Unicorn Overlord - a review
When I first saw Unicorn Overlord in a Nintendo Direct, I was immediately sold on it. The strong Ogre Battle vibes and the Vanillaware pedigree completely captivated me.
Once I began playing the game, I instantly loved the artwork. It's a beautiful game and very visually appealing. I rarely skip battles for this reason! The game reminds me a lot of Cat Quest, as most of the action takes place on the isometric world map. This is where you'll explore, search for secrets, and visit towns and barracks to prepare your units.
In the early screenshots, the game showed your units placed on a grid similar to the Ogre Battle games, particularly March of the Black Queen and Person of Lordly Caliber. Unfortunately, the grid setup from Ogre Battle is not replicated here and has less significance on tactics. For example, Unicorn Overlord features a 3x2 grid for characters, whereas Ogre Battle uses a 3x3 grid. Additionally, in Unicorn Overlord, attacks and actions do not change based on which row a unit is placed in the grid, unlike in Ogre Battle. While the similarities are apparent, this isn't a spiritual successor to Ogre Battle; it pays homage but does its own thing.
Being a Vanillaware game, I expected Basiscape to handle the music composition. However, I wasn't initially impressed with what I heard. When I looked up the composition credits, I was disappointed to find that Sakimoto and Iwata had not contributed to the score (as everyone knows, I'm a big fan of ‘Sakiwata’s’ their collaborative work).
While my first impressions weren't strong, the music really picks up once you reach Elheim and Drakenhold and maintains this level of quality throughout. Cornia, the first and last area of the game, has the least impressive music, but by the time I returned to Cornia at the end, the music had grown on me a bit more.
The final boss is a nightmare, incorporating several of the most frustrating RPG boss tropes. I had to create a special team and use every strategy available, including sigils and numerous item buffs, just to defeat him. It took me about 5 or 6 turns and numerous magic bombs to finally get the job done. This boss was an unexpected challenge that halted my progress completely. It is a significant speed bump and difficulty spike that could potentially frustrate many players, so be warned!
I played the game for nearly 100 hours, unlocked most of the map, and completed all but four sidequests.
Final stats
Unicorn Overlord is a fantastic game. I’d like a sequel that builds on all of this. I’m glad the game got off to a great start!
