Dragon Star Varnir Reviews
Dragon Star Vanir lands on the Nintendo Switch with all its DLC included in this version, which is worth of praise, as well as a creative combat system and an overall interesting theme. Alas, this port is riddled with too many technical and performance flaws that make the experience more frustrating than it should be, plus the way the exploration in the dungeons ends up feeling too tedious. The final result is a game that could have turned out much better, but as it is Dragon Star Vanir on the Switch needs several improvements before it can be recommended to most players out there.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Dragon Star Varnir is a step up from a lot of Compile Heart's games, but the Switch version is a technical mess.
A colourful cast of playable characters, along with entertaining combat highlighted by the ability to devour enemies to gain new skills, are countered by plot threads that just end suddenly and bring the otherwise adequate story to a halt, as well as restrictive end-affecting mechanics that make the pacing fall flat. It amounts to an average game that has some fine moments but is murky to wade through.
Original PS4 Review (2019-06-28) https://chalgyr.com/2019/06/Review-PS4-DragonStarVarnir.html --------------------------------------------------------------------- Overall I had a lot of fun with Varnir. Yeah, the plot is a little trope filled and cliché to an extent, but the battle system was really fun, and I felt like I was playing a sort of pokemon-esque devouring game. While that sentence may need some work, the “collectible upgrading system” was pretty fun, and I’d always try to eat as many enemies as I could. Is Varnir perect? Maybe not, But 8 out of 10 witches would probably promote it. Score: 8.5 / 10 New Nintendo Switch Review (2021-08-27) https://chalgyr.com/2021/08/review-switch-dragonstarvarnir.html --------------------------------------------------------------------- In summary, Dragon Star Varnir is an interesting title from Compile Heart that takes a few new and refreshing steps away from their standard formula. The combat system is interesting and rather unique, and while it didn’t feel as if it used its full potential, it was definitely a fun system to plan around. The devour mechanic was also a fun gimmick, although the need for each character to devour an enemy to get their upgrade grid was a little frustrating. As a port from the PS4/PC version, there isn’t really anything extra worthwhile added, and the graphic quality has lowered slightly, but the game still runs smoothly. If you already own Varnir on another platform, there isn’t a need to purchase it again, however if you missed this title on earlier, and you’re a fan of JRPGs, I would definitely recommend looking into it, especially considering the price. Score: 8.0 / 10
All in all, as you can probably guess, Dragon Star Varnir is quite a mixed bag in terms of enjoyment. While it provides an intricate and engaging combat system as well as some solid alternate modes, the rest of its elements are unfortunately rather lackluster or just plain inconveniencing.
Dragon Star Varnir is a fun JRPG overall, and, while it might be a little on the niche side, I’d still recommend it. Unfortunately, I’m not sure which version to recommend. Sure, the Switch version comes with a bunch of DLC and is entirely uncensored (did I forget to mention that?), but the graphics are, like, really crunchy—and I say that as someone who normally doesn’t care much about graphical quality. If that isn’t enough to drive you away, though, then the Switch version’s probably the way to go. The more content, the better, right?
Dragon Star Varnir is a highly enjoyable RPG with its emphasis on friendship development, interesting battle mechanics, and strong plot that frequently tugs heartstrings and is not afraid to use surprising and dramatic plot twists. The repetitive nature of some dungeon environments and overall dark theme may not be for everyone, yet there is so much to enjoy with the devour system and trying not to send everyone insane to get the best ending, that the less desirable elements don't matter much. The post-game content includes new parts to the story and new bosses to fight, and coupled with the inclusion of DLC from other consoles makes Dragon Star Varnir a must buy on Nintendo Switch.
Dragon Star Varnir tells a good story of witches and knights, with great emphasis on character development. Keeping track of everything is quite satisfying, even on skits loaded with hours and hours of text. On the other hand, the possibility of different endings and the interesting combat system justify the re-launch of the game, deserving more attention than it had before. Far beyond just a game about eating dragons, Zephy's adventure certainly offers a good story, in which its flaws, that are notorious, don't diminish Dragon Star Varnir's place in the Switch's JRPG library.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Dive into an original and fantastical world filled with magic and dragons as you team up with some of the world's last remaining witches on a quest to lift a centuries-old curse! Varnir might fall short in some areas but still has plenty to offer for those looking for a new experience.
My suspicion is that Dragon Star Varnir will be remembered as one of Idea Factory’s greatest. There are some corners cut with the gameplay, and the Switch port isn’t ideal, but the concept, theming, art and narrative are all so different that this stands as one of the more interesting and narratively innovative take on the Grimm brothers tradition.
Dragon Star Vanir takes on the goliaths of the genre showing that a shorter more impactful punch is just as effective as a 100-hour behemoth, providing an experience both memorable and enjoyable with an adjustable story and addictive systems. While the inconsistency of certain plot points acts as a minor annoyance, the game’s biggest self-inflicting wound is not with the gameplay itself, but rather the game’s presentation handicapping its mainstream sales for potential sequels.
So performance issues aside, Dragon Star Varnir was definitely a breath of fresh air from Compile Heart and Idea Factory. Settling in with a darker storyline and one hell of a combat system, the characters are all well written and the voice acting was damned near flawless with generally secondary voice actors taking the main stage. I would definitely like to see more experiences like this down the line that rely less on super comedic shenanigans and instead something much more serious.
Dragon Star Varnir's dark world of witches and warfare is unlike anything else Compile Heart and Idea Factory have put out. Unfortunately, the experience is brought down by less than stellar visuals and doesn't make the most of its main gameplay innovations.. There's an interesting story to unfold here, but actually playing the game to get to it might be a challenge best left unmet.
Dragon Star Varnir is another step in the right direction by the people at Compile Heart, with a mature storyline and a solid combat system. To achieve higher goals, better graphics and smoother gameplay are needed, but JRPG fans will undoubtedly enjoy it.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Dragon Star Varnir knows its limitations and only tries to hide them in the first hours. The combat system is the only positive thing to defend in this video game. The rest, however, seems a little bit disappointing beyond the design of main characters.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
What I would love to see is a similar situation to Fairy Fencer F. That game also felt rather incomplete when it came out, but Advent Dark Force definitively cleaned up all those issues for me and ended up being a truly great game. Dragon Star Varnir isn’t a bad game, but it does need some more time in the oven to make it a lot better. Even the story itself felt perfunctory at times, and the game was pretty short for a JRPG, even if you aren’t rushing through in order to prevent Little Sister deaths. It only took me 40 hours my first time, with a severe Madness Ending (I was pretty much 100% Mad by Chapter 9 out of 11), and about 20 hours to get the Normal Ending. That is pretty standard for a AAA game in other genres, and justifies its $59.99 price tag, but for a JRPG that is pushing the limits of size. But overall the combat and characters do make up for a lot of the shortcomings, and more than likely another reviewer might have enjoyed it more if they like brutal and dark stories. So, not exactly what I was looking for, but I don’t regret playing it either.
There are things that are easy to point out as flaws, such as the unnecessary and weird flying battle system, but the root of Dragon Star Varnir is solid.
Dragon Star Varnir could use some polishing in a few areas, but the combat, setting, and story make for a dark and compelling RPG nonetheless.
Dragon Star Varnir shows that Compile Heart/Idea Factory have developers with great ideas, but lack the resources to fully elaborate them. It's a good game, but it gives the impression that it could have been much more if it reached its full potential.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review