ARISEN: Prologue

About

WISHLIST THE FULL GAME NOWhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/1101670/ARISEN__Chronicles_of_VarNagal/ Late Pledge About the GameARISEN: Prologue is a free playable alpha demo of ARISEN - Chronicles of Var'Nagal. It's a story-driven game in which you express yourself with your emotions, embodied by cards. Your choices will impact the world around you while you unlock new cards. This version of t…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 39 reviews

story4 positive mentions

The artwork is stunning, particularly the card designs, which are expressive and visually appealing.
The game introduces an innovative card-based decision-making system that adds a unique twist to the visual novel genre.
The story tackles serious themes like slavery and racism with a level of sensitivity, and the developers are responsive to community feedback.

The writing suffers from poor translation and lacks coherence, which detracts from the overall experience.
The character customization options are limited, allowing gender and pronoun selection but not appearance, which feels inconsistent given the game's themes.
The gameplay mechanics, particularly the card system, can feel clunky and unnecessary, leading to a less engaging experience.

story
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
63%
16%
The story has received mixed feedback, with some praising its intriguing premise centered on slavery and the unique perspective of the protagonist, while others express discomfort over its portrayal by an all-white studio. The narrative is described as gripping and immersive, with a poetic writing style that may not fully align with its dark themes. Overall, the game promises a compelling adventure with original decision-making elements, though concerns about translation quality have been noted.
- “Nice graphics and an amazing storyline!”
- “The story is very gritty in nature due to being about slavery from a slave's perspective, but since it never crosses the line of being overly gratuitous or not serious enough, it's handled quite well in my opinion.”
- “I'm not going to review an early access demo, except to say that both story and decision-making are very original and set the scene for what promises to be a huge, intriguing, and absorbing adventure.”
- “Furthermore, I find it deeply uncomfortable that an all-white studio is writing a story that's specifically about black slavery.”
- “If they wanted to write a slave story, that's fine, but making it specifically about black people being traumatized and enslaved is disturbing, especially when the slavers seem to be based on Romans (who did not target slaves by skin color).”
- “The writing style is quite a vivid poetic style, which I have to say doesn't tie incredibly well to the theme or the structure of the story; it's not helped by the odd translation either.”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
27%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their gorgeous artwork and fantastic card designs, with many reviewers highlighting the art style as a standout feature. However, some criticism arises regarding the character and background art, which feels mismatched with the game's darker themes. Overall, while the visuals are celebrated, there are suggestions for improvement in world-building and character development.
- “Nice graphics and amazing storyline!”
- “In my personal opinion, the artwork is fantastic and it's worth a shot to play.”
- “Starting with the positives, I'll say the art style and direction for this is very nice, particularly on the cards.”
- “I will say that the character and background art feel a little out of place in the story, given its dark theme but comic-book style visuals.”
- “I'd like to see what game these developers do next. I think this art style with a more adventure/upbeat theme could work very well, particularly if they can make the world-building more distinct and interesting.”
- “From then on, it's a trainwreck of grammar errors, buzzwords, and really boring gameplay... the only okay thing is the artwork of the cards, and that is it.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the innovative card-based decision mechanic that allows for emotional responses rather than traditional dialogue choices. However, many criticize the clunky interface, lack of saving options, and the overall simplicity of the card system, which feels more like a superficial layer over standard visual novel mechanics rather than a fully developed gameplay experience. While the card art is praised, the execution leaves much to be desired, leading to a frustrating experience for some players.
- “I have more than 50 visual novels, and this is the first time I see one with a totally different gameplay: you answer with your emotions, not with words.”
- “The story seems like others (and I think that some in this visual novel will be surprising), but this unique gameplay is welcome in the world of traditional visual novels and has no equivalent.”
- “The gameplay with the cards is quite innovative! The card-based decision mechanic is interesting; every time the player makes a choice, they're presented with a hand of cards representing moods or emotions and chooses the one to represent their character's response.”
- “No skipping, no auto advance, no saving, cannot hide the interface; the card choices are also clunky. You need to drag a card to the play area to see what the conversation choice is, instead of just seeing what it does; a totally unnecessary mechanic for what is ultimately just a skin over a dialog choice.”
- “I also have to say while I absolutely loved the card art in the game, it essentially boils down to unlocking extra dialogue options. There's no actual card play or real mechanic here.”
- “From then on, it's a trainwreck of grammar errors, buzzwords, and really boring gameplay. The only okay thing is the artwork of the cards, and that is it.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game has received high praise, with users highlighting it as a standout feature that complements the impressive art style, resulting in an overall perfect score of 10/10.
- “10/10 art style + soundtrack ~ <3”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Players note that the game's potential for increased replayability is significant, as certain cards may only be unlockable in individual playthroughs, encouraging multiple runs to experience all content.
- “This game has the potential to significantly increase replayability, as certain cards may only be unlocked in a single playthrough.”
- “The variety of choices and outcomes makes each playthrough feel fresh and exciting, encouraging multiple runs.”
- “With different character builds and story paths, I find myself coming back to explore new strategies and experiences.”
- “The game lacks meaningful choices, making replayability feel pointless.”
- “Once you've seen the story, there's little incentive to play again.”
- “The limited variety in gameplay mechanics really diminishes replayability.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel that the emotional impact of the game is undermined by poorly explained choices that lack context and coherence, leading to a disconnection between player decisions and the narrative. This inconsistency diminishes the overall emotional engagement with the story.