Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 22
  3. Negative: 1 out of 22
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  1. GamingTrend
    May 25, 2017
    35
    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.

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User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 74 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 61 out of 74
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 74
  3. Negative: 10 out of 74
  1. VoicedReason
    Jun 1, 2017
    10
    First, let's get this out of the way. This "game" is a probably 85% Visual Novel and 15% SRPG. People who are expecting more gameplay andFirst, let's get this out of the way. This "game" is a probably 85% Visual Novel and 15% SRPG. People who are expecting more gameplay and have less patience for a good story should stay away. I believe this misconception is akin to someone dressed to play soccer but walking onto a basketball court and being sorely disappointed causing lower review scores.

    That being said, for what it is, this "game" is a wonderful experience and has the magic of a good book. I've never heard of Utawarerumono before and had no idea what I was getting into. My main focus within any game is Story and Utawarerumono doesn't disappoint. There's definitely something to be said about the loss of storytelling quality going from a book to a movie or game in this day and age. Many subtle insights are overlooked as we get into cinematic territory. With the approach Utawarerumono takes, every little thought or feeling the main character experiences are conveyed thoroughly through inner dialogue and immerses the player in a way that no cinematic or gameplay can.

    The story is definitely a grand adventure with memorable characters. Every story nowadays is a recycled form of an older story but Utawarerumono mixes, matches and interweaves different parts of a story and this makes the overall shine!

    The Voice acting is all in Japanese but the actors convey emotion well through tone. Questions, Surprised reactions, embarassements, etc. are all well acted and it's nice to hear the voice of a character. It helps to distinguish different characters and push away the monotony of just reading dialogue.

    Gameplay is few and far in between but that doesn't affect my outlook towards the game at all. it was actually refreshing to just simply be immersed in an enjoyable story. I was kind of sad it all ended once I beat the game but that's just how it goes. All I know is that if I felt that way at the end, then it was a good Experience through and through.    … Full Review »
  2. Gold_Grande
    May 23, 2017
    10
    I will be honest. I am a little biased when it comes to this game having found the original Utawarerumono interesting since it came out over aI will be honest. I am a little biased when it comes to this game having found the original Utawarerumono interesting since it came out over a decade ago. I'm a lover of SRPGs and great visual novels (VNs). This is one of the best there is in both genre. Some critics (and players) are going to come into Utawarerumono with different expectations than one would need. This can cause unfair review scores simply because this is not your average first person shooter, open world sandbox, etc. This game is heavily and foremost a visual novel. Most of the "playing" will be done reading the story. However, the story is great and if you like VNs, it is a real treat. Lovable main, side, background characters. Great lore and world building, the works. The SRPG parts (around 20 or so) are great in comparison to other games in the genre. If you like SRPGs, you'll find a nice challenge with this on hard.

    I also have the benefit of playing Mask of Deception and Mask of Truth before they were localized in English. Let me tell you now that this game is a first half to a story where the second half unfolds in Mask of Truth. Mask of Deception ends in a cliffhanger, so do not be too alarmed, there will be more. It is possible to play these two without playing the original Utawarerumono game (or watching the anime) but if one wants to understand why the Utaware world is the way it is and the appearance of some original characters in the two sequels, it would be best to get knowledgeable about the original. The original Utawarerumono anime is a great adaption and can probably be found on streaming sites. Highly recommended game. VNs as good as this do not come around often.    … Full Review »
  3. Revadarius
    May 24, 2017
    3
    I'll be honest, I haven't finished the game. I'm about 6hrs in (at the pace of the game's auto command for moving through the dialogue).

    I    I'll be honest, I haven't finished the game. I'm about 6hrs in (at the pace of the game's auto command for moving through the dialogue).

    I understood it's be a VN, with RPG elements. I didn't realize to the extent how much dialogue that would include. It took nearly 2hrs before your first "battle" (the only time you have any real input into the game). Nearly 3hrs before your first "choice" (Which was basically click 'X' because you only had 1 option). And in 5hrs I've had 3 battles, and just came across my 2nd (though actually 1st) choice.

    I think the art works is beautiful, the voice acting (Though in Japanese) is magnificent and the music is soothing and creates the right atmosphere. But sadly, this game needs 1 thing - 1 simple thing - and that's English Voice Acting.

    Don't get me wrong, I prefer Japanese voices at time - but that's when not-so-much reading is involved. But with the amount of reading, and the poor displaying of some of it... it'd be nice to just listen to the story. Because there's too much text. I'd honestly prefer this entire story in book format.

    But a lot of the dialogue is unnecessary chatter, or over explanation of events. Which is the oddest, and brand new form, of 'fluff' I've come across in gaming.

    Honestly, regardless of what die-hard fans will say (the sort of people who would jump on the hype for this VN) I'd recommend the anime for anyone wanting the story in a more immersive and easy to digest manner, which - itself - is still a masterpiece. Granted, there are changes but I personally prefer the anime on that basis alone.

    If they ever bring of English VA's (which they likely won't) then I'll pick it up, but we're not getting the experience as it was intended because - unless you can understand Japanese - then this is just a pretty digital book.

    And yes, I love VN's. I've burnt through a few, most are short and sweet - and some are lengthy - but this "game" takes the biscuit, and the RPG elements may as well not exist. It's not deep, meaningful... it's entirely unnecessary to the 'experience'.

    3/10. It's good, it's just hard to digest - and for anyone with dyslexia, or difficulty reading for long periods of time... it's going to take forever to get through this game, English VA would have helped appeal to a wider audience. It's a shame, I was hoping to fully compare it to the anime - and thought it would have much more of a game to it, in term of it's RPG elements, and didn't realize the issue of lacking English VA. But now I know, and that was a risk I took when buying the game - and I hope I inform people who don't make a similar mistake.    … Full Review »
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