It was never going to be easy to follow up on the great 13 Sentinels, but Japanese studio Vanillaware somehow managed to produce an equally excellent game three years later, and it's not even in the same genre. But of course more about that in our test of the tactical miracle Unicorn Overlord.
Flat story saved by style and characters
Unicorn Overlord is a strategy RPG that obviously takes inspiration from classics like Fire Emblem and Ogre Battle & Tactics Ogre. It has an unmistakable old-school touch, but it's dripping with the development team's signature art style and boasting a modernized design. As with Dragon's Crown, Vanillaware falls back on a tried and tested concept, but the lack of originality doesn't stop the title from being a very fulfilling adventure. The game is set in a medieval fantasy world where there are magical artifacts, elves and even big furry lion people, but the plot doesn't quite keep up with the rest of the package. The princely protagonist Alain is as shallow as a vengeful king can be, and the narrative is mostly too dry and serious. Overall it's not bad, but apart from a few particularly dramatic scenes it rarely keeps you glued to the screen.
But just like in Fire Emblem, it's the surrounding cast that will get you through. Unicorn Overlord offers over 60 recruitable heroes in a campaign that lasts around 50 hours and most of them will undoubtedly grow on you. Some characters are introduced through the main story and play a specific role, but many are found through side quests – optional battles that are often just as important to the overall plot. New heroes continue to appear throughout the game, and adding new allies to your army quickly becomes one of the most compelling elements of the game.
Brilliant, catchy and deep gameplay
That's because Unicorn Overlord's true brilliance lies in its gameplay loop. It does a great job of keeping the ball rolling; there's always a new tactic to consider or a new hero to unleash. Even as you approach the final act of the title, you will still be faced with previously unknown unit types and abilities that can completely change your strategic perspective. There aren't many RPGs where you can say that party management is actually a highlight of the experience, but in Unicorn Overlord tinkering with your troops is truly engaging. It's the game's relatively unique unit system that makes all of this possible. Instead of using individual characters, you group your heroes to form squads and the combinations are practically endless. You can form balanced groups, with damaging fighters in the front line supported by archers and healers in the back, or you can opt for specialized hit squads that tear specific enemies apart, the choice is always yours. At the beginning you can only create two or three units, each consisting of two fighters.
However, as the campaign progresses, you will gradually unlock more squads, while your existing groups can reach a maximum capacity of five characters. The battles take place in real time, but the game can be paused at any time and stops automatically when a command is given. The maps are mostly linear, you fight from garrison to garrison and capture them as you go, but additional hurdles such as barricades and catapults are gradually incorporated into the formula. As soon as two opposing units meet, the actual turn-based battle takes place automatically. Characters act based on their established tactics, essentially behaviors that can be optimized along with class-specific abilities they have equipped. Here too, the depth offered and the customization options available are truly enormous.
For example, the Griffin Knights take tremendous damage from archers while in the air, but archers are ineffective against shield-bearing infantry. While it's never as simple as the weapon triangle in Fire Emblem because there are just so many different classes, overall strengths and weaknesses still form the basis of Unicorn Overlord's combat system. Our only criticism of the fights is that the fights can feel very drawn out, especially later in the game. When you have a unit of five characters fighting against five other characters, and each of them has access to a wealth of action points because they're so high level, you can watch these skirmishes for minutes. While it's very satisfying to see the heroes you've carefully raised come out on top, longer battles are the bane of less patient players.
Not for the impatient
Luckily, there's a fast-forward button if things get too boring, and there's even an option to skip fight scenes if you know exactly how things are going to turn out. In this context, it should be mentioned that the game gives a brief overview of the situation before each encounter. The incoming and outgoing damage amounts are shown at a glance, which helps you determine whether a fight with a particular unit is really worth it or whether you would rather quickly switch to a neighboring unit. A very thoughtful time saver. Outside of combat, you move as Alain on a huge overworld map, which is not completely open. While you can forge your own path to a certain extent, and there are plenty of optional sights to see, you're often pushed in the direction of the next story section. Still, the large world to explore helps Unicorn Overlord ground its story, and in that sense it feels much more like a traditional RPG than its competitors, as you can always see the fruits of your wartime successes straight away.
Conclusion
Unicorn Overlord takes a classic tactical RPG to a new level. It looks fantastic, has an addictive gameplay principle and offers an extensive pool of interesting characters with, in turn, new abilities for combat. If you've had enough of that and don't expect a surprising story outside of genre clichés, you'll have a lot of fun here.
Positive:
+ Unit management is addictive
+ großartiger Gameplay-Loop
+ beautiful 2.5D optics
+ many characters with their own interesting optional stories
+ always offers new approaches so that you don't get bored
Negative:
– Main story is predictable and not very interesting
– unfortunately not everything is set to music
– later battles can be a bit too long