In last week’s Nintendo Direct, ATLUS unveiled Unicorn Overlord, a new game from Vanillaware. Vanillaware is known for developing 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim and Dragon’s Crown. The game looked great in its original showing, and we’ve received a more in-depth breakdown of what to expect from it today via TGS.

OuHere’s last week’s trailer for the game in case you missed it:

Look intriguing? Here are some things we learned from today’s press release about the game:

Story Overview

The story takes place on the continent of Fevrith, a land home to five nations—Cornia, Drakenhold, Elheim, Bastorias, and Albion—inhabited not only by humans, but also by other races such as elves, angels, and a race of beastfolk known as bestrals.

After Cornia’s General Valmore rebels against his nation’s royal family, he starts a war that will soon tear the entire​ continent apart. Alain, the protagonist of the game and prince of Cornia, flees from his home during this uprising and is​ chosen to lead the Liberation Army that will free all subjugated lands of Fevrith. Ten years have passed, and with the​ legendary Ring of the Unicorn in hand, Alain raises the flag of rebellion to lead his people to freedom.

Sounds intense! We’re bound to see a heavy dose of political intrigue and drama as is common with Vanillaware’s titles.

Gameplay Overview

• The World’s Your Oyster – Freely traverse an expansive world, gather new allies, forge your bonds, and lead the Liberation to glorious victory.
  • Explore and battle in any order you want! Players can freely traverse an overworld map to meet and recruit new allies,​ fight enemies, and liberate and rebuild cities in any order they want. Where you’ll go next, which routes you’ll take,​ and which battles you’ll fight are entirely up to you!
• Build Your Forces – Cultivate a grand army with over 60 unique characters, from humans and elves to massive beasts and heavenly angels.
• Free to Roam – Traverse a vast overworld to liberate Fevrith from the Zenorain Empire’s rule. Reclaim towns and rebuild them with materials you’ve gathered, train your allies, and gather your strength to face ever more powerful foes!
  • Upon defeating the Zenoiran forces in control​ of towns and fortresses, law and order will be​ restored to the land and you’ll gain access to​ facilities such as armorers and provisioners.​ Wandering enemies are also defeated, making​ future exploration even easier.
• Your Battles, Your Rules – Players can use characters as they see fit, forming powerful units to take into battle.​ It’s up to you, the commander of the Liberation Army, to decide who to send forth and what tactics to employ!
  • Within each battle stage, both sides will fight to take each other’s command posts in thrilling real-time combat. You, the commander, must keep a close eye on the situation​ and make critical decisions like which units to send when or where. Victory is secured​ once you’ve clear certain conditions, such as defeating the enemy general.
  • Individual battles begin when your units make contact with the enemy during a battle stage. Coordinate a unit’s tactics in advance with​ conditions that determine how and when skills will automatically be used.
  • Balance your allies’ classes and skills to form the strongest​ units for the situation and watch the battle unfold as your characters automatically engage in combat! Adapt and improve your tactics as you learn from the results of each battle.

Additional Details

Players can also choose to go head-to-head in an online PvP mode if they want to test their units out against a friend’s. This mode is referred to as “coliseum mode,” so expect some gladiatorial combat!

There are also three different difficulty modes. They’re described as follows:

• Sweet – A difficulty focusing on story. For players looking to win battles without much difficulty.
• Normal – A difficulty focusing on tactical gameplay. For players who may be unfamiliar with strategy games.
• Hard – A difficulty focusing on pushing your tactical mind to its limits. For players who are quite skilled at strategy games.

Different Editions

Last, but most certainly not least, we’ve got a breakdown of the different versions of the game players can order. Here’s how they’re broken down:

• Standard Edition Pre-Order Bonus – Pre-ordering the game with any version will grant you access to the ATLUS x Vanillaware Heraldry Pack, a DLC that will allow you to customize your army’s banner with designs from Vanillaware’s other games like Dragon’s Crown and 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.
• Digital Deluxe Edition – The Digital Deluxe Edition of Unicorn Overlord will include a 16-bit arranged soundtrack, a digital artbook, and, of course, a copy of the game.
• Physical Premium Collector’s Edition – The Collector’s Edition will feature physical copies of everything included in the digital deluxe edition, as well as a premium edition box, a physical copy of the game, and a completely original card game for 2-4 players produced by Vanillaware.

Whew, that’s a lot of detail! If real-time strategy or fantasy settings are what tickle your fancy, we highly recommend keeping an eye out for this one. Pre-orders are available now, and you can find them here.

Unicorn Overlord launches on March 8, 2024 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. To see what else ATLUS revealed at TGS, check out our breakdown of the latest Persona 3 Reload details.