Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception Reviews
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.
Having the upcoming sequel hanging over it doesn't do Mask of Deception any favours.
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.
If you're a fan of Utawarerumono then Mask of Deception is definitely a worthwhile addition to the series.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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
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 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.
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
I have to admit I was disappointed at first and then found myself absolutely loving it.
Jump into Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception expecting a traditional Japanese visual novel experience, and you'll no doubt be a little disappointed… but look past its intermittent battle sections and there's a fulfilling character-driven tale just waiting to be uncovered.
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is a fantastic visual novel that integrates some great ideas with its turn-based strategy combat. While the game's story is highly enjoyable, the pacing of the game is terrible at times, leading to some dull moments that dampen the overall experience.
While the visual novel elements far outweigh its strategy side, the story - despite being sequel bait - had us enthralled till the very end. If you're looking to try something out of the ordinary, Mask of Deception is a fun romp. We would however suggest picking it up with along its sequel when that hits later in the year, rather than leaving the story halfway.
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is a good visual novel that blends that genre in fairly seamlessly with strategy RPGs. It's far more of a visual novel than an SRPG, but when the SRPG elements come in, they're well-done.
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception crosses genres, blending visual novels with a slick strategy role-playing game (SRPG) battle system. The game focuses more on the narrative side, so don't expect anything too deep in the combat. There are some highlights to it, including customizing the stats for characters and staying engaged with critical hits, but for the most part, you should experience Mask of Deception for the story.
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is definitely a game that'll appeal more to fans of visual novels as opposed to SRPGs. The strategy sections are a nice break from the game's mountains of dialog but they're not too memorable outside of being a short break from the bulk of what you'll be doing early on. The game is pretty long and does drag at the beginning, but fans of the visual novel genre should find a lot of what they're looking for.