One of the biggest questions that video game developers have to answer when making a gaming title is, “What platform will we build the game for?” If the company is already under the banner of a publisher, that question is easy to answer. However, if they’re a 3rd party company, they have much more freedom to choose where their title goes but also have to deal with the potential difficulties of putting it on several systems. Vanillaware is experienced in doing multiplatform titles, and their latest game, Unicorn Overlord, wasn’t just multiplatform, but it’s already sold over half a million units. That shows the game continues the developer’s legacy of making quality titles.
Unicorn Overlord is beautiful in its complexity
22.03.2024 - 14:39 / polygon.com
It’s hard to write a review of Unicorn Overlord: the game is big, and after over 30 hours I’ve covered little more than half its map, traversing grasslands, desert, winding mountain paths, and a magical forest on my prince’s conquest to liberate the fantasy land of Fevrith and reclaim his throne. It’s hard because a lot of the games I’ve seen people compare Unicorn Overlord to — Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics — were released before I was born. I was worried about not getting it, not connecting with the supposed fun of spending hours in menus when the tactics games I played most growing up with a DS found their wider appeal through other systems, like romance. And it’s hard for me to write a review of Unicorn Overlord because I’d have to stop playing it long enough to write.
Unicorn Overlord’s map of Fevrith is an open world of five kingdoms that sprites explore from overhead. The presentation is similar to Square Enix’s use of HD-2D but with more painterly environmental art. It’s here that Unicorn Overlord makes its strongest break from convention, foregoing a traditional level-based structure. When battles happen, they happen on this map at this scale, just with shadowy borders boxing in the area and new UI elements. When battles begin, sprites are deployed at forts and towns; siege weaponry and barricades are laid; and forests, roads, rivers, and mountains all become part of the strategic puzzle.
Characters don’t fight alone, but in units. Each is composed of characters, whether unique to the story or customizable mercenaries-for-hire, on a 2x3 grid. When they collide, the scale shrinks from a sprite on the large map to the character within each unit to focus on tactical mechanics. Each character in a unit uses a mix of active and passive abilities unique to their class to deal damage, support allies, and debuff foes. With many, many variations on fantasy combat archetypes, from hoplite to witch to gryphon rider to elven archer to angelic knight, there’s no simple way to break down combat. Type advantages exist but unit composition makes for complications, like a hoplite defending a lancer from a gryphon knight. The placement of units on their grid can be even more important. There are basic strategies like keeping tankier classes in front, but some classes may exploit that with abilities designed to penetrate the back row.
In menus, there’s equipment, as well as customizable “tactics” that let you establish priorities and use-cases for each character’s skills, allowing players to tailor move-sets to each unique unit combination. While the placement is ultimately left to the player and can change the tide of each battle, you can also just press a button in the menus to optimize equipment and
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gamesradar.com
05.04.2024 / 14:49
Hit strategy RPG Unicorn Overlord is a "spiritual successor" to a niche PS Vita game its developer released 11 years ago
Unicorn Overlord has been a surprising success in the strategy RPG realm, having completely sold out in some territories and shifted over 500,000 copies, but its roots stretch back to the developer’s sometimes-forgotten action RPG gem.
pushsquare.com
05.04.2024 / 09:17
A Unicorn Overlord Sequel Could Be Considered | Push Square
It's a bit of a stretch, but a question in a newly released player survey suggests that Atlus and Vanillaware are at least trying to gauge interest in a potential sequel to Unicorn Overlord — the immaculate strategy RPG that launched just last month.
gamesradar.com
04.04.2024 / 12:31
Unicorn Overlord devs have no DLC or PC port plans for the hit strategy RPG, though one survey has fans hoping for a sequel
The publisher of Unicorn Overlord says there are currently no plans for DLC or a PC port, but a recent survey does mention the possibility of a sequel.
pushsquare.com
03.04.2024 / 00:19
Unicorn Overlord Sales Top Half a Million, Could Be Vanillaware's Fastest Selling Game | Push Square
Unicorn Overlord, the typically gorgeous Vanillaware strategy RPG that released in early March, has now sold over 500,000 copies. The news comes directly from publisher Atlus, via the game's new accolades trailer (which just so happens to include your favourite PlayStation website).
gematsu.com
01.04.2024 / 12:19
Unicorn Overlord shipments and digital sales top 500,000
Total worldwide shipments and digital sales for tactical RPG Unicorn Overlord have surpassed 500,000 worldwide, publisher ATLUS and developer Vanillaware announced.
gamingbolt.com
31.03.2024 / 19:11
Unicorn Overlord Crosses 500,000 Copies Sold
Vanillaware’s Unicorn Overlord launched in a busy month, with Rise of the Ronin and Dragon’s Dogma 2 arriving nearly two weeks later. Nevertheless, it’s seen an impressive reception, selling out physical copies and topping Japanese sales charts for two weeks. Atlus has also released an accolades trailer, confirming over 500,000 units sold. Check it out below.
pushsquare.com
31.03.2024 / 01:18
What Review Score Would You Give Unicorn Overlord? | Push Square
We're a bit late with this one, but we still want to know your thoughts on one of this month's best games. We are, of course, talking about Unicorn Overlord — the strategy RPG from Vanillaware. The title was always going to be somewhat niche in terms of appeal, but those who have played it will know how finely crafted an experience it is.
gameranx.com
29.03.2024 / 13:59
Unicorn Overlord: Best Classes To Promote First
Promoting your troops in Unicorn Overlord is one of the most impactful things you can do in the mid-game. It’s so powerful that you should stop trying to make new units and focus on powering up your army the moment the feature is unlocked. This naturally leads to the question: “Who do I promote first?”.
gameranx.com
29.03.2024 / 13:59
Unicorn Overlord: Gladiator Class Guide
Unicorn Overlord is jam-packed with classes to discover. Every major location in the game is overflowing with new things to experiment with, and part of the fun is digging through it all to find the perfect class to fit into a specific role. What’s even more impressive, however, is how balanced early-game classes are to late-game classes.
gameranx.com
24.03.2024 / 13:09
Unicorn Overlord: How To Increase Your Unit Size & Cap
Leading the Liberation is no easy task in Unicorn Overlord. You are but a handful of upstart rebels facing off against an Empire that has conquered the continent. The war is going to be long, and you are going to need as many people fighting by your side if you wish to win when all is said and done.
gameranx.com
24.03.2024 / 12:09
Unicorn Overlord: How & When To Promote Your Units
Unicorn Overlord has a whopping 60 classes to play with. Not only that, but a whole bunch of them are unlocked during your initial liberation of Cornia. These range from powerful melee threats like Sellswords to immovable walls like Hoplites. Not to mention mighty magic-users like Shamans and Witches.