Series like Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem and Tactics Ogre (one Beautiful remaster in 2022) favor the conversation around SRPGs. And rightfully so. However, with its latest release – Unicorn Overlord – developer Vanillaware pays homage to the classics by taking cues from older titles, while delivering something fresh and compelling for 2024. After being completely absorbed in this beautiful blend of old and new, Unicorn Overlord feels like a must-play for strategy game fans.
Where the vanilla pods are not shy inspired for Unicorn Overlord. Instead of typical grid-based battlegrounds, the game plays like a lot Ogre Battle 64, you command several small squads that you maneuver around the map to intercept enemy forces and capture forts. Each squad has a captain who gives a passive bonus with party sizes that grow up to five over the course of the game. But since you don’t have direct control over individual characters during battles, you have to be crafty in setting them up for success.
Strategy is dictated not only by the position of each squad, but also by the classes you choose and the actions you assign (such as ordering an attack on the lowest health enemy or only hitting an opponent that has already been debuffed). This results in a game that looks like fantasy football but is meant for war. Look at you, now you are a general. Besides, it’s even better because you can see how well your martial arts are playing, like when your archers take out flying enemies like gryphons and hunters who are naturally vulnerable to their attacks.
But the strategy doesn’t end there, as there are other ways to manipulate battles outside of combat. You can command siege units like catapults and ballistas to deal damage to opposing units before they get close. Alternatively, you can spend prowess points (earned by defeating enemies) to buff friendly fighters (haste, extra stamina, etc.) or to soften up enemies with targeted strikes like a cavalry charge. Then there’s all the different gear and loot you’ll collect, which adds another layer of customization to your army.
In addition to simple specific hits, you can give units extra turns or change their abilities by adding poison damage to a spear or other weapon. And when you get things right, the results are devastating. One of my favorite combos was having the archer and swordsman do fire-based attacks to set enemies on fire. Then I followed that up with a mage that ignites every burning opponent with extra party-scale damage at the end of the fight, and I think you can see where this is going. Honestly, I’ve lost track of the amount of time I’ve spent looking through menus to tweak ascactions and gear. But minimizing each team’s potential is a ton of fun in itself.
Meanwhile, another feature Unicorn Overlord Fire Emblem borrows from franchises like its Rapport mechanic. Characters on the same squad will become closer over time and provide improved stats over time. Alternatively, you can improve the relationship by sharing food or giving gifts, and once you’ve bonded enough, you’ll get a cutscene that explores the two people’s relationship more deeply. In addition, the main character Alain can develop a romance that allows you to choose your best girl (or boy, in some cases, although I did not have a chance to try it myself).
Unicorn Overlord’s the list is also huge. I added a new member to my lineup like every battle and had over 30 unique story characters before I explored 50 percent of the map. And if that’s not enough, you can also hire mercenaries, which is definitely a more strategic decision, as it allows you to customize the growth of the unit (eg Keen types get extra crit, versatiles get more balanced stats, etc. ).
I want to call too Unicorn Overlord’s visual design, straight-out brilliant. It’s an obvious homage to the 2D sprite-based graphics of old-school SRPGs, but polished for modern HD screens. The portraits and character models are incredibly detailed and the animations are a joy to watch even after the 1000th time. Granted, vanilla pods can sometimes be overwhelming the girl in armor trope in games where male characters have giant sheets of metal protecting them, while some female characters are less clothed. Why does the witch class wear bikinis? We’ll never know, although this has been Vanillaware’s style for the past 20 years, so it’s hardly a surprise. Really, my only complaint about this is that there should be a few more himbos to balance things out.
As for the more general negatives, the main one is that the plot of the game is a bit generic. It’s not bad, it’s just based on the familiar premise of disenfranchised Prince Alain (who coincidentally doesn’t look too much like Magnus from Ogre Battle 64, right down to the blue hair) and his quest to free his nation from the clutches of evil. the emperor Galerius. However, there are still plenty of touching points to keep the plot from being too boring.
Another potential problem is that some may find the game a little too easy. There are three difficulty levels to start with, plus an even harder setting after you beat the game. However, the amount of strategy you can do means you can almost always have the upper hand in combat, so depending on how you look at it, the game does itself a disservice for having such a high level of control and customization. It’s a good problem to have, though, in my opinion.
The most important thing about Unicorn Overlord it feels like a passion project from start to finish. Its visuals are wonderfully handcrafted, and by taking features and gameplay from Hall of Fame strategy titles and then updating them, the game feels like a love letter to the genre as a whole. Heck, the CEO of Vanillaware even went so far as to pay for it game development from the pocket after running out of budget. So, while Unicorn Overlord might not appeal to everyone, tactical fans got a new instant classic.
