Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception

One of the things that you will read time and time again about Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is how it is part strategy RPG and part visual novel. I am not sure I would say that is 100 percent true as while this does have RPG style elements in it, that is not the main portion of the game. Do not get me wrong, this is fantastic, but it is certainly swinging more towards the visual novel side of things that strategy RPG so keep that in mind going forward.

Where Am I?

I have to say that this is one of the most story-driven games I have played in quite a while. Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is about Haku, a man who awakens without any memory. However, he knows that this place he is in is not “normal” and things are very different. He is cared for by a strange girl, but it is not long until he is part of a ragtag squad of “heroes” that are on an epic quest.

Just know going into this that you will be spending a great deal of time (several hours!) reading text. I am not saying this is a bad thing at all, far from it. You see the story that they tell here is very engaging and it features some excellent characters that you will grow to care about. The writing is great and while Haku may not be the most “relatable” character around, there is a lot of humor and some pretty emotional stuff as well.

Like Movie, Like Game

The visuals on offer in Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception are rather interesting. First of all, the cut scenes and the visual novel aspects of the game are truly amazing stuff. Seriously, this game looks phenomenal. The cut scenes are so great that I would actually put them not that far behind a game like Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, that is how high-quality they are.

The battle portion of the game is rather different, it very much looks like a “video game” these visuals are not bad or anything like that, but I do feel that they could have used a bit more color to make them more in line with the cut scenes and visual novel portion of the game.

Saying And Doing The Right Thing

The majority of what you will be doing in the game is following the story. Each section of the game tends to have three parts to it. You will have to deal with and organize your party which is a lot of fun. You also have to do a great deal of reading as you take part in the “visual novel” aspect of the game where you try and move the story in the right direction.

The other part of the game is the battle system. This is a battle system that is a lot of fun, but it is not easy to get into. This game teaches you nothing! It does tell you that your book is updated with tips, but unless you are willing to read it all, you will be doing a lot of trial and error here.

I found the battle system to be a great deal of fun and taking direct control and being able to nail a critical hit was something I really enjoyed.

Pros:

• The game tells a wonderful story
• I liked the twists and turns that the story took
• It is a game with a ton of content
• The battle system is hard to learn, but very rewarding
• It is great if you want a visual novel that has some real substance to the gameplay

Cons:

• The battle system could do with a tutorial
• You may be surprised at how uneven the VN/RPG split of this game is