Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth

Release Date: September 21, 2016

RPG, fantasy, turn-based, tactics, visual novel, jRPG, singleplayer

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A hybrid of a visual novel and a tactical role-playing game. The title was developed by studio Leaf and company Aquaplus. The game is a direct sequel to Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception and tells the further story of Haku and his friends who are tasked with assuming control of the military forces of the Yamato Empire and using them to protect the territory from hostile neighbors.

Plot
Mechanics
Technical aspects

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth on PS4, PS3 and PSV combines a visual novel adventure game with a traditional tactical RPG, set in a fantasy world inspired by Japanese feudal culture. The game was developed by Leaf and Aquaplus. These developers are well known among visual novel fans and have released many of the popular games in the series, such as To Heart, Tears to Tiara and White Album, most of which have not been officially released in the West. Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is the direct sequel to Utawarerumono: Mask of DeceptionUtawarerumono: Mask of Deception and together with the original they create a closed narrative whole. Both productions are a loose continuation of the original Utawarerumono, which was released in 2002 on PCs and a few years later on PlayStation 3 and PSP.

Plot

The story of Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth begins shortly after the end of Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception. Players follow Haku and his friends and allies. After the death of the Emperor Yamato and his right hand, as well as protecting the heir to the throne, the hero is forced to take control of the state's military forces and protect them from hostile neighbors. During the adventure, we meet both well-known and completely new characters. The fictional universe of the title, which is also inhabited by other fantastical races, was modeled on medieval Japan.

Mechanics

Like its predecessor, Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is primarily a visual novel in which long adventure segments are only briefly interrupted by tactical battles. However, the sequel introduces new gameplay mechanics and types of side missions. In the training mode, we can make two of our teams face each other - thanks to that, they will gain additional experience in a simulated fight. In the challenge mode, we have to win against our opponents, while at the same time performing optional objectives that make this task significantly more difficult.

The production has a comprehensive hero development system - each of them has a set of statistics describing their usefulness in combat, as well as equipment, such as various types of armor and weapons. Battles are fought on three-dimensional maps covered with a grid of fields on which all units move. The fights are played in the classic turn-based mode, in which combos and special skills play an important role. The game adds new powerful co-operative attacks between two heroes, as well as new skills and weapons.

The combat system also has arcade elements. When a hero performs an action, a circle will appear on the screen - when the button is pressed just before the circle disappears completely, we will activate additional bonuses such as critical hit. During battles, we should also pay attention to units' resistance and vulnerability to weapons using a few basic elements.

Technical aspects

Utawarerumono: The Mask of Truth has a high-quality two-dimensional graphics design that matches the best visual novel games. The tactical three-dimensional portion of the title has not changed significantly compared to the previous part. We are still dealing with simplified models of characters and environment, which clearly lack the number of details to make up for the expressive style and animation.

Last updated on May 13, 2019

Videos and Screens

[1:51] Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth trailer #1