Initially announced in September of last year, Unicorn Overlord reportedly underwent a decade-long development journey, making it Vanillaware’s largest project to date. Having heard praise for 13 Sentinel: Aegis Rim, another critically-acclaimed Vanillaware title, I'm particularly excited after seeing Unicorn Overlord's trailers, as it seems to have drawn inspiration from classic tactical RPGs like Ogre Battle and Fire Emblem. Just two weeks before its official release, publisher Atlus treated us to a substantial 7-hour demo. After completing the demo, I'm pretty convinced that the game will rank highly on my list of favorite tactical RPGs, joining recent titles like Triangle Strategy and Fire Emblem: Three Houses (sorry Engage).

Unicorn Overlord unfolds in the land of Fevrith, following the journey of Alain, the Crown Prince of the former Kingdom of Cornia. Stripped of his kingdom in General Valmore’s rebellion a decade prior, Alain inherits the fabled Ring of the Unicorn from his mother Queen Ilenia and is entrusted to the care of the loyal knight Josef. Raised with the hope that he will one day reclaim his homeland as a capable leader, Alain's peaceful life on the island of Palevia is shattered when the forces of the new Zenoiran Empire invade. Joined by his companions, Alain sets out on a mission to restore peace to the continent, uniting allies to form the formidable Liberation Army.

Without much delay, the demo promptly thrusts us into our first battle, providing a brief introduction to the game's core mechanics via Queen Ilenia’s final (?) battle. Unicorn Overlord's real-time battles unfold through individual auto-battles among units on a dynamic battlefield. We have the freedom to maneuver our units in real-time, with the option to pause the game at any moment for strategic planning. The primary objective is to seize control of the enemy's command posts, typically achieved by defeating their general. In order to balance the battlefield and prevent strong units from dominating the game, a Stamina system is implemented. This system restricts each unit to a set number of battles before entering cooldown, leaving them vulnerable to enemy attacks without the ability to retaliate.

Units are organized into armies, consisting of multiple characters arranged in a 2x3 grid formation. With exceptions for classes capable of attacking the backline directly, this layout means tanks are supposed to be placed in the front row, while damage dealers and support units typically occupy the rear. The game is thoughtful enough to provide helpful tips for assembling basic units; for instance, pairing a Cleric with a high-health Gladiator is advised. Different unit pairings offer varied combat capabilities, with the Leader of the unit dictating its role on the battlefield. For example, a unit led by a Hunter can provide ranged support by granting bonus attacks to nearby allies, whereas units led by Knights boast increased mobility across the map. With almost 80 classes available, the game offers extensive depth in crafting the ideal units for diverse combat scenarios.

However, there's more to it. Initially, I found myself slightly overwhelmed by the abundance of information on the battle screen UI. Yet, this complexity underscores the meticulous design of the game. Amidst all the intricacies, the signature gambits system from Final Fantasy XII immediately captured my attention. For those who don’t know, the gambits system allows us to program our units' actions during auto-battles, specifying commands like "if A occurs, then use skill B," or establishing priority sequences such as "X > Y > Z" when multiple skills meet the same activation condition. This feature takes unit customization and tactical planning to a deeper level, which is a thrilling prospect for tactical RPG fans like myself.

In terms of character development, each class features distinct innate growth rates for various stats, graded from F to S, a familiar system seen in many other tactical RPGs. Furthermore, beyond plot-significant characters, we have the opportunity to recruit customizable characters. From the color of their equipment to their stat growth patterns, we can enlist versatile units to complement our army according to our preferences. Unlike many other RPGs where we are limited to story-provided characters, the game offers abundant freedom to construct our ideal units.

Between battles, we have the freedom to explore the game’s expansive overworld and tackle main quests in any order we like. Beside the main story, there’s numerous side quests and points of interest waiting to be discovered. As we liberate cities and regions, our Renown increases, unlocking additional features such as larger unit size and powerful equipments. Meanwhile, the game also incorporates the staple Rapport system from the Fire Emblem series, where characters will strengthen their bonds the more they fight together in the same unit, unlocking rapport conversations and granting stat bonuses as their relationship deepens. Although I find the rapport conversations that I’ve experienced so far in the demo to be somewhat short and dull, the freedom to tackle quests in any sequence adds an intriguing sense of exploration to the game.

As of now, it is confirmed that the full game will feature online PvP modes. While we still don’t know much about the online mode yet, I expect that it will involve Unit vs Unit battles, putting our tactical planning and unit formation to test. Given the depth of the game's tactical and character development gameplay, I'm eagerly anticipating how the multiplayer mode will unfold, as well as whether the developers have additional content planned for the online mode in the future.

So far, the demo of Unicorn Overlord, which offers an extensive 7-hour gameplay, has left a strong impression on me. It meticulously incorporates standout features from classic tactical RPGs like Ogre Battle and Fire Emblem, yet manages to maintain its own distinct identity without feeling like a chaotic blend. Judging solely by its gameplay, the game seems poised to become one of the best tactical thus far. I highly recommend fans of the genre to try out the game's demo, available on all platforms.

Unicorn Overlord is set to be released worldwide for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on March 8.