10 Best RPGs Of 2024
3. Unicorn Overlord
This writer will admit to being worried about this one.
13 Sentinels - developer Vanillaware's previous effort - may have had one of the greatest stories ever committed to video games, but its RTS sections quickly devolved into "spam Interceptors to win". So when Unicorn Overlord was announced, it was hard not to be concerned whether Vanillaware could make a great - or even good - strategy game.
Such worry turned out to be utterly groundless, as Unicorn Overlord is one of the best SRPGs ever made. The groundbreaking decision to have battles fought between groups of soldiers, as opposed to the genre's more traditional one-on-one battles, opens up a dizzying array of combinations for even the most jaded stat-head. Not to mention the astonishing amount of granular detail in this game, from juggling equipment to buffing you troops with a home-cooked meal.
Yet Unicorn Overlord never becomes overwhelming. Hell, if you want you can just automatically optimise your army's equipment and tactics and sit back and enjoy the story. Unicorn Overlord doesn't care how you play, just that you have fun while doing it. That generous spirit is suffused throughout the entire experience, and the result is Vanillaware's best game yet.