| VARLET | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | DLC & Pre-Order | Review |
Build your relationships and establish bonds as you take on Glitches in VARLET. Read on to learn how it plays, what it's about, and everything else we know so far.
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VARLET Gameplay
VARLET’s gameplay revolves around a compelling duality of school life and supernatural combat. It involves the protagonist, a new transfer student at Kousei Academy and a member of the Student Support Services (SSS), taking on "requests" during school hours. These activities aim to resolve various troubles in the academy and advance side plots.
After classes, players can spend time with friends, inviting them to various locations like karaoke parlors or arcades. These social interactions are vital, as they deepen bonds, raise character stats, and can even trigger special events, though getting too close to multiple individuals might lead to complications.
The game features a "Triad Stats" system that goes beyond typical good/evil alignment, tracking six psychological traits: "Morality, Sympathy, and Altruism" (Light Triad) versus "Machiavellianism, Psychopathy, and Narcissism" (Dark Triad). Player choices and in-game analyses will shift these stats, directly impacting available dialogue options and passive battle skills.
This progression system culminates in the player determining their true nature" – either a "Leader" who empowers allies with buffs and control, or a Ruler
who unleashes powerful, self-damaging attacks. Players can swap between these two battle styles mid-story, encouraging tactical flexibility.
The combat uses a "Timeline Command" system, where players must closely monitor the turn order to interrupt or cancel enemy assaults and unleash their combination attacks. Striking enemies can decrease their "Stun Gauge," leading to a "Blitz Mode" where players can inflict massive damage with a flurry of attacks.
The primary challenges that players must conquer are "Glitches," which are other-dimensional worlds born from the hopes and desires of their hosts. Each incursion into a Glitch is a race against time to reclaim the real student before reality completely rewrites itself.
VARLET Story Plot
VARLET introduces players into the seemingly ordinary, yet mysteriously troubled, Kousei Academy. The story revolves around a chilling urban legend that has begun to manifest as a terrifying reality which are called "Glitches." These Glitches are described as other-dimensional worlds, born from the distorted hopes and desires of their hosts, that begin to replace real-world students, blurring the lines between reality and illusion.
Player takes on the role of a new transfer student who quickly uncovers the truth behind these phenomena. They join the Student Support Services (SSS), an organization dedicated to investigating and resolving these supernatural occurrences.
The narrative explores themes of self-discovery and identity, as the protagonist and their friends grapple with their struggles and inner conflicts while facing the Glitches. The game's unique "Triad Stats system" is deeply intertwined with the story, as the player's moral and psychological choices influence not only their combat abilities but also their relationships and the narrative's progression.
The ultimate goal is to understand the true nature of these Glitches, confront the monsters within them, and reclaim the real students before their identities are irrevocably lost, leading to a race against time as reality itself is at stake.
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