The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily

Developer: One or Eight
Release: Jul 23rd 2025
Platforms:
Indie
Simulation
Strategy
Challenging
Stylish
Addictive
Performance Issues
Steep Learning Curve
The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily Poster

" Stylish indie strategy simulation with unique three-turn combat but occasional performance issues "

The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily Review

The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily is a uniquely challenging and stylistically distinct tactical RPG that combines strategy map control with turn-based combat. Players praise its engaging villainess-themed storyline featuring strong character dynamics, especially between Scarlet and Lily, and enjoy the witty, energetic writing that embraces irreverence and humor.

The gameplay is noted for its strategic depth and satisfying difficulty, encouraging trial-and-error and thoughtful planning, with autosave and difficulty options mitigating frustration. The art and fully voiced dialogue enhance immersion, while the music and presentation receive consistent acclaim. However, some players find the combat restrictive due to the three-turn limit and occasionally unoptimized performance on certain hardware.

Though the core gameplay loop is addictive, some critiques highlight UI clarity issues, occasional crashes, and balance concerns in early boss fights. Overall, it is a refreshing, well-crafted title that rewards patience and tactical thinking, especially for fans of villainess narratives and challenging strategy games.

Highlights

Players praise the fantastic art style and fully voiced character dialogues that bring the villainess story to life.

The gameplay mechanics, blending strategic map control with a unique three-turn combat system, provide a fresh and satisfying challenge that rewards clever planning and adaptation.

The storyline is engaging, featuring unapologetically evil protagonists with witty writing and a strong yuri subplot that adds emotional depth and charm.

Autosave and difficulty options help accommodate different skill levels, making the punishing difficulty more accessible without diluting the core experience.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include performance issues and occasional crashes that disrupt gameplay, especially on lower-end hardware.

Some players find the UI lacking clarity, particularly the absence of an undo function and insufficient status effect feedback, which can lead to frustration.

The early game balance, especially the first boss fight, is seen as unfair or overly punishing, forcing players to rely heavily on guides or easier modes.

Additionally, the game’s pacing is brisk with limited side content, leaving some wanting more world-building and character development outside of main battles.

Pros

  • Beautiful and stylized art with fully voiced, engaging character dialogues.
  • Unique and satisfying three-turn combat system adds tactical depth.
  • Challenging but fair difficulty encourages strategic thinking and adaptation.
  • Witty, irreverent writing with strong villainess and yuri themes.
  • Autosave and difficulty options reduce frustration and support learning.
  • Strategic map mechanics add meaningful layer beyond standard tactics.
  • Refreshing villainess protagonist acting truly villainous and charismatic.

Cons

  • Performance issues and crashes affect stability on some systems.
  • UI lacks undo function and clear status effect information.
  • Early boss fights can feel unbalanced and overly punishing.
  • Limited side content leads to less world-building and character depth.
  • Three-turn battle limit may feel restrictive to some players.
  • Save/load mechanics could be improved for smoother experience.
  • Some players find the pacing too fast with story beats flying by.

Rating Criteria

Story
Difficulty
Graphics
Duration
Stability
Worth the Price
Capsule image

The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily is a turn-based strategy game. Framed for murdering the Emperor, villainess Scarlet and Lily, fight the Empire as the first Streamers in history. Capture every enemy and turn them into allies for a happy ending... Or execute everyone and become the Demon Queen!

Release Date Jul 23rd 2025
Publisher Alliance Arts
Developer One or Eight, Alliance Arts, WSS Playground
Platforms

User Reviews

Positive (46)
94% Positive 6% Negative