While Atlus is best-known as the distributor of the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series, among a certain set of 2D-loving gamers, they're most beloved as the publisher of Vanillaware's gorgeous work. Vanillaware, founded by the developer George Kamitani, has slowly built up a reputation as one of the most talented studios out there, creating beautiful side-scrolling RPGs and action games with plenty of depth and unique flavor.
Their most recent game, the sci-fi mystery 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, is also one of their best... but despite its quality, there are a few things that don't quite make sense. Spoilers ahead!
Spoiler Warning
7 What's Up With Morimura's Outfit?
Chihiro Morimura is introduced as the school nurse at Sakura High School, meaning that she's tasked with shepherding the bright young minds of the main characters into adulthood. Presumably, there's a dress code for such a position. But I say "presumably" because, if there is one, her outfit is definitely breaking it.
To be blunt, Morimura's lab coat fits very tightly; maybe this is how she's comfortable, and no shame in that, but it seems a little out of place when even the students remark on it, no?
6 Was Hijiyama Always Obsessed With Yakisoba Paꦇn?
When Takatoshi Hijiyama is transported from 1945, his original time period, to 1985, he proceeds to spend several months without a place t൲o stay or consistent food to eat. ꧅But then, one of the other characters gives him a yakisoba pan, a dish that will reshape his personality for the rest of the game.
Admittedly, in 1945, yakisoba pan hadn't yet been invented, so it makes sense that he'd be surprised and amazed at a new flavor experience. But it's later revealed that all of the characters in the game are clones of long-dead humans. Was the original Hijiyama just as obsessed with yakisoba pan, or is that unique to the cloned Hijiyama?
5 ꦑ When Their AI Friends ♍Become Real People, Will They Be Humans Or Robots?
13 Sentinels features a cute little clique consisting of the playable characters Iori Fuyusaka and Tomi Kisaragi, along with their NPC friend Miwako Sawatari. At the end of the game, it's revealed that the characters are living in a simulation, and Sawatari — along with almost everyone who isn't one of the main 13 cast members — is an AI construct.
The game's final cutscene reveals that the characters have escaped the simulation and are trying to use their advanced technology to bring their AI friends into the real world. But if they're successful, will these AI friends be humans, or androids? Will they grow old and die? How will they cope with the drastically altered reality of the new world? And most importantly, how does this work?
4 Why Was Project Ark Devised Using Movies And Video Gam❀es?
The simulation is an integral part of Project Ark, which was devised to save humanity from extinction; the clones would be sent to a distant planet, and while the planet is terraformed to support human life, the clones sleep in pods and live in the simulation, learning about human c🌺ulture and history.
In practice, this means that most of the characters spend their time in the 80s, watching classic sci-fi films and playing video games. But this is a future earth with advanced cloning, virtual reality, and nanomachine technology. So you'd think that there would have to be a much simpler way of keeping the human race alive than by essentially forcing clones to become otaku.
3 🗹 Why Was Project Ark꧟ Limited To These Time Periods?
This brings up another question. The goal of the simulation is to educate the youngsters about the different eras of history, each set 40 years apart. Some live in 1945, some in 1985, some in 2025..🍎. you get the picture. But this is a shockingly limited selection of historical eras, barely covering a century in total.
Wouldn't it be more effective to spread out the time periods over a much broader scale? Shouldn't someone learn how to be a samurai, and shouldn't someone else fight dinosaurs? Why can't I fight dinosaurs in this game?
2 What's The Point Of Analysis Mode?
Vanillaware games have a few common features — like gorgeous 2D art, fantastical settings, and busty character designs. Another Vanillaware essential is the timeline, where the game lays out its cutscenes in chronological order💯, helping you to understand everything happening in the story.
It appeared in Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir, and it reappears in 13 Sentinels as its third gameplay mode, titled Analysis; it's nice to have a place where the story is laid out chronologically, but why is it a whole separate mode for what is essentially a YouTube explainer? I'm here to play, not study!
1 Why 😼Is Everyone Naked??
13 Sentinels combines visual novel storytelling segments with RTS mech combat, which is a surprisingly tasty blend. But there's just a twinge of weirdness here. When the characters get into the mechs-... er, Sentinels, their clothing disappears.
It's later explained that what they're seeing in the Sentinels is actually reality — the cockpit of the mech is the clone pod that they've spent their whole lives growing in, and when they're battling kaiju they're actually fighting to free themselves from the pods. But the question remains: why are they naked?? Couldn't they have been cloned with clothes on?