Unicorn Overlord Evaluation (PS5) | Push Sq.

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 straightforward, however the Japanese studio has one way or the other manged to supply an equally glorious recreation three years later — and it isn’t even in the identical style.

Unicorn Overlord is a method RPG that takes apparent inspiration from basic properties like Fireplace Emblem and Ogre Battle / Techniques Ogre. It is received an unmistakable old style air to it — not in contrast to Dragon’s Crown, one other Vanillaware favorite — but it surely’s dripping within the developer’s trademark artwork model, and it is decked out in modernised design. That is very a lot Vanillaware’s tackle a longtime idea — once more, similar 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 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 essentially dry and critical. In that sense, it is all very Fireplace Emblem — however from a time when Nintendo’s sequence hadn’t gone full anime. It is not dangerous, however exterior of some particularly dramatic scenes, it hardly ever has you glued to the display screen.

Nevertheless, similar 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 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 making an attempt their finest to make you appear to be a tactical genius.

Some characters are launched by way of the principle story and can have a selected position to play, however many are discovered through facet quests — non-compulsory battles that, most of the time, really feel simply as essential to the general plot. There is a frequent inflow of recent heroes as you progress, and welcoming new allies to your military shortly turns into one of many recreation’s most addictive components.

It’s because Unicorn Overlord’s true brilliance lies in its gameplay loop. It does a frankly excellent job of protecting the ball rolling; there’s all the time a brand new tactic to think about, or a brand new hero to unleash. Even once you’re approaching the title’s last act, you are still being introduced 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 occasion 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 potential. As an alternative of utilising singular characters, you group your heroes collectively with a purpose to create squads — and the combos are virtually countless. You may 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 all the time yours.

Don’t be concerned if that sounds overwhelming, as Unicorn Overlord’s studying curve is essentially a factor of magnificence. To begin 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 the whole lot simply unfolds in an impressively natural approach.

When you’re finished faffing about along with your squads, you may have to deploy them. Battles happen in real-time, however the recreation could be paused at any second, and stops robotically each time a command is issued, or when one thing of observe happens. Maps are largely linear by way of construction — preventing your approach from garrison to garrison, capturing them as you go — however further hurdles, like barricades and catapults, are regularly labored into the method.

Map by map, the sport teaches you to look at 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 skill to organize. Deploying the fitting items on the proper time, after which making the proper 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 ways — 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 straightforward or regular difficulties, you do not have to sweat the small print, as default ways will typically show efficient. Nevertheless, those that crave a problem on exhausting and really exhausting shall be pressured to think about each chance.

That is the place a unit’s particular person strengths and weaknesses enter the equation. For instance, airborne griffon knights take big harm from archers, however archers are ineffective towards 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 type the premise 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. Whenever you’ve received a unit made up of 5 characters, they usually’re preventing towards 5 different characters, and everybody has entry to a wealth of motion factors as a result of they’re so excessive stage, you could be sat watching these skirmishes for minutes at a time. And whereas it is massively rewarding to see the heroes you have so fastidiously nurtured take the win, longer fights would be the bane of much less affected person gamers.

Fortunately, there’s a fast-forward button for when tedium units in — and there is even an choice to outright skip fight scenes if you already know precisely how issues are going to pan out. And on that observe, the sport does offer you a fast overview earlier than every encounter begins. At a look, it will provide you with incoming and outgoing harm totals, which helps you establish whether or not a battle with that exact unit is definitely worthwhile. A really considerate timesaver.

In the meantime, exterior of battle, you traverse a large overworld map as Alain, but it surely’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 path 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 way more like a standard RPG than its friends — such as you’re on an precise journey, and you are not simply leaping between preset levels.

We stated 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 beautiful launch, with implausible character designs and a few luxurious backdrops. Even the menus are amazingly nicely introduced, giving the distinct impression that crafting this recreation’s visible identification was an actual labour of affection.