Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth Review – When Visual Novel Meets TRPG
Raves
Rants
Have you ever played a game that is part visual novel and part tactical role playing game? That is the kind of game that we’re reviewing today. Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is the final part of the Utawarerumono series, sequel to the Mask of Deception. This is my first time jumping into the franchise […]
Have you ever played a game that is part visual novel and part tactical role playing game? That is the kind of game that we’re reviewing today. Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is the final part of the Utawarerumono series, sequel to the Mask of Deception.
This is my first time jumping into the franchise and the genre and I have no clue what I’m getting into. Outright, the game looks aesthetically good but there’s always more to a game than what it looks and here’s what we think of it. The game revolves between the two characters, Kuon and Haku. From what I learned during the prelude, they were previous comrades during the events in the Mask of Deception. In the Mask of Truth, they have since been separated and would continue to fill in their different roles in the war that they’re in.
Since this is a visual novel, the game would fill you in with details in the story as you progress through the game. Playing Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is a new experience for me, I didn’t expect that there’d be more reading than the playing. It took me about 45 minutes before I get to actually play the game and spent another hour reading before I got to play again.
Gameplay is similar to the usual tactics rpg. However, it has it’s unique gameplay mechanics such as you timely press X before your attack hits to execute a critical combo or counter an attack. Magic attacks are executed by holding down the x button until the circular bar fills up before releasing. It also has a rewind option wherein you could go back up to 50 turns, useful if you feel like you’ve made a bad turn.
Overall, Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is a great game for people who appreciates visual novels or loves the franchise. It is a great pick-up for those who have already the Masked of Deception as you’ll finally see the ending to the series. If you’re looking for more of traditional tactics rpg experience, you’re better off playing something else.