I just dug up some details on a project that hits two of my biggest gaming sweet spots: JRPGs and the Persona series in particular.
It is developed by FuRyu, incorporating the team who worked on Monark, and it’s called Varlet. A full-blown JRPG set in a school academy where students, between classes and looming deadlines, have to face down monsters that can possess people in the real world.
Sure, it might sound a little familiar on the surface, but if you can never get enough of the Atlus-style formula, I’ve got a few more tidbits for you.
Kousei Academy and the menace of “Glitches”
The story takes place at Kousei Academy, the first high school wired into Johari, a cross-reality network that blurs social media and augmented reality. When students’ need for approval spirals out of control, their insecurities solidify into pocket dimensions called Glitches.
Inside lurk Desires, monsters capable of replacing their hosts in the real world. As a newly transferred 16-year-old who is dragooned into the unofficial Student Support Services (SSS) club, players dive into Glitches to rescue classmates and uncover who, or what, is orchestrating the disappearances.
Because there is no way back out unless the monster at a Glitch’s heart is defeated, each incursion becomes a race to reclaim the real student before reality finishes rewriting itself.
Crucially, every Glitch is sculpted by the host’s private longings and anxieties; FuRyu’s reveal trailer even shows a dungeon formed from one character’s raw desire to be liked, confirming that these realms materialise from the hopes and dreams of their owners.
Rescuing someone, therefore, demands more than combat skills; it requires deciphering the architecture of their feelings. The official site frames the stakes in a single line that also serves as the game’s thematic north star: “This isn’t a story about finding someone else, it’s about finding yourself.”
In and out of class, STRUCTURE AND TIMELINE COMBAT SYSTEM
Varlet follows a familiar two-phase cadence: during school hours, you accept SSS requests, bite-sized quests that advance side plots, then after class, you can invite friends to karaoke, arcades, or part-time jobs. These outings deepen bonds, raise stats, and even spark jealousy if you court multiple partners at once.
Every choice feeds a Triad Stats grid that replaces the usual good/evil slider with six psychological traits: Light (Morality, Sympathy, Altruism) versus Dark (Machiavellianism, Psychopathy, Narcissism).
Where you land on this six-axis chart locks or unlocks dialogue options and grants passive combat buffs, so character growth is inseparable from role-playing decisions.
Combat unfolds on a Timeline Command queue that can be bent to interrupt enemies. Stunning a foe drains its gauge and opens Blitz Mode, letting the party chain attacks before the creature recovers. Mid-story, the protagonist gains two swappable stances:
| Style | Focus | Risk–Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Leader | Buffs and control | Safer, steadier damage |
| Ruler | High-powered strikes that also hurt the user | Glass-cannon burst |
Switching styles on the fly encourages tactical pivots between support play and reckless offence.
Developer, Cast, and creative pedigree
Varlet pairs FuRyu’s freshly branded in-house label Team Noir, the crew that shipped 2022’s psyche-twisting Monark, with seasoned RPG outfit AQURIA. Guided by producer Hideaki Ito and director Takashi Muto, Team Noir steers the project’s creative vision, while AQURIA brings the technical muscle it honed on the Sword Art Online action-RPG series and other console projects.
With FuRyu acting as its own worldwide publisher, the two Japan-based studios are able to iterate side-by-side, making Varlet the most tightly integrated collaboration the pair has undertaken so far.
The roster tops 30 voiced characters, from idol Aruka Arisaka to delinquent philosopher Taiga Tsukiyama, with AI companion MENA analysing your psyche in real time. Behind the scenes, FuRyu has assembled an eclectic veteran team:
- Scenario – Gakuto Mikumo (Strike the Blood) & Ryutaro Ito (Shin Megami Tensei If…)
- Music Director – Tsukasa Masuko (classic Megami Tensei)
- Series Concept – Fuyuki Hayashi (The Caligula Effect 2)
- Director – Takashi Muto (Monark)
Platforms and Release date
Varlet ships simultaneously worldwide on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC, with the PC version available on both Steam and the Epic Games Store.
FuRyu’s official site lists a global street date of 28 August 2025, while Steam shows 27 August 2025, a timezone-adjusted placeholder that effectively lines up with the same midnight rollout.
No PlayStation 4, Xbox, or last-gen ports are planned, underscoring the title’s current-gen focus. All versions draw on Unreal Engine and include English text plus Japanese voice-over at launch. Below the announcement trailer.
