The new Unicorn Overlord gameis a tactical strategy role-playing game with a similar feel as the popular Nintendo title Fire Emblem: Three Houses. It focuses on the tasks of fighter gathering, in-game friendship building, large map questing, and strategic battles.
The game follows Prince Alain, a young lord leading a ragtag rebel army in the hopes of regaining the throne of Cornia. He also would like to free the other four kingdoms of Fevrith—now in control of the dastardly general Galerius. Years before, the turncoat general killed Alain’s mother, took over her kingdom and spread his Zenoiran Empire throughout the lands.
That’s all you need to really know. The narrative strength of the game actually grows from venturing to towns, fortresses, ports and cities across the kingdoms; liberating them through strategic battles; and then recruiting new battle-worthy characters to populate your two-to-five character squads.
There are some 70 different fighters to recruit in all. Those ranks include knights, lords, archers, hoplites, swordsmen and the like. You can also choose from a variety of magical characters such as healing clerics and spell-casting witches.
The challenge of the game then is to figure out which combination of fighters works best to support one another and face off with the many varieties of foes they’ll face. Players can also adjust individual character tactics in battle so that they can better defend and accent their teammates.
The characters exhibit more skill sets, abilities and teammate bonds as they level up through battle together. And they also gain access to better weapons and armor. Players designate a leader in each squad, which then gives the troops unique movement and battle advantages. For instance, a squad gains a massive speed boost if a cavalry unit takes charge and gallops to the fore. And a gryphon-riding leader allows the squad to fly over ground-based obstacles and rough terrain.
Unicorn Overlord is primarily a single-player, offline game. But at a certain point, players can access a Coliseum area that offers online, multiplayer contests that are separate from the main storyline.
Unicorn Overlord is an incredibly well designed and crafted strategic RPG. The character-teaming and tactics-tweaking aspects of play are very involving. And the overall story is fun and inviting.
The game is stylistically animated and classically voiced. It all feels apiece with its fantasy setting. And the tale itself is one of heroes freeing the oppressed.
Besides the heroic story, Unicorn Overlord’s focus is an ongoing series of RPG battles. The character attacks and defenses are all fully animated, and when they slash swords, swing massive hammers, shoot arrows, zap with spells and the like there can be small blood splashes and cries of pain.
There’s a bit of rough language that pops up on occasion in the form of the words “b–tard,” “d–n,” and “h—.” And some characters wear flesh-baring outfits. For instance, there are heavily-muscled and shirtless male characters and female characters in low-cut and bikini-like garb. (Some females are a bit buxom and bouncy.)
There’s also magic in this fantasy land. Characters (witches, shamans, sibyls) cast spells during combat to attack offensively or deplete opponent’s defenses. We encounter a temple dedicated to a god-like entity called the Unicorn. (Alain also has a Unicorn ring imbued with power that breaks evil mesmerizing spells.) And characters speak of praying to “the Father.” One magic-focused evil wizard specializes in raising corpses back to life. These undead must be fought in battle.
Unicorn Overlord is fun. It’s well-crafted and offers gamers balanced strategic challenges without ever feeling either overwhelming or slow. There are a few T-rated issues, but nothing bad enough to knock most families with teens off a unicorn.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
