Dragon Star Varnir (v2020.04.07 & ALL DLC)

Beneath the colossal skeleton of a long-dead godlike dragon, a witch hunt becomes a desperate fight for survival. Dragon Star Varnir is a dark fantasy JRPG that follows Zephy, a knight nearly killed while pursuing witches and revived with dragon blood by the very people he is trained to execute. His new powers bind him to a hidden coven of witches who are feared for giving birth to dragons, while an unforgiving empire and fanatical hunters close in around them. The tone balances tragic character drama, elaborate anime fantasy, and the kind of escalating supernatural stakes expected from a Compile Heart role-playing game.

Combat uses a turn-based system built around three vertical altitude levels, allowing characters to hover above or below enemies rather than simply line up on a flat battlefield. Positioning matters because attacks, resistances, and enemy strikes affect different tiers, while enormous dragons can threaten the whole formation at once. Defeating and weakening dragons lets Zephy’s party devour them, absorbing their power and unlocking abilities through dragon-specific skill trees. A filled Dragon Gauge also enables transformations that boost defenses and open stronger attacks, giving battles a rewarding risk-and-reward rhythm beyond conventional elemental weaknesses.

Its most memorable system lies outside battle: three witch companions need dragon blood to stay alive, yet feeding them too much can push them toward becoming dragons themselves. Managing their hunger affects not only resources and equipment but also the story’s outcomes, making dungeon rewards and difficult choices carry genuine narrative weight. The game’s character art and melodramatic storytelling suit fans of anime RPGs, while the combat has enough tactical movement to appeal to players who want more than standard menu fights. Anyone who enjoys the darker side of Hyperdimension Neptunia-style development, or JRPGs such as Mary Skelter and Fairy Fencer F, finds a distinctive and emotionally charged adventure here.