Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth review for PS Vita, PS4

Platform: PS Vita
Also On: PS4
Publisher: Atlus
Developer: Aquaplus
Medium: Digital/Vita Card
Players: 1
Online: No
ESRB: M

One of my biggest gaming surprises of 2017 was probably how much I liked Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception. Normally I wouldnโ€™t expect much out of a visual novel with a tiny bit of turn-based combat that originated in Japanโ€™s erotic gaming scene, but I found myself genuinely enjoying it. Like, I even laughed (or, at least, snorted) a few times, which isnโ€™t something I usually do with most games (but especially Japanese games), and the story between the laughs and the combat proved to be surprisingly compelling.

Which means, I guess, that Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth represents one of the biggest gaming letdowns of the year for me, since I didnโ€™t enjoy it nearly as much.

The problem, I think, is that whereas Mask of Deception clocked in at a brisk 25-30 hours, Mask of Truth takes a minimum of 40+ hours. If youโ€™re being charitable, I guess, you could call it โ€œunhurriedโ€, but after sitting through unskippable cutscenes that take 10-15 minutes, and hours that pass by between single battles, I canโ€™t say Iโ€™m in the mood to be charitable. The difference between the two games is stark: the first one seemed to understand that it needed to pace itself and give players a rounded experience, whereas this one is just heavy, lengthy exposition followed by more heavy, lengthy exposition, with things like battles or jokes โ€” story elements that could lighten the mood or break up the monotony โ€” few and far between.

Of course, what I found monotonous, others โ€” particularly those who were deeply invested in the first game, and want to see where the story winds up โ€” would probably find riveting. And if that describes you, youโ€™re certainly in luck here. Mask of Truth gives you all the story you could possibly hope for, and then some. There are points where every other scene feels like a flashback, and the game doesnโ€™t hesitate to just drown you in information, so if you were hoping for all kinds of back stories and infodumps, those are here in abundance.

Best of all, it wonโ€™t bog you down with a complicated battle system. Mask of Truthโ€™s fights are standard SRPG fare, with grids and turns and, occasionally, teams. You donโ€™t need to worry about learning anything too complex, which in turn leaves you more time to sift through the story.

Conversely, it means that if you donโ€™t find the story compelling, itโ€™s not like thereโ€™s some other element here that could win you over. Utawarerumono: Mask of Truthis for diehards only, and everyone else need not apply.

Atlus provided us with a Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth PS Vita code for review purposes.

Grade: C+
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