Vanillaware would not miss. We have been spouting that line for ages, however with the arrival of Unicorn Overlord, it rings more true than ever earlier than. Following up on the excellent 13 Sentinels was by no means going to be simple, however the Japanese studio has by some means manged to supply an equally glorious sport three years later — and it isn’t even in the identical style.
Unicorn Overlord is a method RPG that takes apparent inspiration from basic properties like Fireplace Emblem and Ogre Battle / Techniques Ogre. It is received an unmistakable old skool air to it — not in contrast to Dragon’s Crown, one other Vanillaware favorite — nevertheless it’s dripping within the developer’s trademark artwork type, and it is decked out in modernised design. That is very a lot Vanillaware’s tackle a longtime idea — once more, similar to Dragon’s Crown — however the title’s lack of originality by no means stops it from being a deeply fulfilling journey.
Set in a world of medieval fantasy, full with magical artefacts, elves, and even large furry lion folks, it is the sport’s plot that does not fairly weigh as much as the remainder of the bundle. Princely protagonist Alain is about as flat as revenge-seeking royalty will get, and the storytelling is essentially dry and severe. In that sense, it is all very Fireplace Emblem — however from a time when Nintendo’s collection hadn’t gone full anime. It isn’t unhealthy, however outdoors of some particularly dramatic scenes, it hardly ever has you glued to the display screen.
Nonetheless, similar to in Fireplace Emblem, it is the encompassing solid that’ll pull you thru. Unicorn Overlord boasts over 60 recruitable heroes throughout a marketing campaign that lasts round 50 hours — and you will little doubt develop to adore most of them. These are characters who earn your admiration by means of repeated battles, after they’re snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and attempting their greatest to make you appear to be a tactical genius.
Some characters are launched by means of the principle story and may have a selected function to play, however many are discovered by way of facet quests — non-obligatory battles that, as a rule, really feel simply as vital to the general plot. There is a frequent inflow of recent heroes as you progress, and welcoming new allies to your military rapidly turns into one of many sport’s most addictive parts.
It’s because Unicorn Overlord’s true brilliance lies in its gameplay loop. It does a frankly excellent job of conserving the ball rolling; there’s at all times a brand new tactic to think about, or a brand new hero to unleash. Even once you’re approaching the title’s last act, you are still being introduced with beforehand unseen unit varieties and skills that may fully change your strategic perspective. There aren’t many RPGs the place you’ll be able to say social gathering administration is definitely a spotlight of the expertise — however tinkering together with your troops in Unicorn Overlord is genuinely engrossing.
It is the sport’s comparatively distinctive unit system that makes all of this potential. As a substitute of utilising singular characters, you group your heroes collectively with a view to create squads — and the mixtures are virtually countless. You may type balanced events, with damage-tanking fighters within the entrance row, supported by archers and healers within the again, or you’ll be able to go for specialised hit squads who’ll tear particular opponents to items — the selection is at all times yours.
Don’t be concerned if that sounds overwhelming, as Unicorn Overlord’s studying curve is essentially a factor of magnificence. To begin with, you’ll be able to solely create two or three items, every made up of two combatants. However over the course of the marketing campaign, you will steadily unlock extra squads, whereas your present events can attain a most capability of 5 characters. By the point you get to that time, you will have picked up on so many potential methods by means of the sport’s hands-on method, and all the pieces simply unfolds in an impressively natural approach.
When you’re finished faffing about together with your squads, you will have to deploy them. Battles happen in real-time, however the sport will be paused at any second, and stops routinely every time a command is issued, or when one thing of observe happens. Maps are principally linear by way of construction — preventing your approach from garrison to garrison, capturing them as you go — however extra hurdles, like barricades and catapults, are steadily labored into the components.
Map by map, the sport teaches you to look at your environment and plan accordingly. It isn’t that Unicorn Overlord’s battlefields are particularly advanced; the title’s tactical depth stems out of your potential to put together. Deploying the proper items on the proper time, after which making the right moment-to-moment selections is how you will earn your victories.
Certainly, as soon as two opposing items meet, the precise turn-based fight that ensues is automated. Characters act based mostly on their set ways — basically behaviours that may be tweaked — and the class-specific skills that they’ve outfitted. Once more, the depth on provide — and the out there customisation — is mindboggling (in a great way). On the sport’s simple or regular difficulties, you do not have to sweat the main points, as default ways will typically show efficient. Nonetheless, those that crave a problem on onerous and really onerous can be compelled to think about each chance.
That is the place a unit’s particular person strengths and weaknesses enter the equation. For instance, airborne griffon knights take enormous injury from archers, however archers are ineffective in opposition to shield-bearing infantry. For context, it is by no means as simplistic as Fireplace Emblem’s weapon triangle as a result of there are simply so many alternative lessons to think about, however usually talking, strengths and weaknesses nonetheless type the idea of Unicorn Overlord’s fight system.
Our solely qualm with fight is that, particularly later within the sport, battles can actually begin to really feel stretched. Whenever you’ve received a unit made up of 5 characters, they usually’re preventing in opposition to 5 different characters, and everybody has entry to a wealth of motion factors as a result of they’re so excessive stage, you will be sat watching these skirmishes for minutes at a time. And whereas it is vastly rewarding to see the heroes you’ve got so rigorously nurtured take the win, longer fights would be the bane of much less affected person gamers.
Fortunately, there is a fast-forward button for when tedium units in — and there is even an choice to outright skip fight scenes if you understand precisely how issues are going to pan out. And on that observe, the sport does give you a fast overview earlier than every encounter begins. At a look, it’s going to provide you with incoming and outgoing injury totals, which helps you establish whether or not a struggle with that exact unit is definitely worthwhile. A really considerate timesaver.
In the meantime, outdoors of battle, you traverse an enormous overworld map as Alain, nevertheless it’s not fully open. Whilst you can forge your personal path to a level, and there are a great deal of non-obligatory sights to see, you are typically pushed within the route of the following story beat. However nonetheless, having a such a large world to discover helps Unicorn Overlord floor its storytelling, and in that sense, it feels rather more like a standard RPG than its friends — such as you’re on an precise journey, and you are not simply leaping between preset levels.
We mentioned this about 13 Sentinels, and it is the identical take care of Unicorn Overlord: Vanillaware’s patented artwork route elevates the expertise to a considerable extent. It is a beautiful launch, with improbable character designs and a few luxurious backdrops. Even the menus are amazingly effectively introduced, giving the distinct impression that crafting this sport’s visible identification was an actual labour of affection.