Unicorn Overlord

Unicorn Overlord is a sprawling tactics game from Vanillaware that combines a classic fantasy tale of an exiled prince's return with an unusually clever command system. Prince Alain, the sole surviving heir of a toppled kingdom, gradually frees the continent of Fevrith from the grip of an enemy empire, and his army grows to include dozens of named characters with their own motivations. The story is deliberately straightforward and heroic, but it works thanks to the sheer number of people you can befriend — feasts and shared conversations deepen relationships and unlock better cooperation in battle.

The heart of the game is military organization. The player doesn't command individuals, but small squads of a few members each, where it matters who stands in front and who stands behind, how archers, cavalry, and shield-bearers complement each other, and what synergies they share. The actual clash between two squads plays out automatically, but the player sets conditional orders in advance: who to heal and when, who to attack first, whether to save an ability for flying targets. Preparation thus replaces micromanagement, and the result is a game where you build a machine and then watch to see if it works. Meanwhile everything on the map runs in real time with the option to pause, so it also matters where you send your squads and when you let them rest.

Visually it's classic Vanillaware: hand-drawn, richly decorated two-dimensional characters with fluid animation and detailed backgrounds that look like illustrations from a storybook. On Switch the game runs smoothly, and thanks to its pausable pacing it also suits short sessions. The music is broadly orchestral and celebratory. Reception was excellent, with the game praised for both the depth of its systems and the sheer amount of content, which easily exceeds fifty hours. Today it's one of the most remarkable strategy games in recent memory, even for someone who's afraid they don't have a head for tactics — the game handles the details itself and leaves the interesting part to the player.