Unicorn Overlord Review (PS5) | Push Square

The second expansion for Final Fantasy 16, titled The Rising Tide, now has an official launch date. It arrives on the 18th April, and costs $19.99 if you're buying it by itself. The Expansion Pass, priced at $24.99, gets you this second DLC and the previously released Echoes of the Fallen.

Rise of the Ronin, the latest tentpole PS5 console exclusive from legendary Japanese developer Team Ninja, has been subject to a colossal marketing push in Asia, where posters and billboards have been spotted around cities such as Taipei for several weeks now. That’s all culminated in an Edo period art exhibition in Huashan 1914 Creative Park – coincidentally, the former home of a Japanese sake manufacturer– where Sony has installed several 19th-century props inspired by the game.

Being a Vanillaware title, the recently released (and excellent) strategy RPG Unicorn Overlord bears immediate resemblance to the Japanese developer's previous outings, like Muramasa: Rebirth, Dragon's Crown, and 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. This is because longtime artist and studio co-founder Shigatake insists on depicting food as hyper-realistically as possible and defying the laws of physics when it comes to depicting the female form.

By trying to do so much, Rise of the Ronin feels like an inferior version of everything it's inspired by. With an open world populated by map markers and side activities, it’s a worse Assassin's Creed. With a historical Japanese setting, it's a worse Ghost of Tsushima. With a combat system that prioritises parrying, it's a worse Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. At no point is it a bad experience, but the game's so run of the mill, so formulaic that attempting something new and ultimately failing would have been a more tantalising sell. You've already played better versions of Rise of the Ronin — what it's attempting is just fine, which is probably the most boring outcome possible.

Unicorn Overlord enjoyed an impressive debut in Japan last week with over 74,000 units sold, and as per the latest weekly charts for software and hardware sales in Japan released by Famitsu, the game has held on to that top spot. The fantasy tactics RPG’s Switch version still sits in first place, having sold an additional 16,000 units, though its PS5 and PS4 versions have dropped out of the top 10.

The first Rise of the Ronin review score has been posted online, with Japanese outlet Famitsu awarding the soon-to-be-released PS5 game a total of 37/40 across four reviewers. Individually, the scores break down as three 9/10 scores and a 10/10. Our full PS5 verdict will be posted on Thursday, as the review embargo lifts.

While we’re enormous fans of Train Sim World 4 and Dovetail’s entire railway simulation series, we’ve often criticised its overemphasis on British, American, and German routes. Fortunately, it looks like the release is poised to receive its first Japanese add-on, in the form of the Tadami Line, in-development at external studio Union Workshop.

Out later this week in Japan, publisher Red Art Games has announced that it’s bringing MACROSS Shooting Insight to PS5 and PS4 in North America and Europe later this year, marking the first time a tie-in based on the 80s anime franchise has officially launched in the West. The game, a multi-dimensional shooter, has been developed by Kaminari Games, who’s perhaps best known for the brilliant Raiden V: Director’s Cut.

According to all rumours and reports, Sony is working on its own reconstruction technology similar to DLSS, or Deep Learning Super Sampling. The feature, named PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution according to Insider Gaming, seems like a long-term play by the platform holder, with the first iteration planned for the PS5 Pro.

Promptly after Unicorn Overlord’s launch, the game’s physical copies had sold out in Japan, prompting publisher Atlus to apologize for the supply shortages. Unsurprisingly, then, as per Famitsu’s latest weekly charts for hardware and physical software sales in Japan, Unicorn Overlord was the best-selling game in the region last week.

The director of Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre has once again rejected revival demands, suggesting fans simply play Unicorn Overlord instead.

Atlus has apologised to players in Japan after physical copies of its tactical RPG Unicorn Overload sold out.