Unicorn Overlord: Review Thread

Game Information

Game Title: Unicorn Overlord

Platforms:

Xbox Series X/S (Mar 8, 2024)
PlayStation 5 (Mar 8, 2024)
PlayStation 4 (Mar 8, 2024)
Nintendo Switch (Mar 8, 2024)

Trailers:

Developer: Vanillaware

Publisher: ATLUS

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 88 average - 100% recommended - 20 reviews

Critic Reviews

Atomix - Sebastian Quiroz - Spanish - 95 / 100

Once again, Vanillaware shows its mastery for making games. Unicorn Overlord is, quite simply, one of the best games of the year.

CGMagazine - Zubi Khan - 9 / 10

Unicorn Overlord combines the stellar Vanillaware aesthetic in a tactical RPG experience that feels like a modern classic in the making.

COGconnected - James Paley - 80 / 100

This is very much my kind of RPG. One where I can tend to a massive roster of fighters, a sort of garden of fantasy violence. The combat is simple to execute yet endlessly deep, with new layers constantly revealing themselves. The art direction is fantastic and the gameplay loop is terribly addictive. I found the story perfectly okay. It’s an effective vehicle for bringing me more battles in an organic fashion. I like the writing, though I recognize it’s more style than substance. Truly, Unicorn Overlord plays to its strengths. If you also long for a battle system so compelling it obliterates the rest of the game, then you can’t miss this one.

Hobby Consolas - David Rodriguez - Spanish - 85 / 100

Vanillaware once again delivers a very special product that does not show signs of fatigue within a genre that has experienced a “boom” in recent years. Unicorn Overlord is gigantic and manages to stand out based on quality and ambition, although it could have spun something finer in some points in order to become a more original proposal.

IGN - Eric Zalewski - 9 / 10

Unicorn Overlord is a visual delight that’s brimming with creativity, and an absolute must-play for any fan of strategy RPGs.

Kakuchopurei - Alleef Ashaari - 60 / 100

Ultimately, Unicorn Overlord excels in its graphics and art style. However, the gameplay is mostly just fun for a few hours before it devolves to becoming stale due to repetitiveness and a lot of insignificant mechanics (dating sim-like Rapport, etc.) that don’t affect the gameplay.

On the surface, it looks pretty excellent, but the final 40+ hour experience from start to finish makes you feel like playing a mobile game.

Kotaku - Willa Rowe - Unscored

But Unicorn Overlord is not interested in that, and frankly it doesn’t need to be. This is not a game that is trying to be a narrative masterpiece; it is trying to be a mechanical marvel, and it accomplishes the latter in spades. The endlessly inventive and incredibly well-designed tactical systems at play in Unicorn Overlord make it a thrilling challenge to tackle. It isn’t just a game that longtime fans of Vanillaware should pay attention to, it’s for anybody wanting to play the next great tactics RPG. Unicorn Overlord is the game you’ve been waiting for.

Metro GameCentral - GameCentral - 8 / 10

A wonderfully weird console strategy game that’s inspired by the past but forges its own very distinct legend, with beautiful visuals and deep but accessible gameplay.

Nintendo Life - Alana Hagues - 9 / 10

Even amidst a huge strategy RPG boom, Unicorn Overlord stands out. It’s a smorgasbord of visual delights, intricate systems, and addictive gameplay loops that all come together to create a delightfully thrilling and deep tactical RPG. It’s so easy to get absorbed into everything the game offers, and we lapped it all up. Vanillaware has long been known for creating beautiful-looking games with unique twists on genres, but with 13 Sentinels and now Unicorn Overlord, this developer should be on absolutely everyone’s radar.

One More Game - Chris Garcia - 9 / 10

As good as it gets for an SRPG, Unicorn Overlord fills a gap in the gaming season with its admirable package of gameplay, visual and audio design, and, to a lesser extent, storytelling. Hours and hours will be poured into finding the perfect squads and classes, valuable relationships will be built, and a continent once plunged into strife will find its feet again.

Vanillaware continues to show its prowess at building experiences in genres it isn’t exactly well-known for, and kudos to the studio for paying attention to the right stuff, and creating a game that will likely become a classic and a standard bearer.

PSX Brasil - Francisco Maia - Portuguese - 90 / 100

Vanillaware gets it right with Unicorn Overlord and reinvigorates a sub-genre of RPG that, for a long time, has been the target of huge scrutiny in the gaming industry. I strongly believe that it is also the best game ever created by the Japanese developer. Even though there are minor imperfections, the game is brilliant and worthy of the highest recommendation!

Push Square - Robert Ramsey - 9 / 10

It’s hard to say whether Unicorn Overlord is objectively Vanillaware’s best game, but for us, it’s right up there, competing for the crown - and that’s incredibly high praise. This is an immaculate and deeply engaging strategy RPG; the best example of the genre that we’ve played in years. For those who are looking to get lost in tactical thought, it’s essential - and for everyone else, it still stands as an engrossing fantasy adventure. Vanillaware’s done it again.

Screen Rant - Cody Gravelle - 4.5 / 5

Unicorn Overlord is a truly excellent tactical RPG that is great where it matters. Incredible gameplay makes it replayable and fascinating, while its aesthetic and world map keep Fevrith interesting. In spite of some minor stumbles in its cast of heroes, Unicorn Overlord rivals some of the best of Fire Emblem. That comparison will likely stop if Vanillaware pursues Unicorn Overlord as a series in the future; it’s very much its own game, and a memorable, great one, at that.

Siliconera - Graham Russell - 8 / 10

Unicorn Overlord combines the timeless tactical RPG genre with overworld exploration and an innovative battle system for a unique epic fantasy experience in the iconic Vanillaware style. Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. Unicorn Overlord is, as a whole, a loving and well-crafted return to the Ogre Battle formula. If the character designs aren’t a dealbreaker for you, and we’d understand if they are — seriously, can they at least figure out how shirt fabric works? — there’s a lot of interesting tactical decisions to make.

TheGamer - James Kennedy - 4.5 / 5

As a long-time TRPG fan, Unicorn Overlord is everything I wanted it to be and more. I suspect that some people will read this review and think that it sounds tedious, but that’s the thing about games that deliver such a focused experience: they aren’t going to appeal to everyone. However, by being so specific in everything it does, Unicorn Overlord ensures that those who do “get it” will be thinking of it fondly for decades to come.

VG247 - James Billcliffe - 4 / 5

Standing on its own, Unicorn Overlord is an excellent expansion of Vanillaware’s now-trademark visual style and its newer RTS mechanics, offering both gripping strategy and an atmospheric pulp fantasy world that you’re going to want to sink hours and hours into.

XboxEra - Genghis Husameddin - 9 / 10

“…Unicorn Overlord is a fantastic strategy game that is both gorgeous as it is fun. Tactics fans are in for a treat, and even those weak to the genre find this game to be a fulfilling experience.”