Unicorn Overlord Demo (Switch) Impressions

Out of the many announcements from the recent Nintendo Direct, I was most interested in the newest tactics game from Sega, Unicorn Overlord. I enjoyed Triangle Strategy quite a bit, and I’ve been looking for another game to capture that same energy. I decided to jump into the demo to see if this new title could capture my interest. I’m happy to say that this is certainly something to keep your eye on if you love this genre.

In terms of story, Unicorn Overlord’s is basic and unexciting for the most part at least from what I played. It’s your typical medieval fantasy world with warring kingdoms under the rule of an oppressive tyrant. You play as a young lord who must take back his birthright by leading a rebellion recruiting various allies along the way. The dialogue can sometimes need a little work, and characters lack the same depth as those found within the most recent Fire Emblem titles. Instead, they feel more like the characters you might find within the GBA-era games with less nuanced personalities. Nonetheless, they do the job and at least have defining personality traits.

The overall presentation here is wonderful. Character models, backgrounds, and sprites look great, while animations are smooth and detailed. The overall art direction here is immaculate and adds a great style to Unicorn Overlord. The voice performances are also well done across the board.

However, it’s the gameplay that really impressed me here. The core combat is an interesting combination of both turn-based and real-time strategy with a lot of depth. You’ll issue commands to multiple units simultaneously while the enemy assaults you at the same time. This forces you to think quickly and adjust strategies as needed; when two units meet on the map, a battle begins. Like in Fire Emblem, you’ll be treated to a short cutscene where the battle plays out automatically.

Units will take turns expending action points to attack according to an initiative count. Each character also has passive skills which trigger when certain conditions are met. Once characters have expended all their points the encounter ends and the unit left with higher HP wins. If the loser still has HP left then their unit will be stunned for a short time. If they are attacked in this state then their opponents will gain a first strike attack allowing them to move first.

This is only one aspect of the combat, what really sold me on Unicorn Overlord is the pair-up system. Though this feature has been in many tactics games, here the scale is much larger. You can group up to five units together to form little squads. The level of unique customization this offers is fantastic. Every aspect of the team is important, from choosing a leader to the individual positions of characters within the squad, it all can affect outcomes on the field of battle. Building a successful team can allow you to take down almost anything and I loved experimenting with various combinations.

It also makes every new addition to your roster much more worthwhile, since you can easily level up many characters by slotting them into a squad with other powerful fighters. I especially enjoy how this feature makes certain classes such as archers, much more powerful as you can always position a front line to protect them. This aspect allows you to be a little more reckless with your movement which works well for the faster-paced gameplay. However, Unicorn Overlord is certainly still punishing. There’s no backing out of combat so if you misplace a unit into a poor matchup you have no choice but to watch your squad get decimated by the enemy.

I’m still only scratching the surface here. There are even more mechanics that add layers of nuance and require mastery like squad stamina, ranged assists, valor skills, and capturing fortifications. It all comes together into a package that I can see myself spending many hours with.

The progression systems being offered here are also incredibly satisfying. Each class offers different skills as a character levels up, while certain weapons and items can bestow additional skills as well. The base management is another key aspect to progression that I found myself enjoying. As you defeat enemies and complete side objectives, the renown of your rebellion grows. You can then utilize renown in order to expand your forces, acquire resources, and purchase new equipment. You can customize the heraldry of your force as well, which I found was a nice touch.

There’s a lot of great things in place in Unicorn Overlord already and I’m excited to explore the world and characters more in the full release. If you enjoy the tactics genre, definitely check this one out. Unicorn Overlord builds off of the foundations of Fire Emblem in a way that feels genuinely innovative while still keeping the aspects which work well. For me, this direction appeals much more to my individual playstyle and interests than Nintendo’s comparable entries within the genre.