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[Labadal]

Overload indeed.

 

[near]

Was the demo the entire intermission? I thought the intermission ended at the difficulty select screen. At 13 hours now and it only just changed from intermission, so this is where shit gets real? This is sooo good.

 

[Touch fuzZy. get BizZay]

Looked on several sites yesterday and most stores only had 1 physical copy on site

snagged a switch copy! lucky

 

[CrustyBritches]

It’s weird how initially it was the Monarch edition that was sold out and hard to get, now the standard edition is hard to get and Amazon still has the Monarch listed as available.

GameStop looks like they have the standard physical right now.

Edit-Switch version

 

[Renoir]

I have a feeling that 2 yrs from now the physical copies of this game going to be $100 or more on eBay.

 

[cabbage5k2]

There's a lot more depth to this game than meets the eye. The last map I played with the archer towers and artillery support (early game one with the flying angel girl) was quite a bit trickier than expected, and the clock ran a bit closer than comfort alongside everyone's stamina. Yea... there are a lot of possibilities with unit formations and tactics. This is going to a lot of fun to figure out the best formations for the upcoming maps.

 

[Chiggs]

Great fucking thread.

No PC version is some real bullshit.

 

[Lethal01]

Booo

OT should have been titled Vanilla Battle 64

 

[reinking]

Great fucking thread.

No PC version is some real bullshit.

It is BS. I am currently playing on PC and iOS via remote play. This is one of those games that is great to have on a second screen while I do other things. I am still early in but loving it so far.

 

[poppabk]

Great fucking thread.

No PC version is some real bullshit.

It is playable on PC at least.

 

[CrustyBritches]

Great fucking thread.

No PC version is some real bullshit.

It’s a bummer. It’s that old-school mentality before companies like Capcom started doing 50% of their revenue on PC(iirc), and games like Helldivers 2 end up selling 50-60% of copies on PC.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

There's a lot more depth to this game than meets the eye. The last map I played with the archer towers and artillery support (early game one with the flying angel girl) was quite a bit trickier than expected, and the clock ran a bit closer than comfort alongside everyone's stamina. Yea... there are a lot of possibilities with unit formations and tactics. This is going to a lot of fun to figure out the best formations for the upcoming maps.

The archer towers one was basically the covering fire tutorial and it's one hell of a learning experience

It doesn't help that Ochlys flies more slowly than a human baby crawls, so you're constantly trying to balance spending time just eating shit under archer fire and wasting time waiting for her to reach the next tower so she can kill it and your ground units can advance

In general, the way they tried to balance the flying units was to make them FLY. EXTREMELY. SLOWLY. and that just makes them annoying to use more than anything else

This goes doubly true in the early game where the largest part of your score is from how much time is left on the clock, it's always to your advantage to try and blitzkrieg it to the enemy Command Post and who cares if half your units die because there isn't permadeath like Fire Emblem. It reminds me too much of how in Valkyria Chronicles the best way to S Rank every stage was to send Super Killing Machine Death Scout Alicia solo to kill everything in her path and take the enemy base in as few turns as possible

 

[Pimpbaa]

Man, I totally thought this was something like final fantasy tactics or disgaea. Some even said it’s like ff tactics, but that video is nothing like those games. You ain’t fighting with a bunch of characters on a big grid in a match that takes forever. Fighting is like most jpgs with turn based battles. Yes there is tactics involved but when someone says tactical jrpgs they think of a game with battles like a really fucking complicated chess. Almost skipped the game because of what genre this is supposedly in. Definitely buying it at some point.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

I remember meeting this Angel in the demo and IIRC she had a crush on a Cleric girl.

 

[ToadMan]

Man, I totally thought this was something like final fantasy tactics or disgaea. Some even said it’s like ff tactics, but that video is nothing like those games. You ain’t fighting with a bunch of characters on a big grid in a match that takes forever. Fighting is like most jpgs with turn based battles. Yes there is tactics involved but when someone says tactical jrpgs they think of a game with battles like a really fucking complicated chess. Almost skipped the game because of what genre this is supposedly in. Definitely buying it at some point.

I've been thinking about this.

The game looks similar to tactics jrpgs but plays quite differently.

The character grid combat isn't there. Instead each unit on the battle map consists of several individual characters. It's this unit level that the major movement, positioning and support decisions are made - that isn't grid based, and is pausable realtime.

Once two units commence battle, the individual character actions are automated following a rule set - those rules are player customisable outside combat though.

So all the decisions of a turn based tactics game are there, but they're divided up differently. The positioning of individual characters in battle is effectively abstracted - instead one can position characters before battle commences to try optimise match ups but it's column and row based positioning rather than the player moving the character individually on a grid.

I like that because it feels like the game plays out faster - basically you think about how you want unit v unit combat to go in advance, and watch the computer calculate the outcome rather than micromanage for yourself. That leaves the player organising and moving their units to get the most effective ones into the various battles and supported effectively.

While I'm open to this, I can imagine a few who hoped for a more classic tactics game will be disappointed by this approach.

 

[fallingdove]

Great OT! Game has been bought and is ready to play… in a few months after Rebirth, Granblue, Dragons Dogma 2, and Persona 3.

I honestly can't remember when so many awesome games have dropped in such short period of time.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

I've been thinking about this.

The game looks similar to tactics jrpgs but plays quite differently.

The character grid combat isn't there. Instead each unit on the battle map consists of several individual characters. It's this unit level that the major movement, positioning and support decisions are made - that isn't grid based, and is pausable realtime.

Once two units commence battle, the individual character actioms are automated following a rule set - those rules are player customisable outside combat though.

So all the decisions of a turn based tactics game are there, but they're divided up differently. The positioning of individual characters in battle is effectively abstracted - instead one can position characters before battle commences to try optimise match ups but it's column and row based positioning rather than the player moving the character individually on a grid.

I like that because it feels like the game plays out faster - basically you think about how you want unit v unit combat to go in advance, and watch the computer calculate the outcome rather than micromanage for yourself. That leaves the player organising and moving their units to get the most effective ones into the various battles and supported effectively.

While I'm open to this, I can imagine a few who hoped for a more classic tactics game will be disappointed by this approach.

The game is most like X-Com in terms of the tactical aspect of the game, but since you indirectly control the actions of units with Gambits in a similar manner to FFXII you actually do have quite a bit of agency in how the battle actually plays out once units actually have a fight. It's not just pure numbers in how a fight plays out once units clash. And because every fight ends after both sides have exhausted their AP, assuming the battle didn't immediately end in one side being wiped out, there is the opportunity to adjust battle decisions, switch out units, heal and reposition, and retreat units with dead characters between each 'turn' of a prolonged fight

 

[Jsisto]

I’m getting it regardless, but is this really as similar as Ogre Battle 64 as it appears? I absolutely adored that game.

 

[Mr.ODST]

Still deciding if to get Switch or PS5 version haha, the choices looks so good

 

[Renoir]

I haven't played yet.. have to work. I just want to marathon this uninterupted for a few days..

 

[YeulEmeralda]

It’s a bummer. It’s that old-school mentality before companies like Capcom started doing 50% of their revenue on PC(iirc), and games like Helldivers 2 end up selling 50-60% of copies on PC.

Porting from PS1-3 to PC was hard. But in 2024 there's no excuse.

 

[kingpotato]

Just got the monarch edition in the mail today. My two cents on the bonus items:

• Soundtrack discs are both 16 bit music for some reason. Odd choice, but I'll give them a spin soon to get a better impression.
• Soundtrack came in an odd size sleeve. Would have been nice if it was digipack/digifile sleeve to fit in with other CDs better.
• The card game cards are thinner than standard playing cards. Nice paper and a decent print, but I wish they were a little thicker to hold up better over time.
• The game pieces came in a little burlap sack with drawstring which is nicer than a plastic bag (which I expected).
• Art book is nice but small. From my skim it seems to be all finished art, not sketches or concepts.
• The outer box is nice quality, but the box for card game is a bit flimsy/cheap.

 

[Isa]

Made it up to 7+hrs last night. Its been a blast. I've been trying to do everything I can and savoring my time instead of being rushed like in the demo lol. Its great to try out the new units I've been collecting along the way. I also opted for making 4 man teams instead of a bunch of 3's and it helped a bit. Finally get to see beyond the demo today hehe, heading to the Elflands. Great music and art throughout.

 

[near]

I've been playing this shit out of this game this weekend, I'm already around 18 hours in. Won't get to play it again until Thursday or Friday next week since I need to travel for a few days. It's so addictive. Not sure how to go about keeping a lot of these characters levelled for use consistently, as my character list is getting quite large now.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

From the folks over on installbase, it looks like Unicorn Overlord had a good debut in the west, too.

Unicorn Overlord has debuted on the 5th place on the NA eShop (EDIT: 5th place in Canada, 9 in US). It is 53rd on PSN, and is not in the top 1000 on Xbox (though something called Eternity: The Last Unicorn is 831)

Up to 19th in the US PSN store, excluding F2P games.

 

[Evil Calvin]

Wish this wasn't out at the same time as Rebirth. I'm absorbed right now but definitely want to play this also.

Damn that Monarch edition looks awesome too.. so tempted.

It's really nice. Outer sleeve, magnetic flap on the box, 2 disc soundtrack, big artbook, tray to hold physical game........Nice!

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

 

[Isa]

I know some people poopoo the story but I've been enjoying it. The Rapport scenes are nice and give some more depth to the party. I think the smaller amount of overall character development is fine as the game is oldschool inspired and has so many characters it helps to have them be 1 or 2 dimensional.

I find myself losing track of time playing this, a real "just one more turn" kind of game. I want to try a new battle, unit formation, a new character I just got, help out somebody with a quest etc. I dropped FFVII Rebirth for this and its been totally worth it lol. Much more up my alley, I think the Vanilla Force title is quite apt.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Finally got my copy of Unicorn Overlord. Now it's time to go and recruit that dark elf girl!

 

[Shake Your Rump]

Man, I totally thought this was something like final fantasy tactics or disgaea. Some even said it’s like ff tactics, but that video is nothing like those games. You ain’t fighting with a bunch of characters on a big grid in a match that takes forever. Fighting is like most jpgs with turn based battles. Yes there is tactics involved but when someone says tactical jrpgs they think of a game with battles like a really fucking complicated chess. Almost skipped the game because of what genre this is supposedly in. Definitely buying it at some point.

If you stumble upon my earlier posts, you will see that I had the exact same sequence of events. Wrote the game off as another fire emblem with min/maxing grid battles. The day prior to release, I discover that I was wrong.

Fantastic game.

 

[Complistic]

I'm obsessed with this game. It's just fun.

 

[Jedge]

I'm obsessed with this game. It's just fun.

I've literally stopped adulting to play this game. I agree it's just that good

 

[cireza]

The Rapport scenes are nice and give some more depth to the party.

Found them really poor for now. Almost as if they felt obligated to put this in the game.

 

[Isa]

Found them really poor for now. Almost as if they felt obligated to put this in the game.

I kindly disagree then, I feel they are succinct and fit each character. Just little nuggets if story for those that want it. It reminds me a bit of Shining Force and exploring the towns and such for secrets. Nothing major but one might happen upon a neat little moment funny, touching or otherwise. To each their own.

 

[kingpotato]

Gave the soundtrack bundled into the Monarch edition a listen. I wasn't too impressed with the first disc, but the second had some pretty good tunes.

 

[KXVXII9X]

I've literally stopped adulting to play this game. I agree it's just that good

It's becoming a major issue lol. The spark I had for gaming definitely hasn't left with this game. I feel like a kid all over again. I have almost 30 hours already. It's like crack.

 

[CrustyBritches]

I was getting a little nervous about the Monarch Editions I got from Amazon being stuck on 'Ordered' status, but today they finally shipped. I'm relieved that they at least aren't going to cancel the orders due to insufficient stock. Monarch Edition for Switch seems to be sold out everywhere at the moment. I'm just going to continue to play the Switch version on Steam Deck.

Has anybody had a chance to play the card game? Is it fun?

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

Alright, had to pick up the digital version from US PSN since the Japanese release doesn't have any English support. I promised myself I wouldn't start it until I was done with Rebirth but I couldn't resist lol, I got myself back to where I stopped in the demo (didn't import my save, wanted to start from scratch). Looking forward to digging in over the next few weeks, 2024 has been delivering all the goods, especially where RPG's are concerned.

 

[CrustyBritches]

Alright, had to pick up the digital version from US PSN since the Japanese release doesn't have any English support. I promised myself I wouldn't start it until I was done with Rebirth but I couldn't resist lol, I got myself back to where I stopped in the demo (didn't import my save, wanted to start from scratch). Looking forward to digging in over the next few weeks, 2024 has been delivering all the goods, especially where RPG's are concerned.

I usually prefer Japanese audio with subs, but the subs on here are the little chat bubbles and it's hard for my ageing eyes to read it on a small screen, so I'm play in English. About 3hrs into the game and really loving it. 2024 is going to be a banger of a year just like 2023.

 

[Labadal]

I got the second area conqured, now. Just a few stray fights here and there. In the first area, there is a level 38 fight, but I am not read for that fight, yet.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

A couple of new character intros from Atlus JP YouTube channel:

 

[Shake Your Rump]

I woke up this morning and decided to double dip on the monarch edition for Switch... sold out now. PS5 still in stock.

 

[Isa]

I tried Elheim and while its definitely good, I felt I was intended to go to Drakenhold first and decided to head there instead. And its been great so far, I really like the stories transpiring there and the battles have been fun. Some of the music has been really good as well.

 

[ToadMan]

Still deciding if to get Switch or PS5 version haha, the choices looks so good

I went Switch but I will say that while the gameplay suits portability, the small switch screen doesn't do the artwork justice and it can be a bit busy on the screen with text and unit positioning.

I am traveling right now so I don't have a TV hookup for it - probably playing switch docked will be fine - but then if that's your primary way to play, PS5 version would be the way to go.

PS portal or PS remote play for around the house would be good for this too - given its a tactics game it may not even be necessary to sync your DualSense to the iPad and just use the onscreen controls.

 

[ToadMan]

I kindly disagree then, I feel they are succinct and fit each character. Just little nuggets if story for those that want it. It reminds me a bit of Shining Force and exploring the towns and such for secrets. Nothing major but one might happen upon a neat little moment funny, touching or otherwise. To each their own.

Yeah so far I think I agree with this - I get bored if there is too much talking going on in JRPGs, these seem to get to the point. I think the "flowery" english translation is fine and suits the setting.

At this stage though, I haven't found a way of checking the various character's back stories. Not sure if I haven't come across the menu page yet or they're only fleshed out through conversations...

 

[Hudo]

Unicorn Overlord makes me wish that Ubisoft would lend the Heroes of Might and Magic IP to Vanillaware for them to make a new HOMM in their beautiful 2d artstyle. This could easily rival HOMM3.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Suffering from success gif

 

[Hudo]

Suffering from success gif

Happy for them that it's selling well. I wonder what their next game will be.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

How often are you folks recruiting units?

I came across my first side-quest that seems to need archers, so I recruited a couple. They are low level, though. I'm not sure how useful they will be.

 

[Labadal]

I only run with unique characters. No recruiting.