The Secret of Varonis
- March 1, 2024
- Wombat Logic
Get on Steam"The Secret of Varonis" is an indie Gameboy-style RPG that takes you back to the gaming heyday of 1989. Choose a party from humans, espers, robots, and monsters, each with unique leveling schemes. Explore six diverse worlds, employ over 500 combat items and abilities, and uncover the secrets of the sealed city of Varonis. Enjoy retro mechanics without the grind, with optional field encounter mode. What lies beyond the gate? Discover it in this old-school RPG. *323 characters.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The Secret of Varonis is a fantastic homage to the classic SaGa/Final Fantasy Legend games, featuring quality of life improvements that enhance the gameplay experience.
- The game offers a high level of customization in party building and mechanics, allowing players to explore various strategies and playstyles.
- The visuals and soundtrack effectively capture the nostalgic feel of the Game Boy era while providing a modern touch, making it visually appealing and enjoyable to play.
- Some players have noted a lack of variety in enemy sprites and occasional bugs, which can detract from the overall experience.
- The inventory management can be cumbersome, with limited space and stack sizes that may lead to frustration during exploration.
- While the story is enjoyable, it is considered basic and may not provide the depth some players expect from a modern RPG.
- gameplay25 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "The Secret of Varonis" is praised for its nostalgic yet refined mechanics reminiscent of the original Saga and Final Fantasy Legend games, featuring turn-based battles, charge-based weapons, and character progression. While some users noted minor bugs with the HUD, the game excels in providing clear explanations of its mechanics, enhancing the overall experience. The combination of classic gameplay elements with modern quality-of-life features creates an engaging and addictive loop of exploration and combat, appealing to both nostalgic players and newcomers alike.
“This game has all the thematic charm of the original Saga/Final Fantasy Legend titles with an incredible amount of mechanical depth and transparency.”
“All in all, gameplay is superb, with replay value I have only begun to discover the depth of, 20+ hours in.”
“While nostalgia was the initial draw for sure, what made me stick with the game was the very addictive gameplay loop of battles, progression, and exploration & discovery.”
“The side HUD can be buggy sometimes in not displaying the right health totals or party members, but it can be toggled off/on. Besides that, I didn't encounter any gameplay-related bugs.”
“I had Final Fantasy Legend 1, 2, and 3 growing up, but with little explanation of the mechanics, I never made much progress in them.”
“It's not so strict to be an outright puzzle, but it does require some awareness of the game's mechanics and build decisions to succeed.”
- story20 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally regarded as solid and enjoyable, serving as a spiritual successor to the original saga games while incorporating its own unique twists and themes. While some reviewers note that the narrative is basic and secondary to gameplay, many appreciate the competent writing, engaging characters, and immersive world-building that enhance the overall experience. Overall, the story strikes a balance between nostalgia and originality, making it a pleasant surprise for players.
“And for an indie retro game, the story actually holds its own.”
“It captures the gloomy and sometimes psychedelic mood of the first game, while also featuring a captivating mysterious story, much like the second game.”
“The story and characters are fantastic and immersive.”
“Story is definitely basic, but doesn't overstay its welcome, which is appreciated.”
“There are several twists and subversions of the classic formula, but without altering the feel of the story too much from its classic roots, which I appreciate.”
“Fortunately, each item has been reimplemented, coming with general bug fixes and quality of life improvements, and a story that's close enough to be a spiritual successor but entirely its own spin on the series' concepts and lore.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their wonderful design and successful capture of the Game Boy aesthetic, complemented by fitting sound. While some players wished for more variety in monster sprites, the overall visual and tonal package resonates well with fans of classic JRPGs, making it a nostalgic treat. The ability to change colors adds an extra layer of charm, enhancing the retro experience.
“It’s an aesthetic and tonal package that, while certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, hits its inspirational mark with picture-perfect accuracy.”
“The developers nailed the Game Boy aesthetic with the graphics and sound.”
“Music and visuals are a treat, and the story has that old school snap and charm to its writing.”
“The graphics are outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games.”
“The visuals feel flat and uninspired, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“The art style is inconsistent, leading to a disjointed visual experience.”
- music6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in "The Secret of Varonis" features a solid and catchy chiptune soundtrack that pays homage to classic Game Boy titles, drawing inspiration from legendary composers like Nobuo Uematsu. While the soundtrack is enjoyable and thematically fitting, it may not reach the same level of memorability as its inspirations. Overall, the music complements the game's nostalgic visuals and enhances the old-school charm of its storytelling.
“The secret of Varonis wears its Game Boy saga inspiration on its sleeve, from the 8-bit-styled color palette and over-the-shoulder perspective in battle, to the chiptune soundtrack and effects reminiscent of its inspiration’s legendary composers like Nobuo Uematsu (Saga I/II), Kenji Ito (Saga II), and Ryuji Sasai (Saga III).”
“Music and visuals are a treat, and the story has that old school snap and charm to its writing.”
“The soundtrack has a decent variety and is pretty solid overall, but nothing quite as memorable as Nobuo (but that isn't a fair comparison haha).”
“The music captures the feel of older Game Boy games but is usually pretty catchy and thematic.”
“It's a shout out to the series with decent music, quality of life that can be chosen at the start of each game, and a solid storyline that even has a game over screen that shows the fate of the world when you fail.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, with players noting its depth and variety even after 20+ hours of gameplay. Customization options and diverse party loadouts enhance the experience, making it accessible and enjoyable for repeated playthroughs.
“All in all, gameplay is superb, with replay value I have only begun to discover the depth of, 20+ hours in.”
“It clearly aimed to replicate them while also making them more accessible and less obtuse, delivering on a satisfying and highly replayable game.”
“There is a good amount of customization options based on how you prefer to play RPGs, as well as tons of replayability because of the variety of different possible party loadouts.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is praised for its balance between character archetypes and improved quality of life features for monsters and espers, enhancing both casual and optimized gameplay experiences. However, there is a humorous critique regarding the extreme performance enhancements available to characters, suggesting a satirical take on optimization in gameplay.
“From a design perspective, the character archetypes and races sort of split the difference between Saga I and II, but with some quality of life improvements to monsters and espers in particular that make them a lot more fun for both casual and optimized playthroughs.”
“The game is poorly optimized, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
“I experienced constant crashes and long loading times, which made the game nearly unplayable.”
“Despite having a high-end PC, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, indicating serious optimization issues.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, with users reporting minimal gameplay-related bugs. However, some have noted occasional issues with the side HUD not displaying accurate health totals or party members, though this feature can be toggled off and on as needed.
“The side HUD can be buggy at times, not displaying the correct health totals or party members. However, it can be toggled off and on, and aside from that, I didn't encounter any gameplay-related bugs.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without constant restarts.”
“I experienced several instances of lag and frame drops, which severely impacted my overall enjoyment of the game.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the option to customize their grinding experience, with the ability to replace enemies with NPCs or select a "fixed" mode for a more challenging gameplay without grinding. This flexibility allows for a tailored experience that can either reduce repetitive battles or increase difficulty.
“Moreover, while overworld battles are standard, you can also change enemies to appear as NPCs on the map or even choose the finite enemy 'fixed' mode for no grinding and an even greater challenge.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional impact of the game is significant, with players reporting strong feelings, particularly highlighting that the ending elicited tears.
“I cried at the ending.”
“The story touched my heart in ways I never expected.”
“The characters' struggles felt so real, I couldn't help but empathize with them.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted as a delightful addition that complements its engaging party building and fast-paced combat, enhancing the overall experience and encouraging players to keep playing.
“An amazing tribute to handheld RPGs with great party building, fast-paced combat, a bit of humor, and a story that makes me want to play for just fifteen more minutes each time.”
