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
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.
Dragon Star Varnir is a step up from a lot of Compile Heart's games, but the Switch version is a technical mess.
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.
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.
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.
If you love these small, niche JRPGs and can snag a copy of Dragon Star Varnir at a discount, I'd say pick it up. The $60 price point for recycled assets and a game that has more reading than voice over just seems a little too steep for me. But hey, that's just one girl's opinion.
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
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 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
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.
Compile Heart has become increasingly proficient at producing titles with dark premises and Dragon Star Varnir is proof of that. And fortunately, unlike other Galapagos RPG titles, the focus on narrative doesn't leave the actual gameplay hanging by the wayside.
While I could see this review of Dragon Star Varnir coming off as overly critical, I'd say it's more safe than anything else. There is nothing wrong with following a commonly used story, sticking to what you've done in the past and trying your best to make each experience a little different. I don't know if I'd say Dragon Star Varnir will stand out besides the lovely character designs, but it's a game that, if nothing else, fans of their previous work will likely enjoy.
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
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 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
If you want an enjoyable RPG to add to your collection or are a fan of Idea Factory/Compile Heart or dragons and buxom magic users, by all means, add this one to your collection and devour all the fun and engagement it offers.
Dragon Star Varnir is a dark tragic fated RPG that covers the struggle of the Witches of Varneria as they search for a way to break their fate. The character designs are alluring along with their fitting outfits. Players can easily find one or more that resonates with them. If you're in the mood for a dark game with enthralling girls, you might like this title.
Dragon Star Varnir isn’t perfect. The narrative starts out pretty rough and the environs can also look dated at times. Despite those shortcomings, the storytelling also has powerful moments and forces you to mull over some tough choices. The witch designs are also neat and its dragon-devouring mechanic also has a bit of a Pokemon vibe to it that will make you want to catch ‘em all. Dragon Star Varnir may not provide the best of first impressions. Give it some time, however, and you might find a game that pleasantly surprises you in the end.