The Nintendo Direct 2023 announcements have been mouthwatering for Nintendo Switch owners this year—a Prince of Persia sequel, an OG Tomb Raider remaster, and a bunch of other goodies. But none have been so exciting for PC Gamers as this: the possibility of a world where we may get to partake in the joys of a new, open-world, tactical JRPG.
That’s a reality the devs at Vanillaware and Atlus studios could soon bring us with the new Unicorn Overlord game, if rumours that the studio is experimenting with PC port solutions are anything to go by.
In this RPG players will apparently “Freely traverse an expansive world, gather new allies, forge your bonds, and lead the liberation to glorious victory.” And with rumours floating around that Vanillaware is exploring PC porting solutions, it’s hard not to drool over the possibility of it coming to PC.
The problem is that since the studio’s president and game director, George Kamitani, posted the hint in response to a fan through his personal Facebook page, only those who happen to be friends with him can actually confirm it. Dang, there goes all my street cred.
The rumours are also eight years old, so many fans have lost hope of the possibility of PC ports. Hopefully teaming up with Atlus (makers of the Persona series) will be the push Vanillaware needs in that respect.
I’m banking on the rumours still having some weight, because just hearing Unicorn Overlord’s music, I feel the same enchantment as hearing studio Monaca’s Nier OST put me under.
I can already see Unicorn Overlord is going to be a game of impeccable style. With art reminiscent of the old Final Fantasy Tactics games, and features seemingly inspired by games like Fire Emblem and Brigandine, there’s a lot to like here. And Vanillaware assures us there will be some real variety in terms of gameplay and companions.
“Cultivate a grand army with over 60 unique characters, from humans and elves, to massive beasts, and heavenly angels”, the trailer says.
We can expect some interesting personalities to guide us through, and help forge the path to victory as lord of these rare, horned equines.
And with an exciting combination of sidescrolling, comic-style storytelling, and action RPG elements, there looks to be something for everyone. Hopefully that’ll include us PC-bound, Switch non-havers too, eventually.
