Disclaimer

I was sent a free copy of Dragon Star Varnir to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.

Shameless Self Promotion

If you’re looking for a way to upgrade your aesthetic, check out my reviews for the Epomaker QK108, the Redragon Antonium K745 Pro, and the adorable KiiBOOM Meow Pudding keycaps. Check out my latest review of the Fifine M9 Microphone System and the Kiwi Ears Aventus Wireless Headset. The Huanuo Nitroglide dual monitor arm is also pretty cool.

Make sure you check out the free ways you can support me, like using my Amazon affiliate link before you buy anything. It really helps me out if you do. You can also always buy me coffee! Don’t forget to share this review with your friends!

Table of Contents

What is Dragon Star Varnir

Dragon Star Varnir is a unique JRPG where you get to eat dragons. The game is playable on Steam, GoG, PlayStation, and the Nintendo Switch. I played this game on Steam and am happy to report that this game is Steam Deck compatible.

Hook

Zephy was once a proud who hunted dragons and witches in the name of the king. He loved his country and fulfilled his role with honorl, until the day the hunt proved too difficulty. A dragon brings Zephy to the brink of death. Fortunately, a group of witches find him and save him by feeding him dragon blood. Drinking the blood transforms Zephy into a witch, the very thing he was tasked on hunting. Unfortunately, this new found power leaves him exiled, and the knights he once served with, hunt him mercilessly. Take control of a group of witches, harness their powers, devour more dragons, and fight off the forces that hunt them. Will they be strong enough to find a peaceful life, or will they be another group of dead witches?

Gameplay

Dragon Star Varnir is your typical turn-based rpg, but one that goes a little heavy on the story. There is a lot of reading, with a dungeon delve grind to break things up.

Exploration

In between story beats, players will explore a dungeon filled with roaming enemies. There are no random encounters, but players can aggro the NPCs. Like other games in the genre, players can attack roaming enemies for an advantage. Striking an enemy first gives players advantage on initiative, while striking from behind means the enemy starts the battle damaged. Each character in your party has unique abilities that interact with the environment to help exploration. For example, Zephy can break magical barriers and unlock new areas of the map. The game incentivizes exploration through its hidden treasures and gathering system.

Combat

Dragon Star Varnir has your typical turn-based structure. Players perform an action each turn. They can cast a spell, perform an attack, use an item, or devour a dragon. What makes combat unique is that the field is verticle. Players and enemies can spread ever three levels: ground, middle, and high. Players need to be in the same plane to perform an attack. This means positioning is important, especially when it comes to AOE attacks. During combat, players can also devour a dragon to gain special abilities. This allows players to have unique builds, but it also leaves players with a bit of repetitive grind.

Does it work on the Steam Deck?

This game works great on the Steam Deck, and the only way I played it after a while. The game works great on my PC, but there is something nostalgic about playing a JRPG on handheld that I will always favor. I am a huge fan of being able to put the Steam Deck to sleep when I need to step away and be a dad, especially when I am playing a game that has this much reading.

Review

I am a huge fan of JRPGs, and Dragon Star Varnir is a solid title. The game has great art, a solid story, but it does feel a little dated. I thought this game was a port for a PSP game I missed, but it is a modern game. While the game does attempt some interesting mechanics, it feels more like a visual novel with a bit of a dungeon delve and you have to be okay with a lot of reading, and a bit of a preoperative grind. This game is a great add if you find it on sale, like it is as of writing this review (until July 9th 2026).

Aesthetic

There are two parts to this game: story and exploration. The story portions of this game are fantastic. The character art is amazing, and there is enough fan service to keep me invested. I definitely have my favorite girl. The problem I have with this game is when you get to the exploration. The world is ugly. Each level and a few of the monsters feel homogeneous. The dungeons feel empty and I didn’t really have much fun exploring. It feels like a much older game which is fine for the folks who like this era of JRPG, but it is going to be a deal breaker for the modern gamer trying to break into the genre. For $5 bucks, or even 10, you can’t really go wrong. Especially since a lot of the game feels like it exists in the story.

Combat

The combat in this game is fine, but it is a little too simple. The game introduces mechanics like the planar combat, but doesn’t really do much with it. Players also have access to a lot of skills that feel useless. A lot of the combat felt like I was just repeating the same actions, only to slightly change up the spells for the boss monsters. This is fine since a lot of the time I was on auto-grind while I caught up on some Anime, but also, I was only playing to see what happens to the latest of my waifus.

Grind

I come to JRPGs expecting a grind, but the kind of grind is what makes or breaks the game for me. Dragon Star Varnir doesn’t have a soul crushing grind. The game lets you skip encounters, and there is a feature that automates combat. You can even skip the animations. That means you can sit back and chill and grind, although you don’t really need to. You might want to grind some extra souls to help build up your characters or cash for items, but I went in as casually as one can play a JRPG and got through it just fine. It wasn’t a speed run by any means, but it was respectable for my lifestyle.

Story

I’ll admit that I enjoyed the story. This isn’t one of those award-winning games that will cement itself in the zeitgeist of our generation, but it is a story I enjoyed reading. The game has a solid cast of voice actors, and the writing was good enough to keep me invested. I wouldn’t go out of my way to play this game for its story, it does feel like generic anime at points, but I am always in need for some generic anime to keep me sane in these troubling times. I recommend checking it out when you want something to unwind to, and you get blessed with some hot Steam sale action.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a JRPG to fill a void and happen to be around for the amazing Steam sale (only $6 until July 9th 2026), jump on it. You get cool art, a solid story, and good enough mechanics to keep you busy. You’ve got better options, like Beloved Rapture or Alterium Shift, but the game has enough charm and charisma to earn at least one play through. Just not for $30. If you are a fan of JRPGs, especially the older PSP ones you might have a better justifying the price, but as a broke boy trying to survive, this feels like a lot of money.

Trailer