Claiming to offer something for those who are “looking to explore a world full of fantastical beasts, powerful magic, political intrigue and unlikely heroes”, ATLUS USA have announced a duo of titles from AQUAPLUS will be available during 2017. Offering an experience which is set to be a strategy RPG and visual novel hybrid, the publisher have confirmed that both Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception and Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth will be available on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
The first game to launch will be Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception, with a planned launch date of sometime in Spring. This will be followed later this year by its direct sequel, Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth. Both games will feature the original Japanese audio, supported by localised English subtitles.
Due to differing launch dates, I wouldn’t expect a combo pack anytime soon. For those interested in picking these games up, each will set you back $49.99 USD on the PlayStation 4, or save yourself $10 per instalment by picking up the PS Vita version.
Initially available under the title Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen in Japan, this is the latest instalment in the long-running Utwarerumono franchise – which spans visual novels, video games, manga and multiple anime seasons. Mask of Deception begins atop a snowy mountain where the protagonist awakens in an unfamiliar wilderness, surrounded by deadly creatures, with nothing but a hospital gown and a splitting headache. However, he’s eventually rescued by a beautiful girl named Kuon, who sports both adorable animal ears and a beastlike tail.
Finding that the hapless man has no memory of anything, Kuon decides to take the amnesiac into her care, naming him Haku. As their journey takes them across the land, Haku will encounter many personalities, build relationships, battle foes and find himself dragged into the political machinations of the Yamato nation.
According to ATLUS USA, Mask of Deception seeks to offer a “story-rich visual novel experience” which spans approximately 40-50 hours. Unfortunately they have had to edit a small snippet of the game to “comply with various regional regulations about the depiction of physical discipline to minors”. They claim to have worked with AQUAPLUS in order to “keep the scope of the editing to an absolute minimum”, and note that the scene “still conveys its full meaning without running into issues”.
The game also features an active SRPG battle system, with a system which offers a mix of “turn-based tactics and Attack Chain mechanics”. The battle system will also feature a number of features including a rewind function, elemental affinities/weaknesses, unique character skills and more.
Those in PAL regions won’t miss out on either game. Deep Silver will be bringing both Mask of Deception and Mask of Truth to Europe, while Five Star Games shall serve as regional distribution in Australia and New Zealand.
