More than any other game studio, Vanillaware is known for its style. At the same time, the developer is constantly switching between genres. It originally made a splash with the side-scrolling action role-playing game. Odin Sphereand most recently released the sci-fi epic. 13 sentinels, which is part visual novel, part turn-based mech-vs-kaiju combat. Bringing all of these disparate ideas together is Vanillaware’s incredible 2D art, along with a clear desire to experiment.
Since the studio loves to jump around, it’s probably not too surprising that their next project, Unicorn Overlord, will be a large-scale tactical role-playing game inspired by the classics. Ahead of the game’s release next March (it’s coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch), I had the chance to ask producer Akiyasu Yamamoto a few questions about how the game came to be and what it’s like to build a new fantasy universe from scratch.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
Which aspect emerged first: did you start with the idea of making a new tactical game or did that genre emerge from this new fantasy universe?
Yamamoto: The first. We have always been fascinated by tactical RPGs, RPGs and tactical games from the 90s, the era of 16-bit systems. Currently, tactical RPGs are dominated by well-established IPs and not many new titles have emerged on the consumer market. With our determination and love for tactical RPGs, we decided to create Unicorn Overlord remixing elements that excited us in both digital and analog games, transcending the limits that defined the games of the 90s.
Many fantasy universes exist, including some developed in Vanillaware. There is also a lot of competition when it comes to tactical RPGs. What in your mind does Unicorn Overlord different?
Yamamoto: When we started proposing internally with the team to create a new tactical RPG for our next game, we formulated ideas about what it could become. We then hypothesized that the limitations of 2D graphics in the 16-bit era led to representing the world from an overworld perspective, creating a sense of grand scale with the systems that supported this view. Especially given Vanillaware’s experience in 2D graphics, we felt we were the perfect team to develop a game that is reminiscent of that era but is completely modern in every aspect. We approached that challenge with a sense of duty and built the game accordingly.
Are there things you learned from? 13 sentinels In terms of making a great tactical game, especially one with so many characters to track, that is also accessible to players?
Yamamoto: The development of this game began in 2016, coinciding with the development period of 13 sentinels. While there was probably some knowledge about the programming side and the resources we share with 13 sentinelsOur main inspiration for this title has more to do with incorporating ideas about resource management for numerous characters inspired by the tactical RPGs of the 90s that fascinated us at the time.
We would like to mention that the implementation of the event file in the “Analysis” part of 13 sentinels, is where we get great feedback from our players. Therefore, also in this project we have prepared an extensive text file that reveals the background of many characters and their interrelationships. You can imagine that localizing this can be quite a challenge, but the team is proud of their work to implement it, with the goal of conveying the charm of this world to everyone.
Is accessibility a big concern for projects like this in general? Do you care a lot about reaching a large audience or is the goal to satisfy the most dedicated players?
Yamamoto: The latter takes priority in importance. Our main goal for this title is to establish something we find interesting as a core, then carefully refine and improve it so that as many people as possible can enjoy it.
Is there something about strategy games that makes them a good vehicle for telling great stories like this?
Yamamoto: After developing this game, we thought that instead of conveying a big story in size, compared to the expansive story in 13 sentinels, the biggest thrill felt when playing this title comes from overseeing the activities from above, creating a sense of scale and epicness. While war-themed Shogi and Chess form the basis of the games, tabletop role-playing games, the precursors of role-playing games, emerged from war simulation games where we added protagonists and NPCs.
For now, while we haven’t come up with an answer as to why we find excitement in these types of tactical games, we do incorporate elements that we think will be very exciting for players to enjoy in our era.
