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Vanillaware does 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 very good 13 Sentinels was by no means going to be simple, however the Japanese studio has in some way manged to provide an equally wonderful recreation three years later — and it is not even in the identical style.
Unicorn Overlord is a technique RPG that takes apparent inspiration from traditional properties like Fireplace Emblem and Ogre Battle / Techniques Ogre. It is bought an unmistakable old style air to it — not not like Dragon’s Crown, one other Vanillaware favorite — however it’s dripping within the developer’s trademark artwork fashion, and it is decked out in modernised design. That is very a lot Vanillaware’s tackle a longtime idea — once more, identical to Dragon’s Crown — however the title’s lack of originality by no means stops it from being a deeply fulfilling journey.
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Set in a world of medieval fantasy, full with magical artefacts, elves, and even massive furry lion individuals, 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 basically 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 is not unhealthy, however outdoors of some particularly dramatic scenes, it not often has you glued to the display screen.
Nonetheless, identical 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 may little doubt develop to adore most of them. These are characters who earn your admiration by way of repeated battles, after they’re snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and attempting their greatest to make you appear like a tactical genius.
Some characters are launched by way of the principle story and could have a particular position to play, however many are discovered through aspect quests — elective battles that, as a rule, really feel simply as necessary to the general plot. There is a frequent inflow of contemporary heroes as you progress, and welcoming new allies to your military shortly turns into one of many recreation’s most addictive parts.
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It’s because Unicorn Overlord’s true brilliance lies in its gameplay loop. It does a frankly excellent job of retaining the ball rolling; there’s all the time a brand new tactic to think about, or a brand new hero to unleash. Even if you’re approaching the title’s last act, you are still being offered with beforehand unseen unit sorts and skills that may utterly change your strategic perspective. There aren’t many RPGs the place you possibly can say get together administration is definitely a spotlight of the expertise — however tinkering along with your troops in Unicorn Overlord is genuinely engrossing.
It is the sport’s comparatively distinctive unit system that makes all of this attainable. As an alternative of utilising singular characters, you group your heroes collectively as a way to create squads — and the combos are virtually limitless. You may kind balanced events, with damage-tanking fighters within the entrance row, supported by archers and healers within the again, or you possibly can go for specialised hit squads who’ll tear particular opponents to items — the selection is all the time yours.
Don’t fret if that sounds overwhelming, as Unicorn Overlord’s studying curve is basically a factor of magnificence. To start out with, you possibly can solely create two or three items, every made up of two combatants. However over the course of the marketing campaign, you may 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 may have picked up on so many potential methods by way of the sport’s hands-on strategy, and all the pieces simply unfolds in an impressively natural method.
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When you’re achieved faffing about along with your squads, you may must deploy them. Battles happen in real-time, however the recreation may be paused at any second, and stops robotically at any time when a command is issued, or when one thing of be aware happens. Maps are largely linear by way of construction — combating your method from garrison to garrison, capturing them as you go — however further hurdles, like barricades and catapults, are step by step labored into the components.
Map by map, the sport teaches you to watch your environment and plan accordingly. It is not that Unicorn Overlord’s battlefields are particularly complicated; the title’s tactical depth stems out of your means to put together. Deploying the appropriate items on the proper time, after which making the right moment-to-moment choices is how you may earn your victories.
Certainly, as soon as two opposing items meet, the precise turn-based fight that ensues is automated. Characters act primarily based on their set techniques — primarily behaviours that may be tweaked — and the class-specific talents that they’ve outfitted. Once more, the depth on supply — and the accessible customisation — is mindboggling (in a great way). On the sport’s simple or regular difficulties, you do not have to sweat the small print, as default techniques will usually show efficient. Nonetheless, those that crave a problem on exhausting and really exhausting might be compelled to think about each risk.
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That is the place a unit’s particular person strengths and weaknesses enter the equation. For instance, airborne griffon knights take enormous harm 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 kind the idea of Unicorn Overlord’s fight system.
Our solely qualm with fight is that, particularly later within the recreation, battles can actually begin to really feel stretched. If you’ve bought a unit made up of 5 characters, they usually’re combating in opposition to 5 different characters, and everybody has entry to a wealth of motion factors as a result of they’re so excessive degree, you may be sat watching these skirmishes for minutes at a time. And whereas it is vastly rewarding to see the heroes you have 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 precisely how issues are going to pan out. And on that be aware, 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 harm totals, which helps you identify whether or not a struggle with that exact unit is definitely worthwhile. A really considerate timesaver.
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In the meantime, outdoors of battle, you traverse a large overworld map as Alain, however it’s not utterly open. Whilst you can forge your personal path to a level, and there are a great deal of elective sights to see, you are usually pushed within the path of the subsequent story beat. However nonetheless, having a such a large world to discover helps Unicorn Overlord floor its storytelling, and in that sense, it feels way more like a conventional 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 path elevates the expertise to a considerable extent. It is a attractive launch, with unbelievable character designs and a few luxurious backdrops. Even the menus are amazingly nicely offered, giving the distinct impression that crafting this recreation’s visible identification was an actual labour of affection.