It’s a relatively smooth ride that isn’t particularly boring or uneventful, but just isn’t very dynamic.
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is largely a visual novel experience full of anime tropes leaning towards the harem genre. While there are interesting turn-based battles to experience, there isn't any depth to them and merely gives you a 'feels good, looks great' experience without any challenge whatsoever. It's a streamlined experience that you should sit back and mindlessly enjoy, but nothing more.
Even with the new additional content in this "Game of the Year" like instalment, it would have been more ideal for the new content to be a DLC package for Deception IV: Blood Ties instead of part of this re-released version. The new content is far from bad – it's actually great and well worth to experience, but you're still getting the same game with the same gameplay mechanics, just with a bit more goodies.
It’s full of dark humour, historical elements, and interesting character perspectives.
If you're accustomed to the themes and genres that the anime world offers and you want a humorous and customizable beat 'em up game, feel free to look into Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed.
With a combat mechanic that doesn't execute very well and an unfortunate AI, the repetitive hacking & slashing at times becomes a drag until you hit the next flashy move or even cutscene. Above all, just make sure you don't play this in front of grandma or grandpa.
Decorate your device with stickers, change the colour of its button, change the faceplate of the entire system, or even manipulate the backlight.
The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker puts a ton of work into the acting and presentation of the characters but lacks in the actual gameplay to make it stand out as a video game.
no new special animations or voice overs are present leaving Tekken Bowl feeling like a copy and paste regurgitation of what we've already seen, just in a bowling setting
With the proper people, equipment, and time to play and fully utilize Guilt Battle Arena, the game is relatively fun pioneering on a simplistic and straightforward idea. However, it is easy to see how simplicity can easily fall into mediocrity, especially when that's all it has going for it.
Unfortunately, single-player does not hold up well on its own as it’s an empty and dry attempt to create a story from gameplay that is repetitive and uneventful.