I enjoy my fair share of strategy games. It’s a genre I have developed a fondness for, even if they can get quite difficult. They are a fun way to spend an afternoon, and nothing is more satisfying than a plan coming together. I also tend to enjoy the settings of these games, as many revolve around some form of uprising or revolution. While I do like these games, it can be hard to stand out in the genre, but I was certainly interested in The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily, a new turn-based strategy RPG from Alliance Arts, One or Eight, and WSS Playground.
The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily focuses on the story of Scarlett and Lily. One is accused of an accidental assassination, becoming a symbol of revolution. The other is a captain who, thanks to some quick thinking, can save both of them but is now also forced to join in this rebellion. Both just want a happy ending, but what makes it happy is up to you. It’s a fun but straightforward premise, and that straightforwardness can also be used to describe The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily as a whole. The game is a fun time for newcomers and veterans of the genre, but it’s one that doesn’t do much to stand out.
The Great Villainess Emerges
The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily takes place in a kingdom that is in distress, as the Emperor has been murdered, and the empire accuses the Duchess Scarlett. Scarlett revels in this accusation and is about to be taken to the guillotine when fate intervenes. Caught in the crosshairs of all this is Lily, the captain of a high-tech airship with streaming capabilities. If she doesn’t act fast, she’ll be accused of helping with the assassination, so she causes a distraction to let both of them escape. Now, the two are stuck together and must try to clear Scarlett’s name or go along with it.
The narrative does a good job of establishing our core characters. Scarlett is very reckless but true to herself. It’s easy to see why the empire is at odds with her. Lily is an astute and pragmatic leader. She isn’t happy about this situation, while Scarlett is on top of the world. The two form quite the odd couple (literally) and are fun to watch. While they are strong together, I can’t say the same about them on their own. Scarlett is a delight, but Lily falls flat at times, and some of her dialogue is a mess.
Later in the game, you can unlock more characters, and they have a similar number of pros and cons. I didn’t dislike any character, but some don’t stand out. What does stand out are the relationships. Each character has two relationships that can grow, and these are the stars of the show. I genuinely enjoyed most of these stories as you see friendships develop, relationships bloom, and families get closer. I definitely went out of my way to see them all.
The Turn-Based Strategy of Lily
Gameplay in The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily can be separated into three sections. There is combat, claiming parts of the map, and using the airship. The combat is pretty straightforward but has some interesting mechanics. You will either attack or defend, and before combat starts, it will give you the option to command or delegate. If you pick delegate, it will skip combat entirely and give you predetermined results. Command is the combat option, and it will initiate a three-turn battle.
In battle, your health is an army, and the bigger your army, the stronger your attacks, but this also means low health causes weak attacks. Each character has a basic attack that builds up MP that can be used on special moves. Battles also don’t feel boring because they’re only three turns, making it fast-paced.
In between battles, you will be traversing the map and conquering different outposts. When you take over an outpost, the outpost is added to your supply line. The supply line is a direct line from your main base to the rest of your conquered areas. An uninterrupted line will heal you at the start of each turn, but when you are not in the supply line, you must wait. You also can’t move from a space until you claim it, which will take a few turns. I thoroughly enjoyed controlling the map, and I made a point to conquer every area, as it felt incredibly satisfying.
Another interesting element is the airship. At the start of each turn, you control the airship, and it can go anywhere on the map under your control. The airship is a support tool that starts with one ability but can learn more depending on how you play. I found these abilities crucial to how I was playing. The first one stopped enemies from moving, and the latter ones would help even more. The airship can also only be used for three turns before it needs to stop. After that, it requires a turn to rest. You have to be careful in how you use it, and it was a fun thing to also focus on.
Befriend or Kill
A major factor in The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily involves how you decide to play, as it will alter the story and your combat abilities. After Scarlett and Lily escape the guillotine, they are thrust into the spotlight, and the spark of revolution spreads. This causes the public to see them as leaders in the uprising and enemies of the empire. They quickly get thrown into battles and must face off against different generals. These generals are like boss fights, and you are given two options when fighting them: capture and recruit them or execute them.
Generals are like boss fights; they are stronger than standard enemies and have unique attacks. Before you fight one, you’ll have to decide if you want to capture or execute them. To capture a general, you have to do a couple of things. The airship must be over them, and it must be playing the option capture stream. You need Lily in the fight because she is the only one who can capture them. Lastly, when fighting the general, you must bring them to low health and then use a specific move from Lily.
When you capture a general, they can join your party. Some will right away, but others have different requirements, such as capturing another general first. When they join your party, you have another character that can battle and traverse the map. They can also befriend other members and develop relationships. Strengthening these relationships will not only enrich the story but also unlock powerful moves that will aid in battle. These generals are also how you unlock more airship abilities, too.
If you decide to execute the generals, Scarlett gets stronger as a way to offset the smaller party. While Scarlett does get strong, she doesn’t get certain abilities, and you’ll miss out on the relationships. While you can play either way, I preferred capturing the generals, but both are still fun.
I can say that both routes share a similar issue, in which the game can be too easy at times. It’s not hard to level up, and it led me to steamroll through the map a couple of times. Most of the challenges I faced were self-imposed or resulted from my intentionally fighting optional, difficult enemies. The game has a few difficulty spikes, but they felt more annoying than challenging. Nothing stopped me from actively playing the game, but I can see it being a bigger problem for others.
The War is Over
The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily looks great with some beautiful hand-drawn art in cutscenes and amazing character portraits. The game map feels reminiscent of the overworld in an old JRPG, with that same feeling extending into battles. It all comes together very well with character sprites on a 3D background, similar to Square Enix’s HD-2D. The game never got boring to look at. I wish I could say the same about the music, but none of it stuck out to me.
The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily is a fun strategy game at its core, despite lacking some features or elements that really make it stand out. Either route you pick will be a fun time, but I did prefer one over the other. While combat was fun, it was rarely a challenge, and I wanted it to do more. That being said, The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily is a solid strategy game that I believe both veterans and newcomers to the genre will enjoy.
Disclaimer: Alliance Arts provided a PC (Steam) key of The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily for review purposes.
