Unicorn Overlord review: deep strategy RPG is a rousing victory

Unicorn Overlord MSRP $59.99 Score Details DT Recommended Product Pros

Standout presentation
Fun characters
Deep battle system
Lots of customization potential

Cons

Generic story
Minor technical hiccups

When I embarked on the world of Fevrith inUnicorn Overlord, I felt a wave of nostalgia like I was playing an RPG from the 90s. That was partially thanks to its tactical gameplay that looks and feels like a throwback to some of the genre’s best, but it’s the art that really took me back. As I traveled the overworld map as Alain, the story’s hero, I marveled at his tiny sprite. It was as charming as his full character model in Unicorn Overlord’s gorgeous art style and cutscenes.

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Unicorn Overlord is a strategy game developed by Vanillaware, a studio most recognizable through its distinct 2D art style and hand-painted joint animations for its characters. That artwork really helps bring the game’s high fantasy setting to life. And while that transported me to a whole new world, it also brought me back to a familiar era of genre classics that I love.

Despite its generic story, Unicorn Overlord boasts an incredibly fun real-time strategy combat system tweaked with an auto battle system and plenty of customization options for its characters. For those who yearn for a return to the great strategy RPGs of the ’90s, it’s a nostalgic winner elevated by its unforgettable art.

Liberating the world

Unicorn Overlord starts off on a strong note when the kingdom of Cornia is overthrown by Galerius, a power hungry conqueror. Under his new rule, Galerius unites all five nations of Fevrith under his own Zenorian empire. A young man named Alain safely flees with the help of his bodyguard, Josef, and the game time skips 10 years. After obtaining the Ring of the Unicorn, he gathers his allies to form the Liberation Army to free Fevrith from Galerius’s tyrannical rule.

This premise gets straight to the point with