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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

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Game Information

Game Title: Unicorn Overlord

Platforms:

• PlayStation 5 (Mar 8, 2024)
• PlayStation 4 (Mar 8, 2024)
• Xbox Series X/S (Mar 8, 2024)
• Nintendo Switch (Mar 8, 2024)

Trailer:

• Unicorn Overlord - Announcement Trailer
• Unicorn Overlord - Official Game Overview Trailer
• Unicorn Overlord - Official Demo Release Trailer

Developer: Vanillaware

Publisher: Atlus

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 88 average - 100% recommended

Metacritic - 88 Average based on 13 Critic Reviews

Written Reviews


Atomix - Sebastian Quiroz - Spanish - 95 / 100

Once again, Vanillaware shows its mastery for making games. Unicorn Overlord is, quite simply, one of the best games of the year.

CGMagazine - Zubi Khan - 9 / 10

Unicorn Overlord combines the stellar Vanillaware aesthetic in a tactical RPG experience that feels like a modern classic in the making.

COGconnected - James Paley - 80 / 100

This is very much my kind of RPG. One where I can tend to a massive roster of fighters, a sort of garden of fantasy violence. The combat is simple to execute yet endlessly deep, with new layers constantly revealing themselves. The art direction is fantastic and the gameplay loop is terribly addictive. I found the story perfectly okay. It’s an effective vehicle for bringing me more battles in an organic fashion. I like the writing, though I recognize it’s more style than substance. Truly, Unicorn Overlord plays to its strengths. If you also long for a battle system so compelling it obliterates the rest of the game, then you can’t miss this one.

Gamersky - Chinese - 9 / 10

Unicorn Overlord is probably one of the best SRPGs of recent times. It blends real-time strategy with tactical RPG gameplay, adding many unique features from other SRPGs to make for very engaging combat. Even if its open world can be a little repetitive, it's still a great innovation.

Hobby Consolas - David Rodriguez - Spanish - 85 / 100

Vanillaware once again delivers a very special product that does not show signs of fatigue within a genre that has experienced a "boom" in recent years. Unicorn Overlord is gigantic and manages to stand out based on quality and ambition, although it could have spun something finer in some points in order to become a more original proposal.

IGN - Eric Zalewski - 9 / 10

Unicorn Overlord is a visual delight that's brimming with creativity, and an absolute must-play for any fan of strategy RPGs.

Kakuchopurei - Alleef Ashaari - 60 / 100

Ultimately, Unicorn Overlord excels in its graphics and art style. However, the gameplay is mostly just fun for a few hours before it devolves to becoming stale due to repetitiveness and a lot of insignificant mechanics (dating sim-like Rapport, etc.) that don't affect the gameplay.

On the surface, it looks pretty excellent, but the final 40+ hour experience from start to finish makes you feel like playing a mobile game.

Kotaku - Willa Rowe - Unscored

But Unicorn Overlord is not interested in that, and frankly it doesn’t need to be. This is not a game that is trying to be a narrative masterpiece; it is trying to be a mechanical marvel, and it accomplishes the latter in spades. The endlessly inventive and incredibly well-designed tactical systems at play in Unicorn Overlord make it a thrilling challenge to tackle. It isn’t just a game that longtime fans of Vanillaware should pay attention to, it’s for anybody wanting to play the next great tactics RPG. Unicorn Overlord is the game you’ve been waiting for.

Metro GameCentral - GameCentral - 8 / 10

A wonderfully weird console strategy game that's inspired by the past but forges its own very distinct legend, with beautiful visuals and deep but accessible gameplay.

Nintendo Life - Alana Hagues - 9 / 10

Even amidst a huge strategy RPG boom, Unicorn Overlord stands out. It's a smorgasbord of visual delights, intricate systems, and addictive gameplay loops that all come together to create a delightfully thrilling and deep tactical RPG. It's so easy to get absorbed into everything the game offers, and we lapped it all up. Vanillaware has long been known for creating beautiful-looking games with unique twists on genres, but with 13 Sentinels and now Unicorn Overlord, this developer should be on absolutely everyone's radar.

NoisyPixel - 8.5/10

Between the gratifying sense of progression throughout character growth and liberation, as well as the bountiful paths of player individuality that you can grow lost in, Unicorn Overlord is a delight for tactics enthusiasts yearning to seek their teeth into a polished adventure. This fulfilling gameplay loop is endearingly reminiscent of the developer's work pre-13 Sentinels, and I can't wait to see what their future holds.

One More Game - Chris Garcia - 9 / 10

As good as it gets for an SRPG, Unicorn Overlord fills a gap in the gaming season with its admirable package of gameplay, visual and audio design, and, to a lesser extent, storytelling. Hours and hours will be poured into finding the perfect squads and classes, valuable relationships will be built, and a continent once plunged into strife will find its feet again.

Vanillaware continues to show its prowess at building experiences in genres it isn’t exactly well-known for, and kudos to the studio for paying attention to the right stuff, and creating a game that will likely become a classic and a standard bearer.

PSX Brasil - Francisco Maia - Portuguese - 90 / 100

Vanillaware gets it right with Unicorn Overlord and reinvigorates a sub-genre of RPG that, for a long time, has been the target of huge scrutiny in the gaming industry. I strongly believe that it is also the best game ever created by the Japanese developer. Even though there are minor imperfections, the game is brilliant and worthy of the highest recommendation!

Push Square - Robert Ramsey - 9 / 10

It's hard to say whether Unicorn Overlord is objectively Vanillaware's best game, but for us, it's right up there, competing for the crown - and that's incredibly high praise. This is an immaculate and deeply engaging strategy RPG; the best example of the genre that we've played in years. For those who are looking to get lost in tactical thought, it's essential - and for everyone else, it still stands as an engrossing fantasy adventure. Vanillaware's done it again.

Screen Rant - Cody Gravelle - 4.5 / 5

Unicorn Overlord is a truly excellent tactical RPG that is great where it matters. Incredible gameplay makes it replayable and fascinating, while its aesthetic and world map keep Fevrith interesting. In spite of some minor stumbles in its cast of heroes, Unicorn Overlord rivals some of the best of Fire Emblem. That comparison will likely stop if Vanillaware pursues Unicorn Overlord as a series in the future; it's very much its own game, and a memorable, great one, at that.

Siliconera - Graham Russell - 8 / 10

Unicorn Overlord combines the timeless tactical RPG genre with overworld exploration and an innovative battle system for a unique epic fantasy experience in the iconic Vanillaware style. Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. Unicorn Overlord is, as a whole, a loving and well-crafted return to the Ogre Battle formula. If the character designs aren’t a dealbreaker for you, and we’d understand if they are — seriously, can they at least figure out how shirt fabric works? — there’s a lot of interesting tactical decisions to make.

TheGamer - James Kennedy - 4.5 / 5

As a long-time TRPG fan, Unicorn Overlord is everything I wanted it to be and more. I suspect that some people will read this review and think that it sounds tedious, but that’s the thing about games that deliver such a focused experience: they aren’t going to appeal to everyone. However, by being so specific in everything it does, Unicorn Overlord ensures that those who do “get it” will be thinking of it fondly for decades to come.

VG247 - James Billcliffe - 4 / 5

Standing on its own, Unicorn Overlord is an excellent expansion of Vanillaware’s now-trademark visual style and its newer RTS mechanics, offering both gripping strategy and an atmospheric pulp fantasy world that you're going to want to sink hours and hours into.

XboxEra - Genghis Husameddin - 9 / 10

"...Unicorn Overlord is a fantastic strategy game that is both gorgeous as it is fun. Tactics fans are in for a treat, and even those weak to the genre find this game to be a fulfilling experience."

Video Reviews







Credit to CrustyBritches for helping out with the Unicorn Overlord image asset I've used for this review thread.

 

[killatopak]

I’m hoping it’s 91 and above so Men_in_Boxes will play it and stop playing gaas.

 

[gtabro]

My stupid brain conjures Pony Island images every time I hear “Unicorn Overlord”, then I check the images and go “silly me” Good to see the scores are promising though.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

I've updated the OP with most of the relevant reviews that have surfaced so far.

I'll add quotes for each linked review as soon as the OpenCritic review page for the game is up. Done!

That said, the review scores are looking good.

 

[vagabond-]

Hoping for a solid 90. Vanillaware always the goat

 

[Fake]

 

[killatopak]

Any review mention NG+?

Hoping to read some of these but scared of spoilers.

 

[Topher]

Found my next game

 

[adamsapple]

First 3 months of the year have had like 5 banger JRPG's already.

 

[BossLackey]

First 3 months of the year have had like 5 banger JRPG's already.

2023's onslaught certainly bled into 2024.

Haven't been able to catch my breath since December 2022

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

Was there any doubt Vanillaware would deliver? *wink wink*

I said in late 2023 that the line-up for the first few months of 2024 was looking like raw, uncut cocaine and yes, we've been on a never-ending high since late January, it's going to be another banner year for the industry.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Haven’t even tried the demo yet, but one little thing I loved about 13 Sentinels was you could adjust the delay between lines of dialog. My pet peeve is how Japanese games always have these unnatural pauses between spoken lines. Setting it to zero in 13 Sentinels made it sound SO MUCH better, more like real conversation instead of people reading it off the screen for you.

Does Unicorn Overlord have this option? (Not sure why it even needed to be an option btw…. Does anybody actually like the pauses?)

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

First mixed review

Kakuchopurei - 60/100

Ultimately, Unicorn Overlord excels in its graphics and art style. However, the gameplay is mostly just fun for a few hours before it becomes stale due to repetitiveness and a lot of insignificant mechanics (dating sim-like Rapport, etc.) that don't affect the gameplay. On the surface, it looks pretty excellent, but the final 40+ hour experience from start to finish makes you feel like playing a mobile game.

 

[Jedge]

Haven’t even tried the demo yet, but one little thing I loved about 13 Sentinels was you could adjust the delay between lines of dialog. My pet peeve is how Japanese games always have these unnatural pauses between spoken lines. Setting it to zero in 13 Sentinels made it sound SO MUCH better, more like real conversation instead of people reading it off the screen for you.

Does Unicorn Overlord have this option? (Not sure why it even needed to be an option btw…. Does anybody actually like the pauses?)

I'm pretty sure this existed in the demo. You can also skip cutscenes if needed

edit. This was from the demo.See below

 

[adamsapple]

First mixed review

Kakuchopurei - 60/100

"Playing like a mobile game"

oof.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Be back in 2h or so to update the OP with more reviews.

 

[VideoGameEnjoyer]

It had ~$25 vibes, so I was surprised it was a full $60 and also not on PC. It must be a bigger game than I thought. It seems good, but I didn't even get to Rebirth yet, and tons of big releases upcoming soon. Looks like for me this one will fall through the cracks for now. Great scores though.

 

[drganon]

Well other than that weird kaku whatever site I've never heard of, those are some good scores.

 

[PanzerCute]

First mixed review

Kakuchopurei - 60/100

Who the fuck are these guys tho? Never heard of this website and I know quite a few.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Well other than that weird kaku whatever site I've never heard of, those are some good scores.

I read that review, TBH they make some good points but the downsides sound like typical Vanillaware so I’m not too worried about it. It’s repetitive, not super strategic, and you can overcome any challenge by grinding and gaining levels. Pretty much exactly what I was expecting after 13 Sentinels.

 

[killatopak]

I read that review, TBH they make some good points but the downsides sound like typical Vanillaware so I’m not too worried about it. It’s repetitive, not super strategic, and you can overcome any challenge by grinding and gaining levels. Pretty much exactly what I was expecting after 13 Sentinels.

Did they mention what difficulty they played the game on?

Cause on the day 1 patch, Vanillaware actually implemented an easier difficulty setting. I can only guess that they found in their data that people thought the game was harder.

 

[bender]

Who the fuck are these guys tho? Never heard of this website and I know quite a few.

Kakuchopurei translates to boxes full of men.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Did they mention what difficulty they played the game on?

Cause on the day 1 patch, Vanillaware actually implemented an easier difficulty setting. I can only guess that they found in their data that people thought the game was harder.

They didn’t say what difficulty and they didn’t say anything about it being too difficult. Their biggest criticism of the gameplay was that for a “strategy” game the strategy was very basic, and your character level seems to matter way more than your choices.

 

[Roman Empire]

I like 13 Sentinels a lot but will wait to play this one. I'm just glad it looks to be another banger.

 

[Danjin44]

Short or non existent review embargo means they're not confident in the results.

Hope the rest of you enjoy it!

 

[kingpotato]

These are better than I expected but they match what I would have guessed after my experience with the demo.

 

[shoplifter]

Just booted it up, since I live in New Zealand and I'm going to try to get an hour in over lunch

 

[Danjin44]

I like to say I’m surprised but I’m not, for me Vanillaware never miss and after the demo there is no doubt they will deliver.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Aight, I'm back. Let's get back to biz!

Oh I see that the OpenCritic page is finally up so that will def come in handy.

 

[envyzeal]

B-but late reviews means the game is shit!!

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

First mixed review

Kakuchopurei - 60/100

No one should ever question my gaming acumen ever again. I'm playing chess while some of y'all playing checkers.

I do hope y'all enjoy the game. It's still getting decent scores overall. Definitely not for me though.

 

[SirTerry-T]

Vanillaware are proper "craftsmen" in the video game world. You can tell that every title they deliver is treated like a passion project. Long may they continue.

 

[Danjin44]

Definitely not for me though.

You just come to thread about the game you dont care about to shit post then cry about why people make fun of you.

Seriously what the fuck is wrong with you!

 

[Rentahamster]

I’m hoping it’s 91 and above so Men_in_Boxes will play it and stop playing gaas.

Following the in-vogue animu strategy JRPG trend really paid off for Vanillaware!

 

[struggler_guts]

New thread? Where's my final day of commemorative art!?

 

[Unknown Soldier]

LOL so all the big outlets didn't bother to review this?

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Clearly not good enough for the bro gamers among us.

 

[bender]

You just come to thread about the game you dont care about to shit post then cry about why people make fun of you.

Seriously what the fuck is wrong with you!

 

[Danjin44]

LOL so all the big outlets didn't bother to review this?

Apparently the game is not "mainstream" enough for even EZA to review this game.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

LOL so all the big outlets didn't bother to review this?

Review codes are given out selectively to outlets or critics that love SRPGs. This games Metascore will continue to drop over the coming weeks as more reviews pile up. If I'm Vanillaware, I'm trying to find as many Danjin44 s as I can to get the highest possible score early on as I can. I suspect this game will settle around an 84 or so after all the reviews are in.

 

[Jedge]

No one should ever question my gaming acumen ever again. I'm playing chess while some of y'all playing checkers.

I do hope y'all enjoy the game. It's still getting decent scores overall. Definitely not for me though.

How does one cherry picked review out of all the other positive reviews allow you to be unquestionable. Let's be honest, regardless of how well this game did you weren't going to purchase anyway. So in your opinion what website is qualified enough to justify your purchase of a game? Because the average right now is 87+ on metacritic. Please provide examples of games you purchased recently. At this point it's blatant trolling

 

[Danjin44]

How does one cherry picked review out of all the other positive reviews allow you to be unquestionable. Let's be honest, regardless of how well this game did you weren't going to purchase anyway. So in your opinion what website is qualified enough to justify your purchase of a game? Because the average right now is 87+ on metacritic. Please provide examples of games you purchased recently. At this point it's blatant trolling

This guy here is to shit post and pretend his smart about it....

His most idiotic poster I ever seen GAF......again this is same fucking guy who thinks every game should be pay to win.......And that being me "nice" about it.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

How does one cherry picked review out of all the other positive reviews allow you to be unquestionable. Let's be honest, regardless of how well this game did you weren't going to purchase anyway. So in your opinion what website is qualified enough to justify your purchase of a game? Because the average right now is 87+ on metacritic. Please provide examples of games you purchased recently. At this point it's blatant trolling

If you're spending 5 years making a game and budgets are tight, you're taking a few hours to find the Vanillaware or SRPG fanboys to give 20 early review codes to. You want that day 1 Metascore to be as high as possible because launch is vital to these kinds of games.

 

[Raven117]

Should i get this on switch or ps5?

 

[Topher]

This guy here is to shit post and pretend his smart about it....

His most idiotic poster I ever seen GAF......again this is same fucking guy who thinks every game should be pay to win.......And that being me "nice" about it.

Yep. I have exactly one poster on my ignore list.

 

[Kacho]

Should i get this on switch or ps5?

It really doesn't matter. The game runs well on both with PS5 having cleaner IQ.

 

[Raven117]

It really doesn't matter. The game runs well on both with PS5 having cleaner IQ.

Thanks!

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Should i get this on switch or ps5?

Which ever system you like better. Switch version looks and runs great with while the PS5 version looks a bit cleaner. I went with the Switch version for portability (like I almost always do) but if you have PS Portal you'll also have a portable version, albeit a bit more limited.

 

[Topher]

Which ever system you like better. Switch version looks and runs great with while the PS5 version looks a bit cleaner. I went with the Switch version for portability (like I almost always do) but if you have PS Portal you'll also have a portable version, albeit a bit more limited.

I'm going to be playing on my Steam Deck via Remote Play from PS5 myself. These are great games for handhelds, imo.

 

[bender]

Yep. I have exactly one poster on my ignore list.