My favorite JRPG of the Nintendo Direct promises "the rebirth of tactical fantasy RPGs," and I actually think it could pull it off
Today's Nintendo Direct delivered a frankly alarming number of RPGs and JRPGs, and that's absolutely what I wanted to see. Given this stacked lineup, I'm surprised how easy it is for me to choose my winner of the show. The Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario remakes look great, but my favorite can only be Unicorn Overlord, the new strategy RPG from Dragon's Crown, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, and Odin Sphere developer Vanillaware.
Vanillaware has released nothing but hits in the 10 years since Dragon's Crown, which was the game that originally won me over to the studio's lavish art style and meaty combat. Its most recent game, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, is arguably its best – and excitingly, it was a very different direction for the traditionally action-focused developer, folding heavy visual novel sections and light RTS elements into its side-scroller formula.
The strategic combat of Unicorn Overlord seems set to continue this trend, and it already looks incredible. "The rebirth of tactical fantasy RPGs" is a big promise, especially with the likes of Wargroove 2 on the horizon, but Vanillaware hasn't had a dud yet.
Asking if Vanillaware's new game is beautiful is like asking if the new FromSoftware game has poison enemies in it (yes, I'm counting That Section of Armored Core 6). It just goes without saying. The studio's lavishly illustrated, painterly anime style has only been sharpened over time. The aesthetic is a great fit for a game with a lot of units to show off, too, especially one with a semi-open 3D world like Unicorn Overlord's. (I'm never getting used to this title.)
From heavily armored frontliners to mounted vanguards, the game's many characters have distinct silhouettes and gorgeous equipment, and they attack
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