It’s most likely too early to be declaring my 2024 recreation of the 12 months. There’s a lot to look ahead to, particularly in my favourite style: JRPGs. However having spent upwards of 100 hours on Unicorn Overlord, I’ll be very shocked if I’ve a greater time all through the remainder of the Nintendo Change’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 Basic Valmore. Earlier than her final stand towards 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 adjustments his identify 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 information and a can-do angle, Alain decides the time is nigh to assemble 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 little thing strikes alongside at a breezy tempo, or no less than as breezy as it may be with the entire 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 method to get from right here to there with as few random battles as attainable. In Unicorn Overlord, it’s a dwelling factor, and a key part to gameplay. Alain has to discover the world to construct his military, and there’s quite a bit to do.
Finishing liberation battles will free cities for Alain to make the most of, supplied he’s gathered sufficient assets to construct them up. Cities can present armor and provisions. Bigger cities may also present taverns the place Alain’s troops can share meals to extend rapport. You possibly can station guards to assist gather supplies and to current with presents, additionally to extend rapport. Some cities have ports that let you sail to secluded areas for uncommon gadgets or to resolve quests.
The map additionally incorporates forts the place you may recruit mercenaries, increase your unit measurement, interact in mock battles, and extra. Quite a few relics are scattered about, lots of which you received’t even know the right way to use till you’re about midway by means of the sport, or deeper. Considered one of my favourite moments was after 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 additionally an necessary 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 items of as much as six troopers from these you’ve recruited or employed. Unicorn Overlord affords over 60 characters by recreation’s finish, all of whom include their very own distinctive talent set throughout a large number 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 quite a bit to consider, and it might simply grow to be overwhelming for those who’re not consistently managing who will get what new accent/weapon and who will get paired with whom.
The sport does let you interact in mock battles to check a unit’s effectiveness, however I discovered it simpler to simply mimic enemy items. If a battle 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 numerous all through the sport’s entirety. They often encompass deploying just a few items at a time to assault the enemy’s stronghold whereas defending your personal. Valor factors decide what number of items will be deployed. Extra valor is achieved all through the battle, permitting you to deploy extra items or make the most of particular abilities that may improve assaults, buff or heal your items, transport items across the battlefield, and myriad different capabilities.
It feels like quite a bit, however there’s extra. Assigning a unit’s chief determines the fundamental 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 items are vulnerable to arrow assaults, so switching the chief to at least one with the flexibility to repel ranged assaults is then a good suggestion…supplied you might have the valor factors to take action. Operating low on valor? Decide a unit chief who has the flexibility to replenish it extra rapidly or simply use an merchandise that negates ranged assaults.
Between the accessible unit tweaks, the valor abilities, and numerous gadgets yow will discover/purchase to make use of on the battlefield, I by no means felt I didn’t stand an opportunity in a battle. Even for those who don’t put together effectively, there’s often a method to push by means of for those who simply pause the motion and give it some thought—there’s virtually at all times a soldier on the with a valor talent to avoid wasting the day.
That’s really one among my two minor complaints about Unicorn Overlord. In case you occur upon a pair unit setups that basically maximize effectivity, you should use them to push by means of your entire recreation with out a lot issue. I had two (perhaps three) such items, 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 decreased 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 right down to tinker with unit symmetry, aside from to determine who so as to add when increasing items from 4 to 5. As such, plenty of attention-grabbing characters had been barely utilized. There was simply no want.
Possibly that’ll open up the sport to a number of playthroughs. The world of Fevrith will certainly be price further journeys, because the surroundings can be improbable. The fantasy landscapes are richly illustrated and a pleasure to discover, the character designs are heroic and enjoyable (if not a bit dated in just a few situations), the music suits the world and the motion effectively, and the voice appearing 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 recreation of the 12 months. It achieves every part it units out to perform, it manages just a few surprises alongside the best way, and solely by nitpicking can I discover something improper with it. Keep in mind that pleasure once you first performed a JRPG or technique recreation that basically clicked for you? It’s about to occur once more.