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I feel expectations going into Unicorn Overlord are going to differ dramatically from individual to individual. That simply is sensible although, as there hasn’t been a sport fairly like this in a very long time, and this sport is not like most different titles made by Vanillaware, so there’s not a handy level of comparability to make for many gamers. By way of grid-based Japanese Technique RPGs lately, there’s a extra apparent comparability to make to Hearth Emblem, in addition to extra conventional SRPG-formatted video games like Triangle Technique. Japanese RTS video games have turn into extra area of interest, with the one one I can recall lately being the underrated The Diofield Chronicle. This style clings to common ideas that usually work for the handful of video games that make it huge. That, or the echoes of video games common within the style’s heyday many years earlier than.

When the advertising and marketing proclaimed this was the “Rebirth of tactical fantasy RPGs” I’ll admit, it set fairly excessive expectations. I wouldn’t think about myself a Vanillaware tremendous fan, however they’re a developer I’ve revered about so long as I’ve been taking part in video games. Muramasa, 13 Sentinels, and Odin Sphere are all well-made video games, so I used to be excited to see how they’d tackle one among my favourite genres.

Unicorn Overlord could be very a lot its personal beast, nevertheless it feels caught closely between its inspirations of Quest’s Ogre Battle collection and Hearth Emblem. The gameplay is undeniably within the vein of Ogre Battle, particularly the Nintendo 64 traditional Individual of Lordly Caliber. To arrange for penning this evaluate, I had hoped to present this sport a full shot, however Nintendo 64 is in regards to the final retro system I want to personal, so I settled for watching some gameplay on-line and put this neat-looking sport snuggly in my backlog. Proper subsequent to Ways Ogre Reborn and the unique Ogre Battle’s Sega Saturn port. The storytelling feels way more Hearth Emblem, as much as the standard of antagonists and the components and rhythm of how the plot performs out. Between these two factors of inspiration is the occasional unique concept that has potential however is in the end drowned out by a sport that can’t assist however suffocate in its try and be a nostalgic callback.

I don’t suppose I’ve ever been extra conflicted in reviewing a sport in all my years as a media critic. Unicorn Overlord is undoubtedly a well-made sport in addition to a visible marvel that might be mentioned as one of many best-looking SRPGs ever made. This can be a sport solely Vanillaware may have made, and one stuffed with many good concepts. By the point I had seen and finished all the things it needed to supply although, I felt these concepts had been by no means fleshed out to make an excellent sport. So, for as a lot enjoyable as I had, I really feel Unicorn Overlord misses the mark of greatness by the overwhelming quantity of small blemishes within the bundle.

The gameplay of Unicorn Overlord is that of a globe-spanning RTS the place models are directed to particular factors or enemies on the map, which exist as sectioned-off areas from the totally explorable world. Each map has targets and goals, with a time restrict to barely push you to not wait round or play too defensively. I at all times discovered the cut-off dates to be beneficiant, and there’s a pause accessible at any second in case you get overwhelmed. Each unit has a set of Motion Factors, and when that quantity hits 0 they can not transfer till they relaxation and restore these factors. Progress doesn’t observe actual turns, however formation pace is tied to what unit you set to steer them. Mounted models can journey quick, however can have points getting by terrain that infantry models won’t. Flying models are gradual however can go over any terrain, and are particularly nice at pointing at bosses and eliminating the issue instantly if decked out with a robust crew. Each single class has a novel Chief Ability, so it’s a good suggestion to wield a wide range of lessons, not have purely mounted or flying models. 

Ranged characters like mages or archers can present assists in battle, with the enemy having the ability to make the most of the identical methods. This additionally results in needing to weigh your choices on which threats are extra crucial than others. Do you go for the garrisoned enemy quick to stop others from spawning from their base, or do you are taking your time and decide off the help round it to weaken it? Unicorn Overlord is greatest in these little moments, since its sport stream is well-designed. 

It’s thrilling to hurry forward and be shocked by somewhat ambush, or discover you left your property base unattended and must determine shortly what the perfect technique to retreat a unit earlier than you lose the mission. I’d say Vanillaware is at their greatest after they’re subverting expectations, and also you’ll undoubtedly see that lots in small methods right here. Sadly on a bigger scale, Unicorn Overlord does little or no to interrupt new floor.

I usually am not the kind of man to harp on problem. I’ve mentioned it earlier than in critiques of SRPGs, however I’m not practically expert sufficient to name myself a real fanatic. Hell, I’m not even an RTS fan. I really like these video games, I’ll at all times excitedly purchase new entries even when they don’t all click on with me. There are a handful of titles on this style I’m fairly alright at, however it’s price mentioning that I’m by no means the kind of particular person to play a SRPG on a more durable problem stage. I play each single Hearth Emblem sport on Regular/Informal, and generally are likely to wrestle with those individuals think about pretty simple. So once I say this, I need you to know I don’t accomplish that in an try and gatekeep or disgrace individuals for being extra informal than me. For all intents and functions right here, I’m an off-the-cuff.

Unicorn Overlord is the best SRPG I’ve ever performed. I don’t suppose that simple video games are inherently dangerous, after all, however the methods during which this sport is frictionless result in a gameplay loop that finally ends up being extra boring the longer you play the sport.

I performed my whole playthrough on the Tactical problem, the second highest accessible from the get-go on launch. I used to be initially intending to simply play the sport on Regular, which is what I had picked when the demo launched near launch. On this demo there have been solely three difficulties, however the “Day 1” patch that was utilized after we received our copy in modified these up. Regular grew to become Tactical, Straightforward grew to become Regular, a brand new Story problem grew to become accessible, and all difficulties had been tuned down in response to the official patch notes. 

Tactical problem delivers a wholesome quantity of annoying gameplay early on, and my preliminary impressions had been completely glowing. The gameplay loop is robust, with exploration and serving to these in want constructing off each other. Assembling your formations presents quite a lot of technique, and conserving these formations stocked up and evenly stocked with the precise allies might be life or dying as you liberate the primary continent. I’d argue that after this opening continent, the issue simply fully falls off proper till the very finish of the sport. Across the third continent (Elheim for me) I felt I had seen all the things that Unicorn Overlord needed to supply, and by the point I liberated the world, this had been confirmed to me.

The depth put into formation constructing permits for a number of the most customizable SRPG gameplay I’ve ever seen, and I had a good time discussing class strengths and weaknesses with different gamers as I made my approach by. You possibly can program in abilities for each single character based mostly on a wide range of conditions, seemingly immediately impressed by Ultimate Fantasy XII’s wonderful gambit system. Discovering optimum synergies between them is enjoyable, however I really feel prefer it created balancing points for the builders. 

On any problem simpler than Professional, crew synergy feels prefer it doesn’t actually matter. I experimented with this evaluate to attempt to play the sport as the common particular person/newcomer would. I used auto-optimization usually for character gear and ability packages, and constructed formations based mostly on vibes and established character dynamics, moderately than ironclad battle synergy. I made an effort to maintain them balanced, however I actually didn’t put a lot thought into them exterior of a choose few conditions. Up till the very ultimate mission of the sport, I used to be in a position to get by each single mission within the sport with out a lot challenge. The sport simply offers you approach too many good models early on, and quite a lot of them be a part of you on the ultimate level of their class development. 

This is able to be much less of an issue if class development was versatile, which nearly sounds excellent for a sport as customizable with crew composition. Sadly, it’s linear, and that linearity is a straight line with two factors on it. If you happen to’re even somewhat bit thorough with facet content material, you may unlock class development fairly early into your sport after which not really feel like your characters will meaningfully enhance for the remainder of your playthrough. One neat factor I did recognize was the power to fully change a named unit’s look, persona, and stat growths with a particular merchandise you discover in your sport. That is the form of unit solely usually present in recruited generic models, so whereas it isn’t a lot, it’s appreciated on Professional.

Professional can be the one problem mode within the sport (exterior of the True Zenoiran mode unlocked after your first playthrough) that makes an effort to use restrictions to merchandise use, which causes much more balancing points. Professional limits you to 10 objects per stage, and when your objects may be purchased and located simply by taking any effort to discover the world, that is essential to not provide you with an excessive amount of of a bonus. The merchandise pool is deep, with choices to revive Valor Factors (that are the way you summon new models, revive groups, and use class/unit particular actions), restore AP, heal and revive models, destroy stage hazards, ignore stage hazards, ignore enemy help assaults, buff stats, stage up models, and extra. Since objects are usable at any second, you’re at all times a second away from reversing any penalties for taking part in carelessly. Professional makes you are taking issues extra severely, since you may’t fall again onto objects to get you out of errors. 

On many of the difficulties within the sport, you aren’t made to interact with many of the mechanics on supply. You may get by with out a lot resistance, however gamers who dive in deep will discover it even simpler. If Tactical didn’t require me to concentrate to crew composition, I extremely doubt Regular and Story would. Enemy numbers and stats can enhance, however their techniques by no means turn into extra sophisticated than working straight at you. I feel quite a lot of SRPGs are restricted in ways in which conceal this higher, however Unicorn Overlord being extra of an RTS lays the simplicity naked. There’s simply an excessive amount of within the participant’s favor, so the allusion of problem by no means looks like a gift menace. 

A hilarious technique I discovered was how enemies with 0 AP are solely actually weakened if you select to have them get better. Wait time may be negated with a Valor Ability or merchandise, which is overpowered in its personal proper, however in case you depart them as is that they’ll nonetheless be at full energy. In case you have an particularly robust character, you may simply depart them in a spot to draw enemies and maintain them occupied whereas most of your forces transfer on. Or you may have that robust unit problem the boss, run out of AP, after which daisy chain them near that boss by switching out one other unit that goes to assault them. Unicorn Overlord has a system the place every time your unit makes contact with an enemy a circle will seem round them. If any ally is on this circle, you may swap them into the initiator’s spot to do the battle as a substitute. That is nice for in case you underestimated a foe and located an incompatibility along with your squad, and may simply swap them out to maintain them secure. However the one models to lose AP from doing this are the unit that finally ends up preventing the battle, and if that unit has 0 AP already they received’t lose any. So you may primarily daisy chain your robust unit subsequent to a boss to simply maintain at it till it dies, and it was humorous each time it occurred. I don’t suppose it is a game-ruining exploit, however I feel perhaps tactical and better difficulties ought to have given 0 AP models some form of debuff.

Professional looks like the one problem the place care was put into balancing the gameplay, and the one I’d say to play from the outset in case you have even a passing understanding of RPGs. The sport permits you to swap at any second, and each time I did so I felt myself having fun with the sport way more. However I nonetheless discovered myself on Tactical for a majority of my playthrough, as a result of I needed to see if the mode would decide up. Don’t be afraid to trip between difficulties in case you really feel underwhelmed or bored, however I’d in all probability say to simply begin on Professional mode.

Nevertheless, Professional doesn’t resolve each criticism I had, such because the mission selection being moderately restricted. I feel I can rely the variety of occasions the mission goal wasn’t simply “kill the commander” on a single hand. For the reason that mission maps are simply sanctioned off components of the traditional map, there’s not likely an opportunity for the sport to get too inventive with map design both. These handful of missions the place you aren’t simply killing the enemy quick are the place this greatest shines, just like the mission the place you should stop a forest fireplace from spreading to an essential tre,e or the place you should navigate by a blizzard with no goal given initially. Each time these got here up I received excited that they had been signaling a turning level, however then the sport would fall again into line.

Exploration might be the place this sport shines the brightest, and I’ve little or no qualms with it. The sense of discovery early on, as you make your approach by a harmful world managed by the empire is certainly essentially the most enjoyable I had. Unicorn Overlord lives and dies by its world map. You truly stroll your sprite of Alain round it, you go to cities, and all the battles within the sport happen precisely on it. There’s by no means a second the place you are feeling such as you depart it, exterior of the attractive cutscenes and the battle animations. Clearing a mission and liberating the world will let you then discover that a part of the map as Alain, unlocking cities to revive with assets you’ll discover on the map. There’s a stable quantity of actions in an space after it’s liberated, however I really feel it reveals its hand fairly early to all of the various things to do on supply. 

That is additionally the way you enhance your Renown, which supplies rewards in lettered tiers like the power to increase formations as much as 5 models and unlock new ones The best way you’ll do that is by spending Honors, some extent system you’ll additionally get by serving to individuals and doing facet content material. This small approach exploration is tied into customization is good, rewarding you mechanically for taking part in the sport in step with Alain’s character motivations. Often you’ll have a few ethical dilemmas that play out within the facet content material that’ll have an effect on the result of that small story, however they by no means have overarching penalties. Nevertheless they will often be boiled right down to getting a brand new get together member or not, so I felt the writing right here would usually lack chunk.

Characters will develop nearer with each other as you struggle with them, and that is the way you unlock Rapport conversations. Lots of the character particulars are right here, and that is the perfect writing you’re more likely to discover within the sport. For some purpose although, regardless of the remainder of the sport being totally voiced, there’s no voice performing for these scenes on both voice observe. Bond ranges may also be elevated by taking a gaggle of characters to a Tavern in an upgraded primary city, which lets you spend cash to eat a meal with your folks. You received’t discover new conversations from this, however the characters will make fast remarks in regards to the scrumptious meals drawn by Vanillaware’s proficient artists. Alain can even assign a celebration member to a selected city, however all this does is enable them to be given presents to extend their bond with him and gather objects if you’re not there. Presents are a reasonably quick solution to max out Alain’s relationship with a particular unit, nevertheless it’s humorous how over a interval of about 10 seconds Alain can go from not figuring out somebody to having the ability to marry them. It’d be good typically although if most of this technique wasn’t so Alain-centric, since he’s not an fascinating sufficient character to have all essentially the most fascinating components of the system unique to him.

All of those mechanics exterior of battle are nice, however as I liberated increasingly of the world a thought got here to my thoughts. “The place’s the resistance from the Empire?” I used to be ready for a second after they’d make a push again and attempt to reclaim their territory, resulting in tense moments of getting to struggle again and maintain cities secure. Perhaps this was a secret purpose to assign characters to liberated cities? Or perhaps I’d be punished for taking too lengthy exploring a area, resulting in a more durable ultimate mission there to lift the stakes. That by no means occurs. The menace begins manageable and will get even simpler the extra you discover, which I’ll at the very least admit results in a way of satisfaction in reclaiming the world from tyranny. Nevertheless, for a narrative a couple of menace that was in a position to take over your complete world it feels a tad hole seeing how little you are feeling it’s important to work in the direction of liberating it. Whereas this simply circled again to my problem complaints, I really feel it bleeds over into the story as nicely.

Emperor Galerius, an imposing menace that reveals up within the prologue to slay Alain’s mom and provides him a motivation for his quest, seems as soon as extra within the sport’s first chapter after which by no means once more till the very finish of the sport. From taking part in the story to its completion I do know that this incompetent Empire isn’t commentary, however comes off as extra of an oversight. It’s nice that you simply get to begin from nothing and slowly achieve the facility to overthrow the empire, however there’s little or no friction because of how open the sport may be. It in the end makes the stakes of the story non-existent. An early instance is Alain’s good friend Scarlett being kidnapped by the empire, with a time restrict implied that isn’t truly utilized within the gameplay loop. I’ve performed video games my whole life and perceive the necessity to droop my disbelief, however this lack of immediacy bleeds over into the remainder of the sport. 

You possibly can determine the components out fairly shortly, and it hardly ever deviates from this so many of the gameplay and story is unfortunately predictable. I discover the forged charming, however the plot lacks fascinating moments exterior of a few neat lore tidbits and the themes aren’t something particular for the style. You’re coping with a easy good vs evil struggle story, with little or no to say relating to the complicated nature of battle people discover themselves pulled towards all through historical past. This sounds damning, however I don’t suppose Unicorn has sufficient to say typically to rake it over the coals. There’s an idea established early on, for instance, of a magic spells that brainwashes individuals to serve the empire. This naturally made me fearful that quite a lot of the villains within the story can be given passes for atrocities dedicated, however this idea is actually dropped early on, leaving me unsure why they established it to start with. 

There’s one character particularly this occurs to that has fascinating improvement delegated to facet content material, however most characters which have this spell forged on them shrug it off and be a part of you (with some traces in rapports associated to it, in the event that they’re fortunate) or die. Unicorn Overlord is in the end not about why humanity finds themselves drawn into struggle repeatedly, it’s about coming collectively to defeat an imperialistic menace. You understand what? That’s nice, and I respect its devotion to this single thought. It sadly simply results in a easy central battle devoid of many transferring components. 

I feel one of many causes I felt upset by the story is as a result of the way in which it presents itself is completely top-class. The English script reads fantastically, with wonderful prose delivered strongly by implausible voice actors. The dub forged is sort of giant, and largely stuffed with many actors you’d hear in SEGA/ATLUS video games, however there aren’t any weak hyperlinks. Everybody offers it their all, and the setting manages to really feel like genuine fantasy. Whereas the plot is simplistic, the flowery dialog offers it weight that saved me engaged for lots of it. I’d say the presentation as an entire is the sport’s strongest facet, which makes complete sense given Vanillaware’s pedigree. 

The story and gameplay really feel incompatible, particularly with the way it performs out because of the non-linearity. The sport isn’t really open world, however presents alternatives to sequence break the order during which you play the continent story arcs in case you clear liberation missions sooner than you’re purported to. Due to this, the writers aren’t positive you’d have key characters exterior of the continent you discover them on, so for many of the sport they merely don’t really feel current. Whereas I like how this makes the tales really feel episodic, it makes them additionally really feel disconnected. 

Whereas I can say certainly that Unicorn Overlord was a sport I had quite a lot of enjoyable with, I’m annoyed on the some ways it simply didn’t come collectively. There may be a lot missed alternative right here, however that additionally means there’s quite a lot of room to develop. I’d like to see a follow-up to this, one which makes use of what was established right here as a base to construct and experiment on. The customization is extra in-depth than most RPGs, and taking part in Professional helps to make it really shine. Nevertheless, I’d argue it’s a flaw for a sport to solely have a single problem possibility that provides a satisfying gameplay expertise for gamers. If the story had been higher, I may have forgiven quite a lot of my points with the gameplay. However we’re left with a story with nearly no stakes that performs it secure for its whole 50-hour runtime. If the gameplay had simply been a bit fine-tuned and balanced higher, I’d then have the ability to forgive the forgettable story. If each had been nearly as good because the exploration, we may have had the best SRPG ever made.

That’s what’s so underwhelming to me. Outdoors of the artwork route, nothing on this sport excels previous being simply ok. There’s nothing on this sport that feels really terrible, nevertheless it hardly ever manages to attain excellence. This wouldn’t be an issue often, as a result of I’ve no qualms with video games which are simply nice. It’s a sport I needed to like, and one I see why so many others love, however simply couldn’t discover that love for myself. It lets me down a lot as a result of these concepts and techniques really feel like they’ve a lot potential. This options essentially the most in-depth customization I’ve ever seen on this style, however I feel the liberty on supply results in an unbalanced ultimate product. So usually I felt threatened with greater than time, informed to get excited for cool issues to return quickly. Nevertheless it simply didn’t ship that. This evaluate might sound damaging, however that’s as a result of what this sport does greatest isn’t distinctive to itself or terribly fascinating. The profitable parts are all pores and skin deep.

The video games Unicorn Overlord was impressed by didn’t have a template to observe, so that they took dangers to see how they might depart their very own marks. Unicorn Overlord appears allergic to risk-taking, and it makes for a secure and pleasurable product that fails to introduce something new. So once I was given only a satisfactory sport, I couldn’t assist however be let down.

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