Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is a VN/J-RPG about an amnesiac man named Haku and a woman named Kuon that go on a journey together with various characters.


I'm not going to talk about every single thing that happened in the story, nor will I recant it. I'm just going to say what I think made the story great.

The game begins with Haku waking up in a strange tent with no memories (he even forgets his name), with a woman who has been tending to him while he slept. I usually dislike amnesia stories - I find many of them annoying, because usually something stupid happens, like the amnesiac character hits their head on a brick and gets all of their lost memories back. Or they see and/or hear something they had heard/seen before they lost their memories, and that somehow causes them to regain all of the memories they lost. But that doesn't happen in this story. Haku's amnesia is used as a tool for us, the player, to experience the strange world around him anew, which allows us to gain exposition we otherwise wouldn't have if, say, Haku didn't lose his memories and already had experience with that world.

The woman who had been taking caring of Haku while he was asleep is Kuon, the headstrong animal-human hybrid girl. I'm not exactly sure what animal, but it doesn't really matter. Kuon and Haku's dynamic was very enjoyable. Haku's carefree, lazy, and brash personality clashes with Kuon's responsible, determined, and hardworking personality, which creates some enjoyable moments of comic relief. Some might ship them, but their relationship is more like a brother-sister one, Haku being the younger sibling.

There are a lot of characters in this game that all have a significant part in the story. While I do think some got much more attention than others (*cough* Nekone *cough cough*), the game does a pretty good job of juggling everyone. It doesn't feel like the characters are crammed in all at once ― they gradually take their place within the story at times that make sense, meaning they don't feel forced. It was impressive.

I was surprised to see the amount of slice-of-life moments/subplots, but they actually weren't a drag on the overall plot-line ― they helped me feel closer to the characters, while making me believe the characters actually got to know each other in a way that made the ending have its impact.


The combat in Utawarerumono is fun. It uses a grid-based playing field with a turn-based system, where enemies and characters are splayed across the map. The frequency of a character's turn depends on their SPD (speed), which can be increased along with other attributes by using BP. I like that the combat is sort of like a game of chess ― you move your pawns around the board in a strategic way, so you find openings to attack, while avoiding being attacked by enemies. In some stages, you really have to try to think ahead, because a move you made 10 turns ago can affect the outcome of the current turn. It does feel kind of bogus because that takes nearly a level of insight fortunetellers have, but it's certainly possible to plan ahead in some instances.

Another cool thing are the action chains. These are a set of attacks performed by a specific character, and if timed correctly, can land critical hits on an enemy. What I liked was each character's action chain is different, even characters that shared the same "class" (there aren't distinct classes in this game, but there are characters that have similar abilities).

However, compared to the amount of VN in this game, the combat parts aren't much (with the exception of post-game dream arena). I would say it's about 75% VN and 25% combat, so people who would strongly prefer a game that prioritizes gameplay over story, I suggest passing on this game.


The English translation is perfect. I don't recall ever seeing a grammar mistake, misspelling, or misuse of a word. Also, the UI is smooth, fits with the theme of the game, uncluttered, and isn't distracting at all.

I loved the glossary. It was a unique feature I'd never seen in a VN before this one, and I really appreciated it being there. Being able to read extensive knowledge on the people, animals, location, and culture about the in-game world was very helpful. It wasn't a crutch, and it isn't needed due to the story not giving enough exposition ―it's there for players who might want to read up more about the world the story built.

The art is purely phenomenal. The line-art is crisp, the coloring and shading makes it pop, and brings the world to life alongside the writing. At some points, I just stared at the screen because the art was so beautiful. It's the reason I have so many screenshots of this game.

Amazing game that has beautiful art and music, and has great writing and characters. It's understandable if you'd rather wait until it's on sale, but it's completely worth full-price for 65-70+ hours of gameplay. It's apparent a lot of meticulous care went into this game. The music, art, writing, and voice-acting come together to create an awesome experience. This game ruined VNs for me, because this one raised the bar.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is a VN/J-RPG about an amnesiac man named Haku and a woman named Kuon that go on a journey together with various characters. [h1] Story and Characters [/h1] I'm not going to talk about every single thing that happened in the story, nor will I recant it. I'm just going to say what I think made the story great. The game begins with Haku waking up in a strange tent with no memories (he even forgets his name), with a woman who has been tending to him while he slept. I usually dislike amnesia stories - I find many of them annoying, because usually something stupid happens, like the amnesiac character hits their head on a brick and gets all of their lost memories back. Or they see and/or hear something they had heard/seen before they lost their memories, and that somehow causes them to regain all of the memories they lost. But that doesn't happen in this story. Haku's amnesia is used as a tool for us, the player, to experience the strange world around him anew, which allows us to gain exposition we otherwise wouldn't have if, say, Haku didn't lose his memories and already had experience with that world. The woman who had been taking caring of Haku while he was asleep is Kuon, the headstrong animal-human hybrid girl. I'm not exactly sure [i] what [/i] animal, but it doesn't really matter. Kuon and Haku's dynamic was very enjoyable. Haku's carefree, lazy, and brash personality clashes with Kuon's responsible, determined, and hardworking personality, which creates some enjoyable moments of comic relief. Some might ship them, but their relationship is more like a brother-sister one, Haku being the younger sibling. There are [b] a lot [/b] of characters in this game that all have a significant part in the story. While I do think some got much more attention than others (*cough* Nekone *cough cough*), the game does a pretty good job of juggling everyone. It doesn't feel like the characters are crammed in all at once ― they gradually take their place within the story at times that make sense, meaning they don't feel forced. It was impressive. I was surprised to see the amount of slice-of-life moments/subplots, but they actually weren't a drag on the overall plot-line ― they helped me feel closer to the characters, while making me believe the characters actually got to know each other in a way that made the ending have its impact. [h1] Combat [/h1] The combat in Utawarerumono is fun. It uses a grid-based playing field with a turn-based system, where enemies and characters are splayed across the map. The frequency of a character's turn depends on their SPD (speed), which can be increased along with other attributes by using BP. I like that the combat is sort of like a game of chess ― you move your pawns around the board in a strategic way, so you find openings to attack, while avoiding being attacked by enemies. In some stages, you really have to try to think ahead, because a move you made 10 turns ago can affect the outcome of the current turn. It does feel kind of bogus because that takes nearly a level of insight fortunetellers have, but it's certainly possible to plan ahead in some instances. Another cool thing are the action chains. These are a set of attacks performed by a specific character, and if timed correctly, can land critical hits on an enemy. What I liked was each character's action chain is different, even characters that shared the same "class" (there aren't distinct classes in this game, but there are characters that have similar abilities). However, compared to the amount of VN in this game, the combat parts aren't much (with the exception of post-game dream arena). I would say it's about 75% VN and 25% combat, so people who would strongly prefer a game that prioritizes gameplay over story, I suggest passing on this game. [h1] Bonus stuff I want to mention [/h1] The English translation is perfect. I don't recall ever seeing a grammar mistake, misspelling, or misuse of a word. Also, the UI is smooth, fits with the theme of the game, uncluttered, and isn't distracting at all. I loved the glossary. It was a unique feature I'd never seen in a VN before this one, and I really appreciated it being there. Being able to read extensive knowledge on the people, animals, location, and culture about the in-game world was very helpful. It wasn't a crutch, and it isn't needed due to the story not giving enough exposition ―it's there for players who might want to read up more about the world the story built. The art is purely phenomenal. The line-art is crisp, the coloring and shading makes it pop, and brings the world to life alongside the writing. At some points, I just stared at the screen because the art was so beautiful. It's the reason I have so many screenshots of this game. [h1] Conclusion [/h1] Amazing game that has beautiful art and music, and has great writing and characters. It's understandable if you'd rather wait until it's on sale, but it's completely worth full-price for 65-70+ hours of gameplay. It's apparent a lot of meticulous care went into this game. The music, art, writing, and voice-acting come together to create an awesome experience. This game ruined VNs for me, because this one raised the bar.