Unicorn Overlord

Unicorn Overlord is a tactical RPG from Vanillaware that offers on PlayStation 5 warfare on a large map, where the player, as exiled prince Alain, assembles units made up of several fighters and sends them against enemy squads in battles that play out automatically but are deeply customizable. The key mechanic is building formations, choosing positions, skills, and equipment for each character so that the unit functions as a well-coordinated team even without direct control in combat, while the player can pause the battle at any time and adjust tactics as the situation on the map develops, or set unit behavior using simple conditional commands, which also makes the game function as a well-thought-out puzzle about the optimal squad composition.

The game benefits from Vanillaware's distinctive hand-drawn visual style, which on PS5 stands out with detailed character animations and colorfully rich environments of the liberated continent of Fevrith, divided into several regions each with its own character, culture, and politics. The orchestral music underscores the epic tone of the campaign, and together with an elaborate system of bonds between units, which gradually strengthen their ties and unlock new shared skills and personal conversations, it creates a game that can be played for dozens of hours without feeling repetitive, especially thanks to the large number of classes and equipment.

Unicorn Overlord was praised at launch for the depth of its strategic options, its wide range of classes, and for how elegantly it makes an otherwise complex tactical-RPG genre accessible even to less experienced players thanks to a clear interface and gradual introduction of mechanics. Today it ranks among the most notable titles of its genre for the entire generation and confirms Vanillaware's reputation as a studio with a distinctive visual and gameplay signature, able to maintain its own identity even against much larger publishers.

Why play it: For fans of tactical RPGs as well as newcomers to the genre thanks to a clear interface and gradual introduction of mechanics — one of the most notable titles of its generation.