Fusing anime with grand strategy, new JRPG The Great Villainess gets early demo

Anime would seem like fertile ground for grand strategy. The epic space battles of Mobile Suit Gundam could be straight out of Stellaris. The mixture of political intrigue and battleground struggle make Legend of the Galactic Heroes like a Crusader Kings in space. And that's without mentioning the huge number of samurai epics (animated and otherwise) that games like Total War: Shogun have pulled from. But explicitly anime grand strategy games have been few and far between. The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily borrows freely from both grand strategy and the most tactical JRPGs, making a mix unlike anything you've ever seen before. You can check out a new demo before the game launches in less than a week.

Just like Total War, The Great Villainess is split between on-the-ground battles and a map screen where you handle your overall strategy. You play as the baroness Scarlet, falsely accused of murdering the emperor. With the help of your friend Lily and the steam airship she captains, you escape execution and are able to plot your revenge. Your forces start small and scrappy, but the airship lets them quickly retreat and attack. The map is made up of supply lines and outposts. Severing the supply lines of enemy can make their forces vulnerable to you, but spreading your armies thin can help your foes destroy your own supply routes. Similar to the best grand strategy games, you'll need to look over the situation carefully before acting.

You'll win by capturing or killing enemy generals. Capturing them will let them (eventually) join you in battle, lending their abilities to the fight. Like Fire Emblem, letting characters fight together will boost their stats and skills. On the other hand, killing generals will push Lily and Scarlet to demonhood, strengthening their combat abilities. These tactical decisions will affect story outcomes as well.

You can download the new demo for The Great Villainess on Steam right now. Take a look here. The full game will launch on July 24, 2025.

If you are looking for more story-driven role-playing games, check out our list of the best JRPG games. If you want more animation-inspired action, take a look at the best anime games.

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