished the game recently and would like to say that you gave the game justice. Many of the things you have said were my sentiments as well; words that I failed to construct bc it felt like I would fail to describe how ambitious the game was. Solid take!
After seeing your Let's Play of it, I wanted to play this game myself, my only concerned was the Tower Defense mechanism, because I generally hate those types of scenarios. So with NO regret when I finally got the game (it sat on my shelf for several months because I was playing other games lol) and I finally got played it, I did set it to Easy mode and the Destruction portion was enjoyable at times, but I still have it as the weakest part of the game. Thank God for the added support the Gen 2's and 4's give oi! But yeah the story was amazing and how I unlocked the chars was different than how you unlocked them Nico and it was very cool! I definitely will be replaying this game again. My fav chars are still Iori, Ei, and Okino. My fav routes though are Natsuno's, Shu's, and Taka's.
Nico coming out of left field with this relative dissection of 13 Sentinels. Honestly, the game blew my fucking mind when I saw it through Nico's blind LP. I'm still blown away by what the game was able to accomplish, even if I don't think about it constantly. It's a true dedication to their art that the story and structure of this game turned out as good as it did. When a game company wishes to make a game that's ambitious in its scope, and also GIVES a shit about it being important to get right, you know you have a masterpiece on your hands.
Holy wow! I was in the middle of rewatching nico's 13 sentinels series and suddenly this appear in my search bar! I had to double take, such coming outta nowhere! Thank you so much for completing the experience nico!
OH HELL YES!!!!!!
Wonderful anaylsis video on this really, really enjoyable game Nico! As someone who really loved your LP of the game and the subsequent livestream that delves deeper into the story, this video essay was really fun to listen to. Great work as always!
Seems like others beat me too it, but I am just commenting to thank you for showing me this game. I saw the first episode of your play through, and was hooked instantly. Now, 13 Sentinels is easily one of my favorite games of all time. I downloaded it myself, beat the entire game, and came back and finished your play through to experience it again. Stunning. I had never experienced Sci-Fi to the same extent, and will never will. Thank you for showing me one of the greatest games I have ever played
This is the best kind of surprise. I love this game so much, it's such a masterpiece and a fascinating mix of my favorite genres that just hit me out of nowhere when I least expected it. I'm so happy to see you share that passion and love and promote the game whenever you have the chance. I never get tired of 13 Sentinels content. Thank you so much Nico!
ALL HAIL THE YAKISOBA PAN ANGEL!!!
A video essay from Nicob and on 13 Sentinels no less. This is going to make my day
This couldn't have come out at a better time... Just finished the game myself and watched that 8 hour stream of yours trying to piece it together. I share you sentiment its definitely way up there now in my favourites.
This game is amazing, and I'm so glad you dedicated a video to telling people exactly why! I watched maybe two episodes of your LP of it -- and then went out, bought it, played the whole thing -- and loved it to pieces! I'm really grateful you introduced me to this game, because it is a fantastic experience!
It's been over two years since this game came out, and it's still legitimately one of the best games I have _ever_ played. It's so good that I actually ended up buying it not once, not twice, but _three_ times.
The first time, I bought it digitally on my PS4. Then I "corrected my mistake" of only buying it digitally by buying it physically on PS4. (I like to buy all the games I _really_ care about physically.) _Then_ I bought it physically when the Switch version came out just because I loved it so much and wanted to support the developers.
That is the first time I've even double-dipped, let alone triple-dipped, on a game. Not even Kingdom Hearts has caused me to do that yet.
Nico you literally introduced me to this game when you started playing this and I can never shut up about it ever since. I'm glad to see you talk about this again cause I will never be tired of hearing anything about it
I've replayed 13 sentinels 4 times by now. I love watching streamers react to the absolute batshit insane twists this game runs your way. Even with finishing my 5. playthrough now, I'm still looking for new streamers to watch to see how insane this game is.
Yes!! I finally played this game a few months ago after being on my backlog for so long and out of nowhere it went up to one of my favorites ever!! I hope more people check it out with this, it feels like a game so many would enjoy but just no one knows about!
One of the greatest games ever made, and you summarized it really well why that is. Bravo to George Kamitani and everyone at Vanillaware for making this game, cause I'd be proud of that as a game developer.
this is so crazy that you’d be making this video right now when i just finished watching your 13 sentinels play through!!! it’s truly one of my favourite games and i wish that it’d get all the love it deserves 😭❤️
My journey through 13 Sentinels was possible because... Well, because of you! I began watching your Let's Play and eventually, around 1/3 into your videos as you posted them, got so invested into the story that I had to see the rest for myself, completely blind. So I did that. I bought the game full price on PS4 as my Christmas present that year, and grinded the shit out of it. No joke, I beat this game in a matter of DAYS and even got out of my way to get all of the trophies to Plat this game. Which, granted, this game doesn't have that many trophies to begin with so it's not a difficult task, but the fact that I still did just goes to show how much this game means to me.
I, a person who greatefly prefers fantasy over sci-fi any day, would recommend this game to anyone I know who enjoys great stories. Because I think this game is great for everyone, both people who enjoy the genre, and those who enjoy it passively like me. Due to the nature of the game, having 13 main characters and all, there is something for everyone here. Everything is so rich and detailed that even my least favourite characters I cannot say are badly written, they're just not my faves compared to those I did enjoy the most.
All the VAs did an amazing job but, of course, I gotta give a special shout out to Billy Kametz, not just because of his legacy, but for giving it his all to bring to life my absolute favourite character in this game: Nenji. Half of his character is his voice, his inflections, his moods, and Billy conveyed all of that beautifully.
Before I watch this, I did want to say thank you Nico. I saw the comments you were making about this game on Twitter when you first played it, and those comments inspired my to play the game for myself. I'm sure you'll touch on all the things that made this game so amazing, but I would honestly challenge anyone who has played this game to pick out any flaws with it. I really don't think you could find any gripes with this game outside of flaws that might be subjective. This really is one of those one-time experiences that I wish I could wipe my memory of so I can experience it again and again.
You know, because of your lets play of this game I felt so empty afterwards that I actually bought a fan made manga of 13 Sentinels called Year One after finding out about it through DeviantArt. Gotta check it out Nico, or anyone who loves this game and want to see some continuation from the ending of the game!
I got it too lmao, so cute
How very interesting. It's nice to hear that Aegis Rim really had such a big impression on you Nico.
I do feel kinda bad I experienced the whole game by watching your LP instead of playing it myself. But to be fair, I don't have a PS4 and thought it'd be stuck in Playstation Jail forever. I never would have expected it to get a Switch port. And for the Switch port to be put on sale quite a bit.
I do need to get around to buying a copy one day and giving Vanillaware my money for giving me such a wonderful experience.