Y'all, I cannot even begin to tell you how pumped I was when I first saw the announcement trailerfor Unicorn Overlord. Epic music, blue-haired protagonist (shout out Magnus), real time battle maps that transition into grid-based combat when units collide, made by ATLUS AND VANILLAWARE!?!?
I didn't even hesitate. I pre-ordered the game as soon as it was available. Normally I am against pre-ordering, but sometimes you just know a game is made for you. I have enjoyed every Atlus and Vanillaware game I've ever played, so it was a no brainer.
I also have to shout out Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga. It's also an Ogre Battle Successor, although it has tactical grid-based movement like Fire Emblem instead of real time, though the battles still play out similarly. It's also more of an indie game whereas Unicorn Overlord obviously had a bigger budget thanks to Atlus. It's still great, and if you like Ogre Battle or Unicorn Overlord, go play it. It also has a blue-haired protagonist which I think must be a legal requirement when you make a game like this.
So, how do Unicorn Overlord and Ogre Battle 64 stack up to each other? In some areas they are very similar, but Unicorn Overlord does plenty to distinguish itself. Typing out both titles is gonna be repetitive, so I'm gonna start using acronyms: OB64 and UO.
Story
I'll just get this out of the way first. UO has a very generic story compared to OB64. To be fair, Ogre Battle has had several other games to help flesh out the world and lore. Even so, OB64 has a great stand-alone story with heavy political themes. In UO, the story is very black and white. You are the good guys, and the bad guys are the bad guys. Sometimes, the bad guys join the good guys because they were only with the bad guys due to mind control, subjugation, threats, or whatever. Both games deal with leading a "Liberation Army" though, which is cool. The story doesn't really detract from UO, it's fine, just not as good as OB64.
Gameplay - Combat
As I mentioned in the intro, OB64 and UO both have real time combat, kinda like an RTS, that transitions into grid-based combat when one of your units collides into an enemy unit. Each unit is made of multiple characters, which can be equipped with gear. The units take turns automatically using all of their actions until combat ends. The loser is pushed back on the map, or destroyed if all of their troops died. This is where UO takes a significant leap over OB64. UO64 has a tactics system, somewhat like the gambit system in FF12. A basic if/then/else type of deal that guides your characters to take specific actions (both active and passive skills) based on the flow of battle.
OB64 had your characters perform actions based on their position in the grid. For example, a knight might have 2 attacks in the front row, but only 1 attack in the back row. A paldin would attack from the front and heal from the back. Archers and casters got more attacks in the back row, while melee classes would get more attacks in the front. Pretty basic but it worked well. OB64 also allowed flanking attacks which would shuffle the unit formation based on the direction the unit was attacked from.
UO's tactics system makes the combat very engaging. I spent dozens of hours over the course of the game (total playtime after 100% - 90 hours) just tinkering with my character's tactics. I then get to enjoy the fruits of my labor by watching the battles play out. The art and animation in UO is absolutely beautiful. I watched every single battle from beginning to end, although I did usually fast forward the combats after a while. Once you have 5 characters with max actions in each of your units, the battles can become quite long.
I didn't bother making a section comparing the graphics because obviously a game that comes out today is gonna have better graphics than an N64 game. I still love the OB64 art style though, it will always be nostalgic for me. Shit, it's hard to write an article comparing these games because I just trail off about random aspects that I love.
Gameplay - Outside of Combat
Both games have a unit organization screen where you position your units, equip them with gear, and in UO's case, set the tactics for each character. The games have a big divergence here. UO has a decently large overworld that you can walk around, whereas OB64 is a basic looking map that only allows you to travel from key point to key point. OB64 is definitely more on rails, UO has a more free form way of traversing the maps, allowing you to accomplish story missions and side quests at your leisure. There's also some small overworld quests that reward gear and such. UO also has a treasure mining activity that lets you dig up treasure maps. Both games let you do training missions in between missions. OB64 did have a somewhat unique take, on completed maps you could scout and search for beast units which you could recruit. You could also find treasure you might have missed during the main mission. It was kinda tedious though, since you just deploy your units out to walk around the map. OB64 did also have some side quests and secrets, usually involved around visting certain locations at certain times to unlock some secret classes - vampire, princess, lich, dragoon. All of which kick ass. But good luck getting them without a guide. UO tends to be much more transparent, and so it takes the win in this category overall.
Characters and Classes
Both OB64 and UO kick ass in this department. Both games have incredible class variety. Each has the standard array of classic fantasy type characters; knights, archers, berserkers, mages, clerics and the like. They get unique in really fun ways. OB64 has undead, hawkmen, pumpkinheads, hellhounds, dragons, gremlins, golems, griffins, demons, and some cool special classes like the lich, princess, and werewolf. OB64 honestly has an insane class roster and probably takes the cake here since they have a big variety of non-humanoids. In UO, everything is humanoid - they tend toward angels, elves, and beastmenbeastpeople (trying to use more inclusive language). Still a good variety, and classes in UO have more actions and animations than those in OB64. Overall, both games have fantastic class variety that fits in with the rest of the game.