Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception

94%
Game Brain Score Based on 420 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception Game Cover
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In "Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception," players navigate a complex political landscape as Haku, an amnesiac man who becomes entangled in the conflicts of a mysterious, war-torn kingdom. The game combines visual novel storytelling with strategic turn-based combat, featuring intricate character portraits, detailed backgrounds, and a rich, immersive soundtrack. The narrative explores mature themes such as loyalty, betrayal, and the struggle for power.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Play​station 4
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Play​station Vita
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

94%
Audience ScoreBased on 420 reviews
story129 positive mentions
grinding9 negative mentions
  • The game features a bold choice of protagonist and setting, which pays off with great character development and storytelling.
  • The plot becomes incredibly engaging after the initial slow start, leading to a spectacular climax that keeps players invested.
  • The combination of visual novel elements with tactical RPG gameplay creates a unique experience that appeals to fans of both genres.
  • The pacing is slow, especially in the first half, with excessive slice-of-life moments that may deter some players.
  • The combat system, while improved, can feel simplistic and lacks the depth found in other tactical RPGs.
  • There are technical issues with the PC port, including a resolution lock at 720p and occasional performance problems.
  • story512 mentions

    The story of "Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception" is a slow-burn narrative that begins with slice-of-life elements before transitioning into a more engaging plot, particularly in the latter half. While the pacing can be inconsistent, with a significant amount of character development and world-building, the emotional depth and well-crafted characters ultimately lead to a satisfying climax that sets the stage for its sequel, "Mask of Truth." Overall, the storytelling is praised for its richness and complexity, making it a compelling experience for fans of narrative-driven games.

    • “Great storytelling and worldbuilding, the characters are endearing, and it's full of very emotional moments.”
    • “The plot development is generally slow throughout this game, but it's worth every moment as the writing continuously builds on itself, and in some cases, even comes full circle, unfolding the brilliance and magic of the author's vision.”
    • “The story is fantastic and goes to some dark places with occasional humor to balance those moments out.”
    • “The story starts off slow and it has a lot of world building.”
    • “The plot really starts to heat up towards the end and launches us nicely into the third and final game of this trilogy.”
    • “Mask of deception suffers from a lack of pacing, being very slow with a great amount of slice of life skits, character exploration/development and world building, but very little actual story development until the last act.”
  • gameplay144 mentions

    The gameplay in this title has seen significant improvements over its predecessor, with a more engaging and strategic combat system that incorporates new mechanics like the zeal system. While the game leans heavily towards visual novel elements, the tactical battles are generally well-integrated and offer a decent challenge, particularly in post-game content. However, some players may find the gameplay lacking in frequency and depth compared to traditional tactical RPGs, making it more suitable for those who prioritize story over combat.

    • “The gameplay is a massive upgrade over Prelude to the Fallen.”
    • “The overzeal mechanic makes you pay attention to what gives or drains zeal and strategize around when you'll fill the bar.”
    • “The gameplay improves partly because of removing the position-based damage modifiers and partly by making all the maps essentially open fields, thus focusing on more difficult and complex enemies.”
    • “If you're a gameplay-focused player who just wants to battle, skip these games.”
    • “The gameplay is easy; the dream arena, the postgame battles, is the only challenging part of the game but can be easily surpassed with a little bit of grinding.”
    • “The only thing holding the gameplay back is that experience is limited; characters can only gain experience if they participate in battles and fights, so if there is no room to deploy some of your characters, they will not gain experience and will eventually fall behind.”
  • music84 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its ability to enhance the emotional impact of scenes and its overall quality. The soundtrack is described as phenomenal, featuring a mix of new tracks and remixes from previous installments, and is noted for its beautiful orchestration that complements the narrative and character development. Overall, the music is considered a standout aspect of the game, contributing significantly to the immersive experience.

    • “The music is still on point; just like in the previous game, you can bet that every scene will have an appropriate track that matches the moment and makes the experience all that much more impactful.”
    • “The soundtrack is fantastic, one of the best game soundtracks I have heard and placed very well to immerse you into the story.”
    • “The music score is gorgeous, and I've found myself listening to it over and over again.”
    • “I fell asleep like twice during the game because the OST was just too peaceful, and there was nothing dramatic going on during the first 20-25 hours of the game.”
    • “The OST is a small step up from the original title, with a few new tracks complementing a strong selection of returning pieces from the original, although I didn't find it to be spectacular overall.”
    • “The only negatives that I would have is that the game only has a CG and music gallery, but no sprites/background viewers.”
  • graphics34 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beautiful anime art style and clean character designs, with many reviewers highlighting the impressive 2D artwork and overall aesthetic quality. However, some criticism is directed at the 3D graphics, which are considered outdated and reminiscent of earlier console generations, particularly in battle maps and animations. Despite these mixed opinions, the visuals contribute positively to the immersive experience, complemented by a unique soundtrack and engaging worldbuilding.

    • “The worldbuilding is great, the OST is one of the most unique I've heard, and the backgrounds, character graphics, and art are some of the cleanest I've seen in a long time, with Amazuyu Tatsuki and Misato Mitsumi doing the art for this game.”
    • “Jokes aside, all the characters are well designed and beautifully drawn overall, the aesthetics of the game have this very lived-in rustic charm to it.”
    • “The art style is very nice too, and refreshing compared to your stereotypical styles!”
    • “Visuals are pretty rough for a modern game though, especially the title screen UI being blurry on my 1440p screen.”
    • “The port is 720p30fps locked, not a big deal considering this is about 90% visual novel and 10% game with graphics designed for the PS Vita.”
    • “Not much to say about graphics.”
  • humor29 mentions

    The humor in the game is a blend of absurdity and heartfelt moments, often striking a balance between serious themes and comedic relief, making for an engaging experience. While many players found the humor to be genuinely funny and enjoyable, some noted that certain jokes, particularly those involving the main character's misfortunes, could become repetitive. Overall, the voice acting and character dynamics contribute significantly to the game's comedic appeal, with a mix of laugh-out-loud moments and endearing scenes.

    • “It has everything: times of joy and sadness, mysteries and big reveals; it takes itself seriously, then it's both ridiculous and hilarious.”
    • “The jokes are great and incredibly funny, making every session enjoyable, even a 30–60 minute session after work.”
    • “Found myself laughing out loud multiple times, and I really felt like I was on the journey with everyone having a good time.”
  • character development22 mentions

    Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the nuanced and deliberate growth of characters through slice-of-life moments and extensive world-building, others criticize the slow pacing and lack of evolution in certain characters until the very end. The depth of character interactions is praised, yet some feel that the heavy focus on dialogue can lead to repetitiveness. Overall, the quality of character writing and design is recognized, but opinions vary on its effectiveness and pacing throughout the narrative.

    • “The story is fantastic and the world building, the character development throughout the story is awesome.”
    • “The character development is also very nuanced and deliberate; perhaps the worst thing about it is that it's not obvious just how well everything is done until you replay this game again after finishing Mask of Truth so that you can see exactly how all of the character arcs are set up.”
    • “It's a slow-paced game, but in a very good way; you'll come to appreciate the 'slice-of-life' moments much more when things really start kicking into gear, the character development and interactions are just amazing.”
    • “The first half of the game is almost purely slice-of-life events, lacking character development, with many stereotyped characters who don't evolve at all or right before the game ends.”
    • “I'd still need to underscore a flaw I've seen with both Mask of Deception and Prelude to the Fallen: character development, or lack thereof.”
    • “For a visual novel, both Utawarerumono games I've played don't approximate the caliber of character development and writing I'd expect from typical literature.”
  • emotional20 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its compelling storytelling, endearing characters, and impactful moments that evoke a wide range of feelings, from joy to deep sadness. Players report experiencing significant emotional highs and lows, with some moments being profoundly moving, while others may feel unsettling or out of place within the overall narrative. Although the emotional weight may not reach the same heights as its predecessor, the game effectively sets up a powerful emotional climax that resonates with players long after they finish.

    • “Great storytelling and worldbuilding, the characters are endearing, and it's full of very emotional moments.”
    • “The end of the game literally chills down my spine and almost made me shed a tear.”
    • “One emotional rollercoaster ride of an experience.”
  • grinding13 mentions

    Overall, players have mixed feelings about grinding in the game. While some appreciate that grinding is not necessary to progress on normal difficulty and find the gameplay generally easy, others note that certain postgame challenges and the final battle may require grinding to avoid being under-leveled. Additionally, some players enjoy grinding for experience points and character development, while others find it tedious and feel that many encounters lack meaningful engagement.

    • “I liked some of the background images and the combat system is okay from a quality of life point of view: there is no grinding required, you can rewind whole turns as you wish.”
    • “Battle mechanic is fun to play and not grinding.”
    • “So no grinding chore in this game (good!)”
    • “I find the final battle poorly balanced around hard since without grinding you are 10-14 levels below it and it'll aoe 1-shot your units.”
    • “Playing on normal, I didn't bother looking at any spells or even equipping any items until the last encounter of the game, partly because encounters were just mind-numbingly easy & tedious, & partly because a good 80% of the encounters you come across are just busywork with little to no meaning in the overall plot of the story.”
    • “If you want to raise the level of all characters, it will be quite hard as normal grinding rewards you with really small experience points and the stage first-time clear bonus only applies to used characters.”
  • optimization5 mentions

    The game's optimization is mixed; while it maintains a 30 fps lock and generally performs well, players report issues like screen tearing and strange behavior during capture, suggesting that the port may not be as polished as expected. Additionally, some users noted that emulating the game could yield better performance than the current version.

    • “It tries to follow up the performance of Prelude while setting up for the next game.”
    • “The 3D segments only comprise about 10-20% of the game and you get used to the screen tearing, but it says a lot when you would get better performance from playing the game on an emulator over this port.”
    • “The game also behaves extremely strange performance-wise when you try to capture it, though this will vary depending on setup.”
    • “Outside of the 30 fps lock, I had no other problems performance-wise.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a slow-paced introduction to its characters, creating a laid-back vibe in the first half that contrasts with the more intense prelude.

    • “This game takes a long time to introduce its characters, creating a more laid-back atmosphere in the first half compared to the prelude.”
    • “This game takes a long time to introduce its characters and has a more laid-back atmosphere in the first half compared to the prelude.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

56% average critic score

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Play time

68hMedian play time
46hAverage play time
1-90hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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