Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth Critic Reviews

Aquaplus returns to demonstrate its talent with the last entry of the series of Utawarerumono, closing finally unsolved questions in more than 10 years in a visual novel that drastically changes the axis of Mask of Deception.

While this series may flow under the radar in the west, if you recognize yourself as a visual novel fan, you sincerely owe it to yourself to indulge in what I consider to be one of the most endearing experiences I’ve had in years. I know I'll miss my fellow party members considerably. As someone who values story above all else in the games I play, that’s saying a lot, but it isn’t the only aspect worth praising here. From the artwork and music to the characters and combat system, I can’t recommend this series enough.

It’s hard to say whether Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is better than Mask of Deception since they’re essentially one story split into two halves, but I found the entire tale thought-provoking and its characters lovable and (mostly) funny. It’s a visual novel worth playing, and now that I’ve reached its end, I’m a little sad saying goodbye.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is a beautiful conclusion to a 14-year long narrative. While it still has its flaws, it is a journey worth seeing through to the end.

The game’s lengthy scenes and repeated statements can feel more like padding on the game’s runtime which makes Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth feel redundant at times, but the conclusion of the story will not disappoint the ones who have stuck with it this far. If you are a fan of visual novels that have elements of the SRPG genre, then very few games do it better than the Utawarerumono series, you won’t be disappointing.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is a great game for those who have played the previous one; however, it isn’t entirely suited for new players. I would definitely recommend picking up the Mask of Deception first to get a feel for the story. That being said, once you have finished Mask of Deception, Mask of Truth will unveil many unanswered questions and with over 80+ hours of story, players will be in for one heck of an emotional rollercoaster.

Mask of Truth continues the trend of the first game and improves upon its combat. The visual novel aspect of things remains enjoyable, while the tactical RPG gameplay is more focused and refined. Graphically, it still falls short of what many would expect on the PS4, with Vita-level graphics that work fine for that version but don’t hold up well on the big screen. Its gorgeous soundtrack helps overcome that issue and allows even the most intense battles to be relaxing. Mask of Truth is a solid follow-up to Mask of Deception and a must-buy for all who enjoyed that game.

Mask of Truth continues to be as good as we had seen in the previous chapters of the series.

Utawarerumono Mask of Truth is a hybrid JRPG/ Visual novel that gives a long awaited closure to the series. A closure that will satisfy everyone who has been waiting for the end of this saga for so many years.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth's strengths aren't entirely justified by the sheer amount of time it would take to experience them in full, but anyone that's already willing to give it that time - or those who come in with properly calibrated expectations - will find an entertaining saga that's worth seeing through.

Visually Mask of Truth is old-fashioned, but if you can look past that, the mixture of visual novel and strategic RPG has been enhanced or changed in just the right places.

While the story may take a bit of time to really get going, once it gets there it will grab a hold of your attention and refuse to let go. It is, ultimately, what the Utawarerumono series could have (and should have) been from the very start.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth closes out the visual novel's story for those who played Mask of Deception. I wouldn't recommend you start with this title but for those who are already invested know that this is a great continuation with some minor improvements.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is a great way to end one incredible and complex story like this one; it's guaranteed that fans will enjoy it the most. That being said, the game doesn't offer anything different from what we have seen in the past entries and still makes mistakes. Also, this is an aggressive game for newcomers.

It is difficult to pull off, but Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth has managed to both make a solid SRPG and visual novel in the same game. The world is interesting, and the characters are enjoyable to play as and to see the world with, even though sometimes it is too reliant on common tropes. The combat system also has depth to it with a lot of systems in place to reward those who think several turns in advance. The problem is that both aspects of the game are somewhat bloated. For fans of both genres this will not be obvious or even an issue at all, but for those who only likes the former or the latter, this might quickly make either feel like it's overstaying its welcome, in a good 80+ hours long game.

Although Mask of Truth is certainly a better game than Mask of Deception, it unfortunately retains many of its flaws. That being said, fans of the previous game will have a wonderful time finally seeing the conclusion to this two-part adventure.

Mask of Truth is a talkative interactive visual novel, with some bland tactical battles that break sometimes the flow of the story. If you are not scared by such a river of words, you could find in this new Utawarerumono enough reasons to reach the end. Otherwise, Fire Emblem and Disgaea are still out there, waiting for you.

If you're a fan of visual novels and enjoy reading a story you can safely get Mask of Truth; the gamers who are actually looking for a challenge and don't care for the plot should probably look somewhere else instead.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is an interesting hybrid of visual novel and strategy RPG that tilts, unfortunately for me, toward the former. As someone who didn’t much understand the story thanks to its awkward retelling of the events of the previous two games (and who didn’t enjoy the parts I did understand), I found the 1 to 2 hours of reading in between battles to be nearly unbearable.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is, once again, a mediocre visual novel riddled with sexual (and barely related) content that makes it almost impossible to feel comfortable playing. Once again the combat system is forgotten by dozens of hours of dialogue making Mask of the Truth only accessible for true lovers of the franchise.