• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Utawarerumono Mask of Truth |OT| That face is a bit of a consolation prize, isn't it?

kiunchbb

kiunchbb

www.dictionary.com
Finally finished the game, around
43 hours, did not do any bonus battle. Finally the cliffhanger from the anime is over, that was a difficult wait. It is too bad we don't got to see Kuon reunion with Haku, but at least the old Haku get his harem back.

So what happened to the new Haku? Did he got sealed like the old Haku, but able to travel around doing some good deeds using twins? May be we'll find out if there is an Utawarerumono 3.
 
R

R_thanatos

Member
played 12 hours so far.

Man i love the dialogue in this game.

Whoever was responsible for shinonon dialgue and scenes deserve a big praise.
 
J

jonjonaug

Member
Shizuka said:
How long did it take for the rest of you guys finishing the game?
Click to expand...

About 75 hours. This is with almost all of Munechika's trials cleared along with a bit of free battling, so remove all that and it's probably closer to 70 hours.

kiunchbb said:
Finally finished the game, around
43 hours, did not do any bonus battle. Finally the cliffhanger from the anime is over, that was a difficult wait. It is too bad we don't got to see Kuon reunion with Haku, but at least the old Haku get his harem back.

So what happened to the new Haku? Did he got sealed like the old Haku, but able to travel around doing some good deeds using twins? May be we'll find out if there is an Utawarerumono 3.
Click to expand...

He didn't get sealed at all, but that's the basic idea I think, that he's just walking around the country on a separate dimensional plane (hence why the twins can be following him around and everyone else can't) doing good deeds. Not necessarily granting wishes directly, but helping people who are desperate as Yamato suffers through a mini Ice Age and rebuilds from all the war stuff.
 
O

oldmario

Member
anyone got any tips for what i think is the final battle with
Raiko and Shichirya?

i've tried killing Shichirya because all he did was heal Raiko making my attacks pointless but after that it's pretty much the same circle i'm running in but with Raiko healing himself after being attacked or attacking a party member
 
J

jonjonaug

Member
oldmario said:
anyone got any tips for what i think is the final battle with
Raiko and Shichirya?

i've tried killing Shichirya because all he did was heal Raiko making my attacks pointless but after that it's pretty much the same circle i'm running in but with Raiko healing himself after being attacked or attacking a party member
Click to expand...
Send Kuon around to take out the healer with her self-overzeal ability, then lure the boss outside of the healing sigils by repositioning your units. Adjust your action chains to avoid counters.
 
R

R_thanatos

Member
i've just unlocked the munechika trials and i learned of the hidden criticals function in battle.
The timing is ridiculously short for such a tiny difference in damage output.
Not to mention that you can mess up your combo chain if you do it wrong

Such a huge risk for such a tiny reward
 
S

Sinh_Magnus

Member
The hidden criticals were also in Mask Of Deception, but I discovered them late in the game.
Here I have been using them from the beggining. Pretty fun. I recommend Ougi to practice in particular because he has a ton of hidden criticals that are easy to get.
 
D

Dandy Crocodile

Member
R_thanatos said:
i've just unlocked the munechika trials and i learned of the hidden criticals function in battle.
The timing is ridiculously short for such a tiny difference in damage output.
Not to mention that you can mess up your combo chain if you do it wrong

Such a huge risk for such a tiny reward
Click to expand...
Really? They get explained I the tutorial.
In the end game I often found doing critical or not was the difference in finishing off an enemy in one combo or leaving it with 100 HP.
 
J

jonjonaug

Member
Sinh_Magnus said:
The hidden criticals were also in Mask Of Deception, but I discovered them late in the game.
Here I have been using them from the beggining. Pretty fun. I recommend Ougi to practice in particular because he has a ton of hidden criticals that are easy to get.
Click to expand...

Proper use of hidden crits turn Ougi from "decent melee but not as good as the other options" to "easy overzeal every 2 turns".
 
S

Sinh_Magnus

Member
^If it is the one I'm thinking of, yes, that was one of the most powerful scenes in the game.

Also, did someone got the platinum already? I can see myself playing this game in short sessions for the next month or so to get it. From what I've left to achieve, it feels like 20 more hours of playtime.
 
P

Pellegri Testament

Member
Finished the game at around 50 hours.

Kinda got spoiled on Haku dying when I was looking up music a week ago, even then that moment still had the feels. Was really expecting a happier ending going into it, but after how several other events played out, I knew I wasn't going to get what I expected. Could really see in the last chapter that I missed out on a bit by not watching the anime for the first game, might have to watch that now.

I could see Woshis being the mastermind behind everything from a mile away and I honestly wish they went into more detail about him, because his chapter felt a little rushed.

Overall though I feel like it met my expectations, even though I wanted things between Haku and Kuon to go better in the end.
I can safely say this will be my goty and probably break into my top 10 list.
 
A

alpha69

Member
Finished a few days ago. That was simply fantastic sequel and finale. Cried:
- Nekone finally accepting Haku as her brother during the battle with Vurai.
- Oshtor's mom revealing she knew all along about Haku impersonating Oshtor, subsequently Haku crying on her arms. Honestly at first I thought she probably knew but I scrapped that idea after a while, then it came back to being true after all. Damn, that caught me off guard.
- Maroro realizing Oshtor is Haku all along, then following his death. That timing just hits home.
- Mikado sacrificing himself to destroy the tatari's that escaped. Anju crying knowing she'll loose hes father again.
- Haku FINALLY revealing himself after loosing the mask. His exchanges with each one of the gang. Notably: Atuy's revealing she knew and only waited for Haku tell her and that's when her true love can finally begin. Anju revealing her dreams about their past and calling Haku uncle.
9/10
I guess my only complain is
I wish they let Haku end up with the other girls especially Atuy lol. Nothing against Kuon but I'd like to see him return the other girl's feelings and appear before the chosen girl as God Haku instead of default Kuon at the end
. That would have been nice. But that's purely personal preference though.

Pellegri Testament said:
Finished the game at around 50 hours.
I could see Woshis being the mastermind behind everything from a mile away and I honestly wish they went into more detail about him, because his chapter felt a little rushed.
I can safely say this will be my goty and probably break into my top 10 list.
Click to expand...

Same here. But his reasons, motivations and the truth about him was what I kept wondering until it was revealed.
 
Toadthemushroom

Toadthemushroom

Member
Given the disappointing pacing so far in the first ten hours, is it really that good?

Not to knock enthusiasm for the game but if a lot of the excitement comes down to a few incredible scenes and moments rather than the entire game as a whole I'll change my expectations.

Basically, is the game, as a sum of its parts, a 9/10? That'd include stuff like pacing, the quality of the exposition (i.e. is it constantly needing a lifetime to explain a minute?), the battles...so far I'm not feeling it which isn't a good sign because ten hours is a fifth of the game/story/novel...
 
S

Sinh_Magnus

Member
alpha69 said:
snipped.
Click to expand...

I agree with your opinion but you may want to put more black bars for those that haven't beaten the game yet. (the bit under the score)

Toadthemushroom said:
Given the disappointing pacing so far in the first ten hours, is it really that good?

Not to knock enthusiasm for the game but if a lot of the excitement comes down to a few incredible scenes and moments rather than the entire game as a whole I'll change my expectations.
Click to expand...

I will say it's a bit of both worlds. I don't know at what point of the story you are right now, but I thought that the story ramps up gradually throught the game. One thing that I saw people criticizing of Mask of Deception was how it paced itself once they settled in the capital. I feel Mask of Truth improves in this aspect and I never felt that the pacing was halted too much at some point. From my perspective, the game is filled with "short, but really good" moments, though it's true there a few scenes above the rest that are more relatable and easy to remember.

If anything, yes, like you said the first arcs of the game are rough when it comes to pacing, but in my opinion it becomes better later on.
 
S

Sinh_Magnus

Member
alpha69 said:
Oh right. FIxed (assuming I understood which part you meant since your quote is snipped lol)
Click to expand...

Yes it was exactly that part ;)

Toadthemushroom said:
Basically, is the game, as a sum of its parts, a 9/10? That'd include stuff like pacing, the quality of the exposition (i.e. is it constantly needing a lifetime to explain a minute?), the battles...so far I'm not feeling it which isn't a good sign because ten hours is a fifth of the game/story/novel...
Click to expand...

It's really hard to say, since at the end it all comes down to your own opinion. For me, it is. But I really enjoyed what's here and the game definitely has bad parts that for me were overshadow by the good parts. That goes for pacing, exposition, use of it cast of characters, and basically everything related to the vn part. As for the battles, I think they are improved from MoD and become better as the game progresses, but you should know what to expect for the SRPG part if you played MoD.

I can tell you are not really feeling it in any way right now, so the best advice I give in these cases is to not force yourself to play it until you get to a good part because that could play against you and you maybe end up hating the game because of it. Add that it's a really long game and you have the perfect mix for dropping the game for good.
 
R

R_thanatos

Member
i've played 20+ hours and so far , there is not a dull moment.
i'm actually surprised , the pacing is much improved from mask of deception and even the tactical maps are much better designed .

Such an improvement
 
Toadthemushroom

Toadthemushroom

Member
Sinh_Magnus said:
I can tell you are not really feeling it in any way right now, so the best advice I give in these cases is to not force yourself to play it until you get to a good part because that could play against you and you maybe end up hating the game because of it. Add that it's a really long game and you have the perfect mix for dropping the game for good.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the detailed responses. I decided to stop playing it for the time being when Ys VIII got released, and so I could focus on Mario + Rabbids. When I do continue the story in Mask of Truth I'm just going to play it when I feel like and not try to rush through any quiet events or long exposition. Just take it for what it is and enjoy it at my own pace. I'm sure it won't bother me then!
 
J

Jimrpg

Member
How does everyone like Mask of Truth compared to Mask of Deception?

I just finished MoD but I'm going to take a little break before starting MoT, cause I can't handle so much goodness all at once.
 
P

Pellegri Testament

Member
arbok26 said:
How does everyone like Mask of Truth compared to Mask of Deception?

I just finished MoD but I'm going to take a little break before starting MoT, cause I can't handle so much goodness all at once.
Click to expand...

If you liked MoD, you will like MoT. Just be prepared for some feels, because there's quite a few of them.
 
J

jonjonaug

Member
Shizuka said:
I hope the story gets better then, because everything since Woshis decided to summon a few Tatari just to spite the Mikado, the story turned dumb.
Click to expand...

Most of the Woshis arc is pretty dumb but the last couple of stages really bring it home
.
 
P

Pellegri Testament

Member
Shizuka said:
I hope the story gets better then, because everything since Woshis decided to summon a few Tatari just to spite the Mikado, the story turned dumb.
Click to expand...

The Woshis arc really just felt ehh, like it seemed like the idea was good and it was clear he was going to be the mastermind behind everything since the first game, it just felt like they rushed too much and didn't flesh out his character enough. I'd say the payoff is still great in the end, just you have to sit through a story arc that feels like it could have been so much better.
 
S

Stenlock

Neo Member
Beaten the game.
I am now an emotional wreck.
The finale was incredible, but goddamn I hate bittersweet endings.

It's kind of ironic, though...
In the end, they gave us an happy ending for Hakuoro and Eruruu in exchange for Haku and Kuon's sad conclusion.

Oh, and Hakuoro wins the prize for the worst father of all time. Great job shattering your daughter's dream of a life with the person she loves.
 
J

jonjonaug

Member
Shizuka said:
Beat the game yesterday. Am I the only one who thinks Mask of Deception was a better game than Mask of Truth?
Click to expand...

I think overall Mask of Truth is the better game, but Mask of Deception never quite hits the lows of
the final Mikazuchi and Maroro fights right before the capital is retaken
or
everything in the Woshis arc after Woshis shows up at Hakuoro's house
. I'd call Mask of Deception "consistently good" while Mask of Truth is "amazing" most of the time and "kinda bad" for about 7 or 8 out of the 75 hours of playtime.

EDIT: At least it didn't self destruct as beautifully as the first game did.
 
S

Sinh_Magnus

Member
Shizuka said:
Beat the game yesterday. Am I the only one who thinks Mask of Deception was a better game than Mask of Truth?
Click to expand...

I suppose you didn't like the last arcs of the story? Or just the game in general?

If there is something I thought Deception was better, it was in its worldbuilding. But I already expected that part was going to take a backseat for Truth.
 
Toadthemushroom

Toadthemushroom

Member
Annoyed that my 64GB Vita memory card died along with all its data just as I wanted to pick this up again.

While I felt burned out on starting this I'd like to have continued. Reading RPGamer's review and it seems the pacing is actually meant to be pretty decent too - the same reviewer criticised Mask of Deception for slow pacing but praised how Mask of Truth handled things.

I lost my clear save for Mask of Deception and I'll have to start Mask of Truth over again. Should I be bothered about not being able to carry over my save?
 
Toadthemushroom

Toadthemushroom

Member
Sinh_Magnus said:
I suppose you didn't like the last arcs of the story? Or just the game in general?

If there is something I thought Deception was better, it was in its worldbuilding. But I already expected that part was going to take a backseat for Truth.
Click to expand...

I am enjoying Mask of Truth now (started again). Almost 30 hours in. I agree that Mask of Truth is weaker for worldbuilding, though I wonder whether part of that is how predictable the flow of the story becomes, at least for what I presume is the first main "half" of the plot (done 14 battles). You usually have a few events that advance the plot, then a few slice of life events, then a few events that advance the plot. For a chunk of the story it usually involves visiting Owlos from other nations, so you can basically see what's coming next.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception and Mask of Truth delisted from PlayStation Store in the west
2 3
112
7K
ArtHands replied
Monochrome Mobius (Utawarerumono) launches September 8th for PC Worldwide, PS5/PS4 in Japan
News
18
1K
Labadal replied
NeoGAF GOTY 2023 |OT| Voting thread
2 3 4
198
15K
Palliasso replied
Why 30FPS was once acceptable, BIT ISN'T ANYMORE!... mostly...
2 3 4
180
12K
Zathalus replied
retro consoles and 240p / 480p resolution - sometimes less is more
2
77
5K
Corporal.Hicks replied
Top Bottom