*Unicorn Overlord (2024)

It seems only fitting that the last game I played in 2024 would also be among the first I played of the year. After putting well over 80 hours into it upon release, the game called to me, like a Siren on the rocks, begging me to play it once again. In this case, I was all too happy to oblige.

Originally conceived in 2014, Unicorn Overlord was intended to emulate the classical tactical RPG's of the 90s without drawing inspiration from any one of them specifically. In doing so, Unicorn Overlord plays wholly unlike any other game I can think of with a blend of real time tactical battles, character customization that's as deep as you want it to be, a fairly impressive fantasy story that blends a European medieval world with Japanese fantasy elements. All of this with beautiful, hand drawn characters and environments, help make this seem like a fairy tale come to life.

The story is a fairly typical fantasy affair, with players taking the role of Alain, an exiled prince who spends his youth being taught and trained to someday retake his homeland from the evil emperor, Galerius. You're introduced to the gameplay loop of exploration, unit building, and combat. Every character you recruit has a class, a lot of which can be upgraded. Each class serves a different role and has strengths and weaknesses depending upon where they are placed and what other classes they serve alongside. While this may sound a bit overwhelming, it can truly be as deep as the player wishes it to be. You can do your research, build perfectly balanced teams with equipment loadouts that further boost their efficiency , or you can just slap together a group of your favorite characters and brute force your way through.

On the subject of characters, there are a lot of them. Over 60 which are recruitable, and even a handful that aren't, all with unique designs and wonderfully voice-acted. The majority of these characters are optional, either depending on whether or not the players engages in side quests, or even some of the choices the player makes. As characters serve together in a unit, eat together, or if the player decides to shower them in gifts, their bonds will grow stronger, giving bonuses when paired together or even giving small cutscenes to show them interacting. The majority of these are between Alain and other characters, though some of the characters have some fun interactions with one another.

On the note of character relationships, I have two, maybe three main complaints. First, while I appreciate that every character gets interactions with Alain, I felt that having more interactions with other characters would have been nice. One of my favorite things about modern Fire Emblem games is the rapport that characters build between one another, leading to optional romances and different endings for each character. Unicorn Overlord mostly avoids this, with even the most implied romances not amounting to much. On this same note, another complaint I have is just how incredibly thirsty all of the female characters are toward Alain. They all but throw themselves at him, and it's honestly a bit distracting at times.

And that's not even getting into the character designs...

The only thing of note with character interactions is, as I said, everyone gets special scenes with Alain. This includes the men, which is fine right up until you decide on a partner. While you can read what you like into how different characters interact, pretty much all of the male options culminate in a "Yeah, we're really good friends" vibe. It's as if they couldn't commit to either making it fully inclusive or not, so they chose the oddest half measure.

The story, overall, hits just about every beat you imagine it will with no huge surprises unless you're completely unfamiliar with the genre. It does a good job of showing the humanity behind most of the generals you face, with very few being evil for the sake of evil. You can tackle a lot of the game in any order you choose, though barriers are put in place, such as high level units, you are able to attempt these battles and, if you're really stubborn, can bypass them early.

The game excels in pretty much every area it tries to, from the stunning artwork, to the amazing vocals and memorable music. It's truly a shame that there's no plans for DLC or a sequel, as the few rough edges could easily be sanded down and streamlined. For good or ill, developer Vanillaware is dedicated to creating original games suited to the team's personal tastes. In addition, company founder and game director, George Kamitani, is known to personally fund the games the studio creates, with Unicorn Overlord being no exception. That said, Unicorn Overlord doesn't really need DLC or a sequel, as it stands on its own just fine and, if you let it, will command quite a bit of your time.

And now, unrelated to anything, I am hungry...