Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception Reviews
I have to admit I was disappointed at first and then found myself absolutely loving it.
Utawarerumono is a good tactic RPG game. However it's main component lies in the story. You could describe the game as a tale with some battles to go through the chapters. Sadly the game is pointed to a very specific target making it unappealing to a general audience.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
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.
While Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception won't break new ground in terms of narrative novelty or tactical depth, it remains an attractive, polished fantasy romp that will especially delight fans familiar with the original story. Everyone else, though, should be prepared to pick up the sequel, lest they leave the story halfway done.
Utawarerumono: Mask Of Deception is an old fashioned visual novel. The main story gets lost between all the badly written erotic content and the necesity of showing girls in non-natural position just for the fans.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
When I heard the news that the series was finally returning to PC, I just had to see how the ports turned out. Which is why it hurts to say that the ports have some rather major issues.
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception tells two different stories—one serious, one sexy—that are so at odds with one another that it loses itself in the process.
When things finally get going in the second half, it suddenly becomes a much more engaging experience, but the change will come too late for many.
Yet while its objective flaws stand out, they don’t weigh Mask of Deception down quite enough to diminish its entertainment value. It lands awkwardly between a serious SRPG-VN and a quirky Aiun-inspired harem anime a mere stone’s throw from its eroge origins, yes. But will that do anything to turn off its target demographic? Probably not.
Overall, I found Mask of Deception to be a slow affair with big chunks of the game being text-based and the battle sections few and far between. I’ve played a few other VN’s in the past so I knew what to expect but I wasn’t expecting it to be that text-heavy. There were moments where I’ve set the text to autoplay, and I’ve not touched the controller for a few hours. The battle sections are very enjoyable to play, although at first, they can be quite confusing to understand. Mask of Deception isn’t a bad game, the story is very enjoyable, blending in humour and seriousness very well, and the artwork along with the background music are some of the best I’ve seen in a Japanese game.
If you're a fan of Utawarerumono then Mask of Deception is definitely a worthwhile addition to the series.
It's only fair to note that Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is still a story worth exploring. While Haku himself feels flat and unexciting, his journey doesn't even come close to fitting that same description.
Having the upcoming sequel hanging over it doesn't do Mask of Deception any favours.
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is a text based adventure that masquerades as a tactical RPG. There are hours upon hours of low-grade, simple cutscenes with countless lines of text that you'll be reading instead of playing a video game. There are elements of this title that shine through the darkness of boredom, but there are few who can stomach the ride finding them.