Video Game Review: Dragon Star Varnir (Nintendo Switch)

Developer: Compile Heart

Publisher: Idea Factory

Genre: JRPG

Nintendo Switch

Dragon Star Varnir originally came out on the PlayStation 4 in 2019 and in my review, I said that it is one of Compile Heart’s finest JRPGs so far. This mostly stands true, with the only better JRPGs since being Mary Skelter 2 and Death’s End re;Quest 2.  Now Dragon Star Varnir is joining many other Compile Heart titles by joining the Switch library. Does this port hold up better than some of the others?

Dragon Star Varnir takes place in a fantasy world in which humans, dragons, and witches co-exist rather poorly. The humans hunt the witches and dragons, while the witches need to eat Dragons and avoid turning into dragons themselves. The protagonist, Zephy, is a witch hunter who finds himself in a life-threatening situation. After being saved by a group of witches, Zephy finds out that he himself is a witch, and begins a long quest to find his and the witches’ place in the world.

The witches are at constant risk of going mad throughout the game, which results in them turning into dragons and ultimately dying. The intense drama that surrounds the characters starts off as generic and boring but eventually becomes something that players will get attached to. The story is just long enough to tell what it needs to without overstaying its welcome. Unfortunately, while the actual story is cool enough, the writing leaves a lot to be desired. Characters don’t react in ways you’d expect them too and the pacing is shakey. Some chapters have quite a lot going on in them, while others feel like they are full of filler at times. Again, the game isn’t too long so it isn’t too detrimental to the experience, but there is still a lot to be desired at the end of the day.

The characters themselves are mostly the usual anime archetypes. Like with most anime games, the characters eventually grow into fairly unique personalities, but this takes time and its hard to get over how boring and irrational some of them are in the beginning. Fortunately, most of them are likable enough, and they have entertaining banter throughout the game via cutscenes. The dialogue itself is weak, with tons of cliches, but this is the norm for Compile Heart. Those who are familiar with these kinds of games will find this easy to work through. Those who are tired of the cliches and tropes might find this game a bit harder to enjoy.

The battle system is where the game shines, and once everything clicks with the player, there is a lot to enjoy in Dragon Star Varnir. This is a turn-based battle game that uses a sliding scale system to determine who is going when. Each ability has a speed attached to it, sort of like Final Fantasy X’s battle system. Battles take place in the air, with the witches on broomsticks. The battlefield uses three levels, which players and enemies navigate to deal with various amounts of damage. Physical attacks must be used on the same level, while magic can be used anywhere. The game’s tutorials imply that physical attacks do a great deal of damage, but I found that a player can mostly get through the game by only using magic. Dragon Star Varnir uses a simple weakness system, and if a player hits an enemies weakness a certain amount of time, the characters will go through an attack montage that usually ends with a defeated enemy. A lot of this might sound familiar, and while Dragon Star Varnir borrows from its JRPG predecessors, it does everything so well that it doesn’t come off as obscene.

The most unique thing about Dragon Star Varnir is the devouring system. Players can use “Devour,” which has a certain success rate based on the enemy’s health (Like capturing Pokemon). When successfully devoured, the character that used the ability will gain access to a unique skill tree based on the enemy. This system leads to a fun amount of customization, giving every character the ability to fulfill any role assuming that the correct enemies have been devoured. The system leads to an interesting amount of strategy that is enjoyable to play with throughout the game.

There is also a system similar to Trance in Final Fantasy IX, in which characters can enter a powered form after so many turns across multiple battles. This form adds a bit of extra strategy in that good timing can trivialize a boss battle. The system is fine, but I think that the game could have gone without it, as it removes quite a bit of difficulty. This is further noticeable when you realize that the game isn’t actually too difficult, as enemy weaknesses are always on display, even during a first encounter.

The difficulty isn’t the only issue with Dragon Star Varnir. While the OST is fine (You won’t be humming any songs but it is still enjoyable), the sound effects leave a lot to be desired. Strikes that lead to battles don’t make a sound effect, which always removes a significant amount of immersion. The characters also talk just a bit too much when in the various dungeons. Every time an item is picked up they make a comment, and sometimes players will pick up 5+ items in less than ten seconds. It’s just repetitive, but some players won’t mind as much as I did. The voice acting is mediocre and to be expected. Dragon Star Varnir does have dual audio, so players can choose what they prefer.

As for the Switch port itself, it feels like it standfare for Compile Heart. There are multiple frame rate stutters throughout the game that are just enough to break the immersion for the player. Fortunately, these only popped up for me while going through the overworld. The game runs fine throughout combat and visual novel segments, making this one of the of cleaner ports. Switch isn’t the best way to play this game, but it runs fine and the portability is nice.

The Switch port also includes some bonuses that art only available on this version. Additional weapons, armor, and level caps that were only available as DLC are included in the package for free. All of the original Japanese art is also included in this version.

Dragon Star Varnir is a fine JRPG that is marred by some inconveniences here and there. Those who want to play the game on the go will enjoy the Switch version, even if it isn’t the best way to play from a performance standpoint.