Varlet Review – A Sharp, Slow Burn

Varlet Review

Varlet is an ambitious blend of turn-based combat and Persona-style school life simulation, with a strong emphasis on character drama and daily routine. It’s stylish, heartfelt, and occasionally frustrating. The kind of game that doesn’t just ask for your attention, but demands your time.

The Power of Friendship 

You play as a semi-silent established main character. You can change his name. Then on what is basically your first day at some fancy futuristic school, you become the de facto leader of a group of kids from different programs of the school, each one with some beef that comes with belonging to different sects. Some including pop idols and hackers. In true anime style there’s a lot of corny names for just about everything. The enemies are “Desires”. The random multidimensional happenings around school are “Glitches”. And “through the power of friendship and finding your true self there’s no way we can’t win!” That kind of thing.

The first thing that hits you is the art. Character portraits are crisp and expressive, the designs striking without feeling over-designed. I’m always a sucker for good art. The game oozes personality in its presentation, and every new face on screen feels like it was hand picked for maximum impact. The voice acting does the art justice. Japanese voicing with English subtitles available. Phenomenal work across the board, selling emotional beats that lesser performances would’ve flattened.

But beneath some of that polish, Varlet occasionally flails. Navigation outside of combat feels utilitarian at best. Animations in day-to-day gameplay are serviceable, not spectacular. If you can accept that, the combat itself will keep you hooked. Battles are turn-based with a modern edge sharp animation work, flashy ability effects, and a clear emphasis on strategy.

It’s satisfying in motion, and just complex enough to make planning feel rewarding without bogging you down in spreadsheets. There’s not much of a grind to leveling up. Varlet is very forgiving in that aspect. But the story takes quite a bit to really get going. At least in a way where you can actually put a name to what the point of everything is. However getting the same repainted enemies with a slight different feature asset or color palette gets grating. Plus the environmental puzzles aren’t so much puzzling is tiring.

What are You Talking About

Where Varlet stumbles most is in its decision-making system. Choices are frequent, but their consequences don’t always line up with what you’d expect. Tell someone you’re “like siblings” with another character, (what I thought was a cute way to describe a cousin, since she called my character her little brother), then suddenly I’m flagged for “narcissism.” This happens more than once. It’s the kind of dissonance that makes you second-guess dialogue not because of moral weight, but because you’re trying to predict how the game will misinterpret your intent.

The narrative itself shows promise, somewhat. The central mystery has teeth, but it’s slow to let you sink yours in. Even when you can clearly sense where the story’s going, the game won’t let you express that suspicion. Instead,  you’re forced to follow along with your companions’ more goofy theories until the script catches up. It’s a rail you can feel, and it clashes with a premise that otherwise seems built on personal choice and psychological nuance.

The daily life bits are a mixed bag. They’re clearly designed to break up long stretches of combat and dialogue, but they risk becoming a grind in their own right. When your “tasks” feel more like chores than moments of character growth, the pacing drags. It’s not game-breaking, but it’s noticeable, especially during the first dozen hours when Varlet is still building momentum.

Getting closer with characters leads to special moments with your chosen partner. Though, it’s not the deepest romantic system you’ll find in some video games. Plus the game seems to have a thing for one of the main female main characters. We get to hear her gushing internal thoughts about the main character early in the game for some reason, regardless of how you personally feel about her. This was slightly grating as she’s somewhat of a grating character herself. Worse yet, how you have no choice but to watch your character give unsubtle hints of interest.

Hours and Hours

And that’s the big caveat here: this game takes time. Not just the usual RPG investment, but genuine, deliberate commitment, which I’m not entirely sure is completely worth it. It feels like a grind to get past boring activities just to get to the next part of juicy gameplay. If you’re patient, the payoff is there at times. Some characters are memorable, some are corny. Stylish presentation, and a combat system that clicks once you’ve got a couple levels up to play with. But if you’re looking for instant gratification, Varlet won’t give it to you.

Varlet is rough around the edges, but it’s not always shallow. You can see the passion in some moments. The lack of polish doesn’t quite sink it. If anything, it reinforces that this is a game made with intent, even if not every intent lands entirely cleanly. The art and voice acting elevate the entire experience, making its world feel alive even when its mechanics misfire.

Is it perfect? No. The choice system needs a rethink, the pacing could use tightening, and the life-sim tasks sometimes cross the line from immersive to plain tedious. But for those willing to put in the hours, Varlet rewards you with a world worth exploring and characters worth caring about.

***PC code was provided for this review***