Varlet Reviews
The portions of the game that take place between the main plot points and dungeons are dull, making it hard to want to go through the effort of completing all the side objectives. The combat is where the game shines, however, allowing for interesting combinations of your characters and what you can do with them.
Despite the early promise brought by its measured sense of style, interest in intellectual concepts, and distinct combat system, Varlet falls flat in almost every way. It’s still an eye-pleasing RPG experience with fun combat, but all of its surface elements are just that: surface elements. The whole game is dressed up as something it isn’t, which is a shame. I’d love to play the game Varlet presents itself as, rather than the sterile, conveyor belt production line version of a Persona-inspired RPG it feels like.
Is it perfect? No. The choice system needs a rethink, the pacing could use tightening, and the life-sim tasks sometimes cross the line from immersive to plain tedious. But for those willing to put in the hours, Varlet rewards you with a world worth exploring and characters worth caring about.
VARLET doesn't do anything wrong as far as JRPGs go, but it also doesn't do enough that's interesting. The game puts its engaging characters in a typical high school setting and gives them the standard tasks to complete with little challenge to interfere. It's an OK game to chill with, but it doesn't leave an impression.
At best, Varlet is a boring command-based RPG with social sim elements. At worst, Varlet is a fundamentally broken game.
Varlet is a middle-tier game seeped in potential.
Varlet brings a lot to the table in its systems and mechanics. It also adds a lot of self-discovery to the gameplay with the ruler and leader systems. The SSS requests are monotonous and definitely feel more like busy work than anything, but it doesn't hold the game down too much.
Varlet isn’t a game I would recommend to anyone. Even for Japanese high school game enjoyers, there’s just not enough content or reward behind said content to really motivate interest in its pursuit. Every feature in the game feels half-cooked, with the combat system being the only interesting thing, but ultimately falls hard on its face since there’s really no feeling of reward or satisfaction.
It's time to help your fellow students and dive into the Glitch!
Ultimately, perhaps we do need to remember that this is FuRyu’s first self-published game, and the existence of Varlet at all is, itself, an experiment. We didn’t get the usual creative subversion that we’ve come to expect from the company behind the likes of Lost Dimension, The Caligula Effect, Crystar, and Reynatis, but in taking this step as a company, perhaps FuRyu will be able to protect its ability to continue to do those games in the future. Valent itself, unfortunately, is a game I wish I could love more than I did.
Varlet is a short, stylish JRPG from FuRyu that mixes high school drama with dungeon crawling and light social sim elements. While its character chemistry and boss battles shine, predictable systems and uneven pacing hold it back from reaching its full potential.
VARLET stumbles hard with a messy story, dull combat, and gameplay systems that feel more like busywork than anything meaningful. While the cast has its charms and the art is expressive, it’s just not worth the $60 price tag unless you catch it on a heavy sale.
Although VARLET has potential, its focus on repetitive tasks, excessive chit-chatting, and uninspired combat prevents it from being enjoyable in any significant way. In this instance, VARLET might be best enjoyed as a manga or anime, as you can at least jump to the important sections.
There is no peace or ease in Varlet. It takes strength, patience, and a readiness to accept uncertainty. Because of the way it combines roguelike gameplay with broken-up storylines, every death and choice has a big impact on the story. Those who persevere will be rewarded with a journey filled with atmosphere that will stay with them long after the screen goes away.
On the surface, VARLET seems like it could be one of FURYU’s stronger titles, with striking visuals and solid audio design. Unfortunately, its weak story and steep price drag down what might have otherwise been a decent game, leaving it as another disappointment in the company’s mixed lineup.
Varlet embraces its familiar genre roots, yet builds on that foundation to deliver a unique story with compelling characters. Its narrative blends urban legend, digital nightmares, and emotional struggles, creating a unique experience.
Varlet is the perfect definition of a mixed bag. It feels incomplete at parts, with some of its chapters feeling incredibly rushed. The writing isn’t the best, the schooltime activities were pointless, and the setting felt like a cliché. That being said, there was always something about it that made me somewhat ignore its shortcomings and make me want to push forward, be it the charming characters, decent presentation or actually interesting combat section. Yes, it clearly wants to be an alternative to Persona, and that is the quintessential losing battle, but it could have been a lot worse.
Varlet feels like a turn-based RPG that is simultaneously doing far too much and far too little. The story is overly complex and long for the game's 16 hour run time, which also takes away from the development of its cast of characters. On the other hand, the dungeons lack personality and variety, and the combat is truly one note, leaving a ton to be desired. I cannot recommend Varlet for anyone, as it doesn't have anything it truly excels at, and far too much that it utterly fails in.