Vanillaware’s latest tactical gaming epic, Unicorn Overlord, is a genuinely impressive and thoroughly massive undertaking.
Following 13 Sentinels, Unicorn Overlord is a more traditional Vanillaware game in terms of its setting. Returning to a realm of historical fantasy, Unicorn Overlord deals with a rebellion against an all-encompassing evil empire.
With the main protagonist spirited out on the night of the evil empire’s invasion, there are definite resemblances to anime such as Galient and Escaflowne and games like Dragon Quest XI.
However, the somewhat generic story is the only minor dent in this otherwise excellent tactical role-playing game.
This is also by no means a typical tactical role-playing game. Unlike the tile and turn based approach you see in recent games such as Super Robot Wars 30, Unicorn Overlord adopts a more realtime approach instead.
In that, units are comprised of multiple combatants and are directed at various targets in battles. Each unit moves in realtime and while the action can be paused, everything tends to flow quite seamlessly.
Actual battles are technically turn based but are determined by the placement and type of combatants available. Moreover, you can customise the tactics of each combatant, which becomes increasingly necessary as the game progresses.
On the completion of each stage of battle, you are returned to the overworld, which has all manner of things tucked away. From rebuilding towns and finding loot, your job is effectively to build up a grassroots rebellion from scratch.
With each town rebuilt and various battles won, your renown increases. This allows you to increase the size of each unit and add more combatants.
The number of various classes available to staff each unit is also massive. Each class having strengths and weaknesses against other types. Resulting in a complex setup of rock-paper-scissors type unit loadouts.
The important thing to clarify here is that all of this may sound overwhelming, but it really isn’t in practice. In that, it’s all delivered and introduced in small increments. Each layer is simple, but as they are stacked up, so does the complexity and functional nuance increase .
On gameplay alone, Unicorn Overlord is one of the best tactical role-playing games I’ve ever played and shows that Vanillaware really understand their craft.
The other side to Unicorn Overlord is just how gorgeous it looks.
Vanillaware is known for its uniquely sumptuous approach to 2D art, but Unicorn Overlord is probably their most impressive game to date.
The production value as well as design of the characters and world is so well done that it feels like a classic fantasy anime being played out in front of you.
It’s here we get to the story, and there are two main issues with it. Firstly, while it is not bad, it is generic and predictable. Secondly, the English localization is just weird and makes a lot of unnecessary changes.
If the story were more integral and involved, then this would be a major issue. However, Unicorn Overlord’s story is mostly cursory, as the real star of the show is the tactical gameplay coupled with genuinely gorgeous visuals. The music is also great in this game and fits the setting wonderfully.
Overall, Unicorn Overlord is one of the best tactical role-playing games I’ve played in a good while. The tactical complexity is also carefully introduced in a fairly gentle and intuitive way. With its wonderful visuals cementing this as a definitive game in the genre and one everyone should check out.
Unicorn Overlord
Platform: Switch (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S
Developer: Vanillaware
Publisher: Atlus
Released: 8th March 2024
Price: $59.99
Score: 9/10
Disclosure: Atlus sent me a copy of this game for the purposes of this review.
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