Unicorn Overlord - Tactical RPG by Vanillaware

[Reinhardt]

fuck elves. disgusting creatures.

final battle

in showdown against galerius only human bros from drakenhold and orthodoxy actually sending troops to help you+you can convince some beasts to switch sides. elves - nothing.

that's why i place human troops in every city in the world.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Definitely Vanillaware's best game now. 13 Sentinels has a far stronger story and the music is better, but otherwise this is just a straight improvement on all their past works.

Unicorn Overlord has drastically different gameplay from anything else developed by Vanillaware, with the possible exception of that Grand Knights History game that was never released outside Japan. I think it would have been a much better game if, instead of the gambit tactics system, the player had full control of characters in combat, while the amount of combat was reduced accordingly.

 

[Reinhardt]

game really need more boss fights like galerius. i hope there will be more in expansion. i mean - there should be expansion, right? game don't even have samurai right now.

 

[Crayll]

fuck elves

I agree

Definitely Vanillaware's best game now. 13 Sentinels has a far stronger story and the music is better, but otherwise this is just a straight improvement on all their past works.

Unicorn Overlord has drastically different gameplay from anything else developed by Vanillaware, with the possible exception of that Grand Knights History game that was never released outside Japan. I think it would have been a much better game if, instead of the gambit tactics system, the player had full control of characters in combat, while the amount of combat was reduced accordingly.

UO is very different (although yeah Grand Knights is kind of similar) so it's hard to compare, but the gameplay was always the weak point of their previous titles. Odin Sphere/Muramasa/Dragons Crown were fine for what they were but the gameplay wasn't the main draw.
Here it's legitimately good despite some balancing problems, on top of the rest of the game having the usual Vanillaware quality.
Personally I like the Ogre Battle type of combat with lots of battles where the decision making happens before the fight starts. Makes it feel more like a real strategy game and not just a JRPG with a bunch of characters.

 

[I eat frozen vegetables]

Unicorn Overlord is still going strong in Japan, maintaining its #1 position on the charts, despite difficulties getting it physically. However, it has faced a severe drop in the UK charts.

 

[Crayll]

Unicorn Overlord is still going strong in Japan, maintaining its #1 position on the charts, despite difficulties getting it physically. However, it has faced a severe drop in the UK charts.

According to the comments it may be due to a supply issue in the UK as well. Fatlus dropped the ball hard on physical copies.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Must be embarrassing for Square suits how this game just mogged the FF7 remake.

 

[I eat frozen vegetables]

Must be embarrassing for Square suits how this game just mogged the FF7 remake.

I remember that they were concerned that Persona 5 would mog FF15. This is infinitely worse because FF7 is a sacred cow.

 

[Reinhardt]

btw why virginia can't equip unicorn stuff? only alain can. i blame patriarchy!

 

[Hobo Elf]

Must be embarrassing for Square suits how this game just mogged the FF7 remake.

I remember that they were concerned that Persona 5 would mog FF15. This is infinitely worse because FF7 is a sacred cow.

While Square keeps chasing a mythical market that doesn't exist other companies are servicing people with the kind of games that should've been Square's MO. Unfortunately Square is going to learn all the wrong lessons from this, as usual.

 

[Jaedar]

Trying to beat coliseum at level 20 is a bit too hard for me. Managed to make it to the top ten, but took a lot of tries to clear bishop fight, and double gryphon is kicking my ass. Fighting enemies that have 1 more unit in the formation, and 10 levels ahead is a bit too harsh.

The online part also seems to suck a bit. There's no level scaling to the opponents, usually I roll 4 opponents that are all level 50 with endgame gear and 1 total scrub. So not very engaging, and the online server is either overloaded or just bloated as fuck because it takes forever to load anything. Bit of a shame, because the stuff you can buy with the coins looks really strong.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

UO is very different (although yeah Grand Knights is kind of similar) so it's hard to compare, but the gameplay was always the weak point of their previous titles. Odin Sphere/Muramasa/Dragons Crown were fine for what they were but the gameplay wasn't the main draw.

Dragon's Crown was a legitimately good beat-'em-up, with AI-controlled party members to simulate a multiplayer arcade game, strong D&D influences, and the best artwork of any Vanillaware game.

 

[Crayll]

UO is very different (although yeah Grand Knights is kind of similar) so it's hard to compare, but the gameplay was always the weak point of their previous titles. Odin Sphere/Muramasa/Dragons Crown were fine for what they were but the gameplay wasn't the main draw.

Dragon's Crown was a legitimately good beat-'em-up, with AI-controlled party members to simulate a multiplayer arcade game, strong D&D influences, and the best artwork of any Vanillaware game.

It was fine, I just didn't find the gameplay that compelling. I'm not a huge fan of beat-'em-ups though so I'm not the best judge here.
The artwork is obviously top notch.

 

[Abu Antar]

Dragon's Crown's level of fun all depends on what character you play. The dwarf and amazon were my favorite characters to use. Online was also fun, if a bit messy.

 

[Sentinel]

I'm retarded. What's the most effective way of recovering stamina? It's pretty stupid that I have to keep resting and protecting units every 4 battles cause the enemy just keeps spawning units.

 

[Jaedar]

I'm retarded. What's the most effective way of recovering stamina? It's pretty stupid that I have to keep resting and protecting units every 4 battles cause the enemy just keeps spawning units.

There's no truly effective way. Resting always works, but is slow. There are items, but they're limited. There's activated abilities, but those are also limited. You also get +2 stamina when you capture a location.
Best way is to not lose it in the first place. Ideally you should be defeating most enemies in 1-2 attacks.

Infantry leaders start with 6, cavalry with 5, and fliers with 4.

 

[Reinhardt]

use vitalize, buy all food. camps and capturing enemy locations.
most important thing - you don't lose stamina if you defend location, even if it's just shitty bridge or tower so if many enemies approaching - retreat to one(siege machines are NOT locations, you will spend stamina if attacked while operating one)

 

[Crayll]

Honestly you shouldn't even need vitalize or stamina food.

In most maps you should have enough squads to allow one to rest while the others keep advancing (don't let an enemy sneak past your line and jump the resting squad). Consider unlocking more squad slots if needed.

Use garrisons as chokepoints when you need a breather, no stamina cost to defend.

If you're preparing to attack a tough base, any damage at all will interrupt enemy spawns. You can use a damage map skill (warriors and mages have skills that only cost 1 valor) or throw a sacrificial squad at the enemy.

If you're finding normal enemies take more than 1 or 2 battles to kill, adjust your squad comps.

 

[Reinhardt]

i'm mostly talking about zenoiran. no sacrificial squads unless absolutely necessary and 5 items for stage.

 

[Abu Antar]

Watch towers are imperative. I had Alains unit deafeat six units in a row by luring them to a watch tower that they were stationed in. Cavalry can be good bait.

 

[Reinhardt]

close to finishing second run. only 2 final missions in albion and galerius left. will be around 100 hours combined. skipping cutscenes but to compensate spent lots of time farming arena.
i have no idea what to play next.

 

[Sentinel]

Dub or sub?

 

[Abu Antar]

Dub or sub?

Doing dub, and my ears aren't bleeding. Some sound great, others are meh.

 

[Crayll]

The sub is nothing special, but consistently good if you like typical JRPG Jap audio.

 

[Reinhardt]

alcina is voiced by same person who voiced scatnach in fgo. so shishou is shishou. very appropriate.