Alexx Aplin
Alexx AplinIdea Factory is known for RPG’s as well as a few other niche genres like dating sims. However, I am always amused by the new directions that some Idea Factory RPGs go into. Dragon Star Varnir is a good example, considering it has taken a typical JRPG format (with Idea Factory staples) and elevated it to new heights.
You take on the role of Zephy, a knight who is part of an organization who protects the world from dragons and witches. The Knights believe that because Witches are cursed to give birth to dragons, that they must all be destroyed. The trick is, that Witches hate dragons too, but they are cursed to require dragon blood to keep their sanity. However, the longer they consume dragon blood, the more the dragon inside of them grows. Eventually, they either succumb to madness or die giving birth to a dragon.
Zephy finds himself fatally wounded by a foe after being separated from his troops. In a twist of fate, a witch named Minessa finds Zephy and gives him Dragon Blood to heal him, which has the unexpected side effect of giving Zephy witch-like powers. Since he is no longer welcome among his brothers, Zephy follows Minessa as they attempt to find a solution to the Witch’s curse.
This is where things get interesting. The core aspect of this game is the consumption of enemies. You devour dragon enemies in order to get their dragon cores. Each dragon core has a skill-tree associated with it, so as you fight and gain Factor points, you can put those points into your acquired cores.
You should also be aware that this game is not something for kids. The subject matter is mature, and there is blood throughout the game. In addition, it deals with heavy topics such as madness and death. So, please use your best judgment about who watches as you play through this game.
Dragon Star Varnir takes place across two main aspects of gameplay. The first is the exploration and dungeon crawling aspect, similar to many other Idea Factory games. You discover treasure, open chests, find secrets, and utilize each character’s “special magic” to overcome obstacles. Each character has a unique talent that allows them to overcome obstacles like barrier walls and other such impediments.
Combat is a whole other animal this time around. Instead of fighting on a singular battlefield, you fight in the air. The arena is split into 3 tiers, the top tier, the middle tier, and the low tier. Physical attacks can only hit enemies that are on the same tier as you, while magic attacks can hit multiple tiers. Some enemies only take one tier, while giant enemies take all three tiers.
Giant enemies tend to have multiple parts that you can attack. By defeating parts, you can stun the enemy and cripple its’ offensive capabilities. Regardless of the enemy, you can approach fights with enemies in a variety of ways. Attacking enemy weaknesses, inflicting critical hits, or damaging enemies can raise the enemy’s fear level.
By increasing the enemy’s fear level, you can make it easier to devour enemies to get their cores. When their fear level is at max, a Weak Point Rush attack will occur. The Weak Point Rush attack is similar to the “all-out attack” in the Persona franchise. All of your party members will attack the enemy, and if you kill it, the enemy will be devoured automatically.
Your characters can also undergo a “Dragon Awakening” which lets them take on a more powerful form and utilize a special Dragon ability. During the Dragon Awakening state, HP is fully recovered, and attack power is doubled. You can use the Dragon skill as well, but there is a risk to it. Dragon skills contribute to the party’s madness level.
Madness Level can be increased in other ways, but in all cases, you will need to be very careful about how the madness gauge fills. Once the gauge reaches a certain level, special events can occur that will dramatically affect the ending you get. Certain characters can be killed in the process, so this is not a mechanic you should take lightly.
Characters can also die as a part of the “Feeding” mechanic. There are young witches you encounter early on, that require dragon blood or meat in order to stay sane. Feeding them these things keeps them sane, and over time they will give you rare gifts. However, do not overfeed them, or the dragon inside them will grow, and eventually burst out of them.
These dragons then become a boss you can fight for unique equipment. The problem with this is the character that the dragon grew inside dies permanently, so you will never be able to interact with them or their personal story again.
Outside of combat, you explore, utilize the shops and resources in the Witches’ Den, and manage your party and equipment. There are various methods of enhancing your party, including putting Factor points into cores in order to gain new skills and passive bonuses. There are also weapons, armor, and accessories, which you can equip to strengthen your party.
You can use the Huntery in the Witches’ Den to accept and report on quests, which provide a variety of rewards. As in most RPGs, fulfilling side quests is important if you want to have enough money and items to progress. You can also go to the Curio Shop, in order to buy equipment to outfit your party for your next adventure.
The Witches’ Den is also where you can create Elixirs, by mixing dragon parts in the Witches’ Workshop to create elixirs that allow you to summon dragons. If you defeat these dragons, you gain various types of equipment depending on the Elixir you create.
Now, I have a few issues with Dragon Star Varnir, particularly in regards to the way new skill trees are added. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of consuming enemies for new abilities, but currently, the game lacks a way of telling which characters have devoured which enemy. Because of this, I have been required to take notes on my computer to figure out who had access to what.
Is this inconvenient? Yes, is there a better way this could be done? Probably. With that being said, I like the idea of the progression system in place. The ability to build up your characters based on the enemies they consume is a really cool idea. Especially since you can recognize specific enemies, and go after them to get their skills.
The voice acting and storyline are both very interesting and engaging. Yes, there is fanservice involved, but I personally don’t think it is as invasive as many of the other games I’ve played. This isn’t Senran Kagura fanservice, this is an acceptable level for a game created for Japanese audiences that has received a western release.
I was a little bit annoyed by Zephy’s Dragon Awakening form, because most of the girls have very revealing forms, while his is way less racy. However, this doesn’t surprise me really. The double standard has been going on for years, especially in Japanese developed titles. Why can’t we have a scantily clad male protagonist? Seriously, it is only fair in 2019.
Ultimately, I think that the controls are solid, the mechanics are great, and in terms of Idea Factory’s RPG offerings, Dragon Star Varnir is one of the better ones. I am really impressed to see them stepping up their game a bit, with mature stories and imaginative gameplay mechanics. After playing Death End Re;Quest and Varnir, I’m even more hyped to see what they do next.
If you like Idea Factory RPG’s this will definitely strike your fancy. If you haven’t played one before, this is a fantastic entry point, as long as you don’t mind a bit of dark subject matter. Dragon Star Varnir isn’t perfect, but you’ll get a lot of time out of it, and I greatly recommend it if you’re an RPG fan looking for something a little different.
A PS4 review copy of Dragon Star Varnir was provided by Idea Factory for this review.
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🔥476Dragon Star Varnir
$59.99 USD
Pros
- Great Combat Mechanics
- Interesting yet Dark Storyline
- Multiple Endings
- A Cast of Interesting Characters
- Deep Progression Systems
Cons
- Fanservice is a Little One-Sided
- No Way to Tell Who Needs Specific Skill Trees
