Quick Look: Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception (PS4)

During May of 2017, via publisher-come-distributor Deep Silver/Koch Media, released the visual-novel themed turn-based-strategy-game Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception onto the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita within Europe and America and today we will be taking a quick look at what it offers.

Firstly; Yes this article is ‘very late’ and Yes the sequel is already available, which is known as Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth, but with around fifty hours worth of content – most of which relate to the visual-novel gameplay – it can be a challenging experience to write about it; especally if you do not truly understand the story that is being told to you. As a result this article will not focus on the story, as that is the main selling point of this game, but it will give you a brief overview on what to expect from the game itself.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception puts the player in the role of the protagonist, known as Kuon, a traveller of sorts who after finding himself in trouble is rescued by a mysterious cat-earred-maid. From here the pair travel together while making new friends along the way and uncovering a deception within the kingdom they belong. As mentioned this ‘mysterious’ is played out through visual novel segments, of which can last at around 2 hours in length and naturally progress the story in traditional visual novel form; with beautiful artwork, minial character interaction and full Japanese voice-over.

It’s when these ‘visual novel’ elements end where Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception begins to show its unique feature; a full ‘chibi-styled’ turn-based-strategy-game that will test even the best players. As with most turn-based-games players have to move their character near opponents in order to attack. Strategy is the ‘key word’ here as what may seem like a simply fight can end up with countless retries and frustrating experiences. In hindsight it is a double edged sword; a great gameplay feature that flows naturally with the progression of the story BUT, and this is a big one, as players are not able to level-up outside of battle these fights become increasingly difficult. Fortunately upon failure any experience earned in the previous attempt is carried over.

A beautifully crafted visual novel with a throught-provoking strategy game is what Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception offers, and considering its extensive playtime of around fifty hours it offers a lot of game-time, even if majority of it is narrative through artwork and text. Regardless of how Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception looks, or plays, its not a game for everyone and with the ever increasing difficulty and confusing storytelling some users may end-up dropping the game before experiencing everything it has to offer. Which is a shame as it is a entertaining game that offers more than you might originally think.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is available in both physical and digital form for the PlayStation 4 and is also available digitally for the PlayStation Vita as a download from the PlayStation Store.