It's too bad that so much of the game is tedious, because the game’s battles are actually a bit interesting. The battles are turn-based, with the order of attack displayed on a timeline on the left side of the screen. In most turn-based games, the timeline is mostly informational, but in Varlet the actions that your characters take have a direct effect on the timeline. When selecting an action, you will see how many turns it will take to complete. Once you select an action, it will appear on the timeline that many turns ahead. In addition, if the action has a target, whether it’s an ally or an enemy, the target will be shown on the timeline as well. And it’s not just you doing this – your enemies are selecting actions and targets as well and those will appear on the timeline, too. You’ll need to be smart about your choices and how they will affect the timeline, carefully picking your attacks and targets, and timing them with guard and interrupt actions. This one bright spot is not enough to make the game recommendable, though. There’s just too much tedium and blandness in between, and there are plenty of better options available for you to play in this genre.