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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 straightforward, however the Japanese studio has in some way manged to supply an equally wonderful sport three years later — and it is not even in the identical style.
Unicorn Overlord is a technique RPG that takes apparent inspiration from basic properties like Fireplace Emblem and Ogre Battle / Ways Ogre. It is acquired an unmistakable old-fashioned air to it — not in contrast to Dragon’s Crown, one other Vanillaware favorite — nevertheless 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.
Set in a world of medieval fantasy, full with magical artefacts, elves, and even large furry lion individuals, it is the sport’s plot that does not fairly weigh as much as the remainder of the package deal. 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 sequence hadn’t gone full anime. It isn’t unhealthy, however exterior of some particularly dramatic scenes, it hardly ever has you glued to the display.
Nonetheless, identical to in Fireplace Emblem, it is the encircling forged 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 question develop to adore most of them. These are characters who earn your admiration by means of repeated battles, once they’re snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and making an attempt their greatest to make you appear to be a tactical genius.
Some characters are launched by means of the primary story and could have a particular function to play, however many are discovered through aspect quests — non-compulsory battles that, as a rule, really feel simply as necessary 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 components.
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 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 ultimate act, you are still being introduced with beforehand unseen unit sorts and talents that may utterly change your strategic perspective. There aren’t many RPGs the place you possibly can say celebration 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 an alternative of utilising singular characters, you group your heroes collectively in an effort to create squads — and the mixtures are virtually countless. You’ll be able to type 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 at all times 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 models, every made up of two combatants. However over the course of the marketing campaign, you may steadily unlock extra squads, whereas your current 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 means of the sport’s hands-on method, and the whole lot simply unfolds in an impressively natural approach.
When you’re carried out faffing about together with your squads, you may have to deploy them. Battles happen in real-time, however the sport will be paused at any second, and stops robotically every time a command is issued, or when one thing of word happens. Maps are principally linear by way of construction — combating your approach from garrison to garrison, capturing them as you go — however further hurdles, like barricades and catapults, are steadily labored into the system.
Map by map, the sport teaches you to watch 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 capability to put together. Deploying the appropriate models on the proper time, after which making the right moment-to-moment selections is how you may earn your victories.
Certainly, as soon as two opposing models meet, the precise turn-based fight that ensues is computerized. Characters act primarily based on their set ways — primarily behaviours that may be tweaked — and the class-specific talents that they’ve outfitted. Once more, the depth on provide — and the accessible customisation — is mindboggling (in a great way). On the sport’s straightforward 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 might be compelled to think about each risk.
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 typically 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. While you’ve acquired 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 will be sat watching these skirmishes for minutes at a time. And whereas it is massively 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 realize precisely how issues are going to pan out. And on that word, 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 identify whether or not a battle with that individual unit is definitely worthwhile. A really considerate timesaver.
In the meantime, exterior of battle, you traverse a large overworld map as Alain, nevertheless it’s not utterly open. Whilst you can forge your personal path to a level, and there are a great deal of non-compulsory sights to see, you are typically pushed within the course 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 far more like a standard RPG than its friends — such as you’re on an precise journey, and you are not simply leaping between preset phases.
We mentioned this about 13 Sentinels, and it is the identical take care of Unicorn Overlord: Vanillaware’s patented artwork course elevates the expertise to a considerable extent. It is a attractive launch, with improbable character designs and a few luxurious backdrops. Even the menus are amazingly properly introduced, giving the distinct impression that crafting this sport’s visible id was an actual labour of affection.
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