Evaluation: Unicorn Overlord (Nintendo Swap)

It’s most likely too early to be declaring my 2024 sport of the yr. There’s a lot to stay up for, particularly in my favourite style: JRPGs. However having spent upwards of 100 hours on Unicorn Overlord, I’ll be very stunned if I’ve a greater time all through the remainder of the Nintendo Swap’s twilight.

Unicorn Overlord is a tactical technique RPG from ATLUS and Vanillaware. It follows Alain, the would-be prince of Cornia had the dominion not been overthrown by Common Valmore. Earlier than her final stand in opposition to Valmore, Alain’s mom, Queen Ilenia, duties a guard, Josef, with defending her younger son and the Ring of the Unicorn. Valmore takes management of Cornia, locations all of the kingdoms of Fevrith beneath Zenoiran rule, and modifications his title to Galerius, as would all of us, proper?

Ten years later, the island of Palevia is invaded by Zenoiran forces. Josef, Alain, and some buddies are in a position to repel the assault, and we be taught the Ring of the Unicorn has the flexibility to dispel the magic that’s forcing one-time allies to serve beneath Galerius. Armed with this data and a can-do angle, Alain decides the time is nigh to collect a military to liberate Fevrith.

The plot is often melodramatic for the style, however not almost as heavy as what we’ve seen prior to now. Every thing strikes alongside at a breezy tempo, or no less than as breezy as it may be with all the side-battle motion at your disposal. Let’s not get into that, but, although. Let’s begin with the world map.

In most JRPGs, the map is both one thing that pushes icons round beneath grave narration or a way to get from right here to there with as few random battles as potential. In Unicorn Overlord, it’s a residing factor, and a key element to gameplay. Alain has to discover the world to construct his military, and there’s so much to do.

Finishing liberation battles will free cities for Alain to make the most of, supplied he’s gathered sufficient sources to construct them up. Cities can present armor and provisions. Bigger cities may present taverns the place Alain’s troops can share meals to extend rapport. You may station guards to assist acquire supplies and to current with presents, additionally to extend rapport. Some cities have ports that assist you to sail to secluded areas for uncommon objects or to resolve quests.

The map additionally accommodates forts the place you’ll be able to recruit mercenaries, increase your unit measurement, have interaction in mock battles, and extra. Quite a few relics are scattered about, lots of which you received’t even know find out how to use till you’re about midway by the sport, or deeper. One among my favourite moments was once I stumbled upon a hidden catapult with the suggestion to disable it. In a later battle, the enemy officer was miffed to be taught a catapult was down, making my victory simpler to attain. There are quite a few moments like that scattered about, making map exploration not only a rewarding endeavor, but in addition an essential key to development.

After all, the meat of the sport is within the battles, and there’s far an excessive amount of nuance to enter full element right here. Principally, you’re in a position to assign models of as much as six troopers from these you’ve recruited or employed. Unicorn Overlord affords over 60 characters by sport’s finish, all of whom include their very own distinctive talent set throughout a mess of sophistication varieties. The way you place them of their unit, the way you arm and decorate them, what abilities you give them, and the way you set off these abilities determines how efficient they’ll be in fight. It’s so much to consider, and it may simply develop into overwhelming in case you’re not always managing who will get what new accent/weapon and who will get paired with whom.

The sport does assist you to have interaction in mock battles to check a unit’s effectiveness, however I discovered it simpler to simply mimic enemy models. If a struggle is especially troublesome, I’d arrange a unit utilizing the enemy’s formation, then tweak it to swimsuit my wants.

However that’s simply the preparation. The battles happen in actual time on splendidly designed maps that stay various all through the sport’s entirety. They often include deploying a couple of models at a time to assault the enemy’s stronghold whereas defending your individual. Valor factors decide what number of models might be deployed. Extra valor is achieved all through the battle, permitting you to deploy extra models or make the most of particular abilities that may improve assaults, buff or heal your models, transport models across the battlefield, and myriad different capabilities.

It feels like so much, however there’s extra. Assigning a unit’s chief determines the essential talent of that unit. Making a flier the chief permits that total unit to fly over in any other case impassable mountains and rivers. However flying models are vulnerable to arrow assaults, so switching the chief to 1 with the flexibility to repel ranged assaults is then a good suggestion…supplied you’ve gotten the valor factors to take action. Working low on valor? Choose a unit chief who has the flexibility to replenish it extra rapidly or simply use an merchandise that negates ranged assaults.

Between the obtainable unit tweaks, the valor abilities, and numerous objects yow will discover/purchase to make use of on the battlefield, I by no means felt I didn’t stand an opportunity in a struggle. Even in case you don’t put together effectively, there’s often a option to push by in case you simply pause the motion and give it some thought—there’s nearly at all times a soldier on the with a valor talent to avoid wasting the day.

That’s truly one in all my two minor complaints about Unicorn Overlord. For those who occur upon a pair unit setups that actually maximize effectivity, you should utilize them to push by the complete sport with out a lot issue. I had two (perhaps three) such models, and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than they appeared able to clearing total battle maps on their very own. Items can tire on the battlefield, however there are such a lot of methods to replenish their stamina that fatigue is just about a non-factor.

I additionally felt there have been too many soldier courses to maintain monitor of. The builders might’ve diminished this by half and nonetheless had an intricate party-assembly system. As soon as I approached the sport’s midpoint, I simply had no need to gradual issues all the way down to tinker with unit symmetry, aside from to determine who so as to add when increasing models from 4 to 5. As such, plenty of attention-grabbing characters have been barely utilized. There was simply no want.

Perhaps that’ll open up the sport to a number of playthroughs. The world of Fevrith will certainly be price extra journeys, because the surroundings can be unbelievable. The fantasy landscapes are richly illustrated and a pleasure to discover, the character designs are heroic and enjoyable (if not a bit dated in a couple of cases), the music matches the world and the motion effectively, and the voice performing is stable, for probably the most half. In brief, the sport’s design is cohesive; every half totally enhances the others.

So, sure, Unicorn Overlord is unquestionably an early candidate for my 2024 sport of the yr. It achieves every thing it units out to perform, it manages a couple of surprises alongside the way in which, and solely by nitpicking can I discover something flawed with it. Keep in mind that pleasure whenever you first performed a JRPG or technique sport that actually clicked for you? It’s about to occur once more.