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- [Willa] Hey, it's Willa from Kotaku.

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Ahead of Unicorn Overlord's
release on March 8th,

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a demo for the game is now available.

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Developed by Vanillaware,

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who you may know from
games like Dragon's Crown

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and the time-travel adventure

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13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim,

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Unicorn Overlord is the
studio's take on tactical RPGs.

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And let me tell you, it is good.

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Taking place in the
medieval world of Fevrith,

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the game tasks you with
leading a rebellion

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against the evil emperor Galerius.

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This mostly involves
traveling from town to town

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and collecting companions
to aid in your fight.

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The demo drops players into the opening

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and lets them roam free for five hours.

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In that time, you'll cross paths

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with a handful of the game's characters,

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all rendered in Vanillaware's
signature style.

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But even with five hours,

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you may not get a solid
read on everybody you meet

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and if they're truly a good
hang on and off the battlefield.

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That's why I've taken it upon myself

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to rank the various
companions you'll encounter

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in the Unicorn Overlord demo

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using a very scientific
rubric of my own design.

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We'll be scoring Unicorn
Overlord's characters

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in two categories,

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combat usefulness and vibes,

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and putting them in tiers.

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We begin at the bottom tier

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with characters who
received the lowest marks

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across the board.

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Starting with Scarlett.

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This isn't really her fault,

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as she gets kidnapped early in the demo,

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meaning you just don't get
to spend any time with her.

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Though getting kidnapped

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doesn't necessarily bode well
for her battle readiness.

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Next up is Clive.

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While skills like Wild Rush

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are an advantage over infantry units

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and give him a high score in combat,

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Clive's vibes are just way off.

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Looking at him,

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I can't help but think
he doesn't respect women.

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No thanks.

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The winged knight Ochlys

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marks the top of the bottom tier.

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She's a bit short with
you when first meeting,

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but she has her reasons.

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Humans have made a mess of the world.

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Her combat usefulness
is also extremely high,

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as flying units are
somewhat OP in the demo

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since they can travel over enemies

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and capture objectives quickly.

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But Ochlys gets docked for not
actually joining your party

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after finishing her quest.

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Don't tease me like that.

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Hodrick brings us to the
middle tier of characters,

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as he is the definition of mid.

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He seems like he wouldn't bother you

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even if he isn't the best hang,

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but he serves a very utilitarian purpose.

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As a shield user who
defends softer characters

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by blocking incoming attacks,

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you'll get a lot of use out of him,

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but not think about it much.

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In a similar vein,

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Rolf has some reliable utility as a hunter

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who can take down high-evasion enemies,

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but he won't blow you away on his own.

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And while his pseudo-Robin
Hood vibe is nice,

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it isn't anything special.

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Mordon is just a good guy

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and takes the highest
spot in the middle tier

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due to being the savior of Barbatimo.

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Mechanically, he's also essential

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due to his ability to build
bridges in the overworld.

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Berenice brings us to the top tier.

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She's a big buff lady with a sultry voice.

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No further explanation needed.

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Also, her powerful single-target
attacks are pretty useful.

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Making it to the top tier
mostly due to good vibes,

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Chloe is just happy to be here,

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and it helps lighten the mood
of the dour medieval story.

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As an added bonus,

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she's a polearm user

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who can easily take out rows of enemies.

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As a thief, Travis brings
survivability to the table,

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dodging incoming attacks with ease.

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And who doesn't love a moody
boy with a heart of gold?

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Yahna feels like the most on-brand

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Vanillaware character in the game,

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and I mean that as a good thing.

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I love her mysterious witch vibes

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and her questionable costume.

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She also shows her value as a magic user

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in the tougher battles
you face in the demo

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that are full of armored enemies.

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At the top of our list is Josef,

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a cavalry member who
actually respects women

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and whose high level in
the demo packs a punch.

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Going into this,

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I wasn't expecting the old mentor figure

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to rank so high in either combat or vibes,

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but Josef feels essential

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both narratively and mechanically.

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And that closes out our
scientific tier list

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of Unicorn Overlord's companions.

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The full game releases on
March 8th for Nintendo Switch,

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Xbox series consoles,

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and PlayStation 4 and 5.

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Have you been trying out the demo?

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Who's become your go-to hang,

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and who's given you the ick?

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Let us know in the comments below,

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and be sure to check out kotaku.com

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for more gaming coverage.

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(soft ethereal music)