Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception

 PlayStation 4
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
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  1. 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 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    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.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. RPG Fan
    Aug 8, 2017
    72
    As a visual (kinetic) novel, Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is quite good. It does take a long time to start, but once the story gets going, it is quite compelling. The music is fantastic, the voice acting is good, there’s a fun cast of characters, and the visuals are there. Unfortunately, as a game, it doesn’t do nearly as well. The tactical RPG part of the game lacks complexity and difficulty. The game doesn’t properly explain how the battle system works, and you will be left to fend for yourself to learn how to properly fight. If you can get over the 20 hour hump for the story to pick up, and can sit through the uninspired fights, then you can enjoy a story full of political intrigue that makes you realize how much you actually care for the characters and what they go through. However, if you are an impatient soul, and/or would prefer your games with good gameplay, stay far away. In short, this is a good visual novel, but a mediocre game.
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  2. CGMagazine
    Jul 17, 2017
    60
    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.
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  3. RPGamer
    Jun 16, 2017
    60
    My experience of Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception went through some distinct phases, starting with interest, then devolving into boredom as nothing significant happens for a long while, before finally sucking me back in once things finally got moving. Those coming in expecting a deep tactical RPG simply won't find one. However, as a visual novel, and ignoring the problems of the first half, its second half did exactly what it needed to do to suck me in. Thankfully, the ending at least implies that the missteps of the first half should not be repeated in Mask of Truth, so taken as a package the two games could end up being a very worthwhile experience overall.
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