Developer: One or Eight, Alliance Arts, WSS Playground
Publisher: Alliance Arts
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily – Review
If you’ve been with us for a while, then you’ll know that we’re fans of turn-based strategy RPGs, whether it’s big studio releases like Triangle Strategy or indie projects like Wargroove. Even so, there are only so many titles you can play before things start to feel a bit same-y. When a game shows up that ostentatiously tries to tackle the genre in a different manner, it already has our attention. The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily is such a game, offering turn-based strategy gameplay but in a way we haven’t seen before. Of course, different doesn’t automatically mean good. Can The Great Villainess put its money where its mouth is, or is it not as great as it purports to be?
Story
The plot of The Great Villainess is filled with political intrigue, over-the-top drama, and character-driven comedy, delivered in visual novel form. Set in a fantasy world that looks medieval, but where modern technology also exists, we follow the aristocratic duchess Scarlet. When we meet our protagonist, she’s in a bit of a pickle, as she’s been falsely accused of assassinating the emperor. Instead of trying to clear her name in a way befitting her noble stature, Scarlet teams up with an unlikely ally, Lily. The latter is an airship captain and livestreamer who rescues the duchess from capture. This dastardly duo ends up blurring the line between being heroes and villains -hence the game’s title- as they decide to overthrow the empire. The way the story unfolds is driven by the choices you make as Scarlet: she can be a fearsome tyrant or a more tempered leader. No matter how you choose to tackle The Great Villainess’ campaign, however, you’ll find an eccentric, character-driven plot filled with all kinds of colorful characters. There’s even room for light yuri romance!
Graphics
From a visual perspective, The Great Villainess doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel and instead sticks with what works for the genre. The combination of 2D pixel art sprites in a 2.5D environment and anime-style character portraits used in The Great Villainess brings to mind 3DS-era Fire Emblem games and Square Enix’s HD-2D titles, albeit less polished, likely owing to the fact that this is a lower-budget title. The different characters’ personalities are emphasized by their distinct visual identities. They embody typical anime archetypes, and a single glance should tell you all you need to know about the kinds of characters they are, whether it’s the devious Elizabeth or the reserved Primula. The game’s heavy reliance on archetypal characters has the unintended side effect that The Great Villainess lacks a visual identity of its own, however. As a result, the game looks great but feels generic. The only notable way in which The Great Villainess tries to create its own visual identity is in how it tries to blend its classic fantasy aesthetic with modern elements like livestream overlays and on-screen social media feeds, but this isn’t enough to really make it stand out aesthetically. The game’s performance also isn’t as smooth as we would have liked, with stuttering and frame drops occurring especially when a lot of on-screen action is happening.
Sound
When it comes to The Great Villainess’ soundscape, the performances by the Japanese voice cast are the standout feature. Unfortunately, the game isn’t fully voiced, but in scenes where voice work is present, the strong performances add emotional weight. The game also features an orchestral soundtrack that covers a wide spectrum of moods, ranging from somber pieces for dramatic moments to triumphant themes for victories. The music is hit-or-miss, as not every track is equally memorable. Sometimes the mood of the music is even inconsistent with the on-screen events. The Great Villainess’ sound effects are functional, but lack oomph, especially when it comes to the game’s combat.
Gameplay
While the Great Villainess’ story is delivered in visual novel form, the heart of the gameplay lies elsewhere. This is a turn-based tactical RPG first and foremost, and the branching story serves to support the gameplay. The game is structured around a campaign where the choices Scarlet makes determine which alliances you form and which commanders join your cause. Said campaign has a continuous flow, and there is no downtime hub area like you’d see in games like Disgaea or Fire Emblem. The campaign plays out on a persistent world map made of interconnected nodes. There are no pre-battle preparation screens, and characters do not automatically recover HP in between battles. This means that The Great Villainess feels a lot faster-paced and unforgiving. It’s a continuous push through enemy territory rather than a segmented chapter system. Between battles, you’re taken to the campaign map, juggling troop positions, supply lines, and airship effects while occasionally dipping into short story scenes.
The turn-based battles are The Great Villainess’ bread and butter. The overworld map comprises different nodes representing battlefields and bases, connected by lines. Each round, you move your units along these connections, attacking enemy-held nodes or defending your own. Fights are short: each one lasts only three turns, so you have to use all your best skills right away instead of saving them. The goal typically isn’t to wipe out every enemy but instead to capture the opposing base. The combat system makes use of a Fire Emblem-esque weapons triangle, which means that if you send the right unit types to a node, you’re already halfway to victory. There are other ways to turn the tide in your favor before you even engage enemies in combat too. Individual nodes are dependent on supply lines, connected to a faction’s HQ. Cutting enemy supply lines can cripple their forces without directly defeating them in battle. Another unique mechanic comes in the form of Lily’s airship, which you can send around the map each round. From the ship, Lily can livestream propaganda that buffs your own troops and debuffs enemies.
Through those unorthodox elements like supply line cutting and airship effects, The Great Villainess delivers a game that offers a unique and refreshing take on the genre. If you’re a turn-based strategy RPG aficionado, then you’ll find plenty to sink your teeth into here over the course of the 25-ish hour campaign. The game is less suitable for genre newcomers, however. While the mechanics are accessible enough, the game suffers from poor pacing and is reliant on difficulty spikes to pad its runtime, meaning grinding is often necessary. Combined with the game’s unrelenting pace, you’re looking at a title that is clearly aimed at players looking for a hardcore challenge. Additionally, The Great Villainess starts to wear out its welcome after a while. By the time we got to the latter half, the game got very repetitive. That’s a bit of a shame, because with its branching storylines and recruitable characters, this is a game that was clearly made with replayability in mind.
Conclusion
We can only laud The Great Villainess for attempting to break the mold of turn-based tactical RPGs. The game tries to find the right balance between sticking to a familiar core and trying to do something different with its unique mechanics. For the most part, it succeeds, although the high difficulty level and unrelenting pace of the campaign limit the appeal to anyone but the most die-hard genre veterans. Even then, the game’s need for grinding and its inherent repetitiveness make it unlikely you’ll return to The Great Villainess after the credits roll, despite the branching narrative.
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