Unicorn Overlord Demo First Impressions | Turned a skeptic into an eager fan
This is shaping up to be one of the best turn-based RPGs of the year.
I went into the Unicorn Overlord demo not knowing much about the game itself. Coming from someone who doesn’t really click with a lot of tactics RPGs in the market other than the occasional Fire Emblem, I wasn’t really expecting much. But after spending a couple of hours of a very impressive demo build, I can confidently say in this Unicorn Overlord demo first impressions that the game has my complete attention leading up to its full release.
What usually drives me away from tactics-based RPGs are the complexities of the gameplay systems. I’m well aware of the quality of the games that are in the genre and I myself have enjoyed a handful of them but admittedly, I’m more of a straight up action type of gamer rather than a slow and methodical one. Games like Unicorn Overlord thrive off of players who truly think about their party composition, gear preparations, and management of resources. A lot of which I don’t have the patience for unless I’m in a specific mood. But against all odds, mostly coming from my personal preferences, Unicorn Overlord has me completely locked in. A testament to not only the quality of the game, but how interesting it all is to keep me playing.
Out with the old, in with the old but better
The demo allows players to experience the game for a very generous 7 hours, which is crazy to think about. It’s also indicative of how the developers are extremely confident in what they made. and rightfully so. Within those 7 hours, I was re-introduced to the reasons why people love this type of game. It’s extremely rewarding, highly engaging, and thoroughly enjoyable all the way through. The real value of Unicorn Overlord is how accessible it makes the genre to people like me. The very notion of a TRPG is already daunting enough for those who are just looking for a more straightforward experience. The demo does a phenomenal job at showcasing why this is a genre that has stood the test of time.
A huge reason why the game simply works is with its presentation. Unicorn Overlord features a gorgeous classic art style that calls upon classic 2D artwork and brings them all up to modern life with fantastic animations. Much like the Octopath Traveller titles, Unicorn Overlord is a visual treat to look at. It looks like a legacy title but moves like a modern one. Everything from the UI, character models, location layouts, and soundtrack all remain faithful to the looks and sounds of the classics and proves why it’s such a timeless aesthetic. There is personality to be seen with each design element such as unique facial animations for story cutscenes and highly energetic battle animations when the action gets going.
The setting is a wonderfully realized medieval fantasy world where you play as Prince Alain as you try to take back the kingdom that was unlawfully invaded by oppressors. You spend a lot fo time in the story trying to build up a rebellion, recruiting key members of your army to build up your power and fight back against the Zenoiran Empire. It’s classic knight stuff. There’s a bunch of political conflict, betrayals, strong allegiances, and fantastical elements that tie it all up with a cherry on top. The narrative is not anything new and the writing could use a bit more depth to it but I’m enjoying what I’ve seen so far.
The explorable areas where you can interact with NPCs, train your units, gather resources, and do side quests are a great way to unwind before venturing forth into battle. This is where the personality of the world shines outside of the main narrative where it’s all conflict and serious. There are practically two games in Unicorn Overlord. One is a fun and lighthearted trip into beautiful 2D environments. This one you can freely explore in real time. The other is a tense and highly intuitive battlefield simulator where you fight to liberate the land. And it does this in a way that I find to be a great way to reinvent the strategy genre.
Choose wisely
What I absolutely love about Unicorn Overlord is the power of a player’s choice. And no, I don’t mean in the sense of dialogue options that can cause butterfly effects for the rest of the narrative. I meant it to be in the form of how the game handles its combat.
It’s not the typical turn-based strategy game where you move around characters in a grid and attack the enemy once you reach a certain distance. The actual combat in the game happens automatically. The player input comes just before it all starts. You arrange your units in very specific formations. Specific characters are better off being in the frontlines while others can act as support. Each one contains unique strengths and abilities that can help you decide on the formation. Let’s say a character with a huge shield can be great to be placed up front while one with a long spear and support abilities can be positioned in the back. That’s a very simple example for a system that can go as deep as an ocean. There is a ton of stats, skills, passive abilities, and equipment to take into consideration.
Before initiating a fight, the game will tell you the odds of winning, showing the potential damage you can give and receive. You are given every information you need to plan ahead. If there’s a specific weakness an enemy formation has, you will know about it, and you can adjust accordingly.
Throughout the battle stages, you will be managing stamina, valor points, and the overall time limit. These will all act as a way to limit yourself from becoming too powerful and giving you a sense of urgency in your actions. Walking towards a structure you want to capture or a bridge you want to liberate will take time and enemies can invade and take back the ones you have already gotten. Once you are in control of a specific area, you can deploy an extra set of units to defend it. While you still control your main party towards the main objective, you also have to manage the others to see if they have the capabilities to fight back against potential enemies.
In early game, this isn’t really much of a concern. The stages are fairly doable, but I do imagine that once I get further down in the late game, it gets so much more intense. The number of things I have to take note of, manage, and make sure that everything is as optimized as they can be is a thrilling thought to have. And once you complete a stage, it’s so satisfying knowing that against everything pushing back against you, you’ve won because of you’ve outsmarted them instead of just using brute force.
Unicorn Overlord Demo First Impressions Final Verdict
It’s worth mentioning that while the demo is available for PS4, Ps5, and Xbox Series X|S, I played it on the Nintendo Switch, which is a perfect platform for this type of game. It ran flawlessly with zero performance issues and looked phenomenal on the OLED screen or on docked mode.
It’s simple but addictingly complex. Unicorn Overlord’s demo is a fantastic chunky slice of what the full game will be like. It has turned me, someone who has highly skeptical and apathetic about the whole thing, into a highly enthusiastic fan, eager to see what the rest of the experience will be. Those folks at Vanillaware have cooked something very special with this one and it has quickly risen up to be one of my most anticipated games of 2024.