Utawarerumono Returns to PC

TOKYO, JAPAN – January 6, 2020.

The popular Japanese franchise Utawarerumono, developed by AQUAPLUS, will be returning to PC on January 23rd, 2020, after almost two decades away. The series is a tactics/visual-novel hybrid with an emphasis on story, great art, and an exceptional soundtrack. It originated on PC back in 2002. Since then it has led to two successful anime series, with a third currently in the works, and a variety of other spin-off media.

Two of the three games in the series, Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception and Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth, will arrive on Steam on January 23rd, with store pages going live today. The third game, Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen, is also planned for PC in 2020. All three will be available to players around the world in English, Japanese, and Traditional Chinese.

The games are being published on PC by ShiraVN, a localization team belonging to DMM GAMES, and developed as usual by AQUAPLUS, carrying over the excellent translations used previously in the console versions.

Utawarerumono Series Summary

The series' traditional start finds the protagonist awakening in an unfamiliar field of snow before being rescued by a girl with animal ears and a tail. The protagonist and that girl form the core of the party before recruiting a wide, varied cast of friends and allies. Eventually, more serious themes develop as the player and the protagonist learn more about the world, its people, and how things came to be as they are.

In Japan, the series has sold hundreds of thousands of copies, sometimes within a week of a new game's launch.

So what's so great about Utawarerumono? Well…

 Kick-ass, gut-punching story with long builds and hard twists
 Spectacular, almost instantly nostalgic soundtrack
 Deceptively deep sci-fi/fantasy setting rooted in native cultures
 Contemplative themes about humanity and the world
 Turn-based tactics combat with a cast of immediately-likeable characters

All three of the games in the trilogy are story-heavy visual novels with occasional grid- based tactical battles in the vein of Final Fantasy Tactics.

Utawarerumono Series Outline

The point of origin: Prelude to the Fallen

The first game in the series was just called Utawarerumono. It has since been re-titled and re-released in Japan as Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen. It's already available in Japan and an English release is planned this year. The whole trilogy is coming to PC, including this game, but the PC version will follow the console release by several months.

A man who will be named Hakuowlo awakens amidst snow in an unfamiliar world and comes to be a leader to the natives, who seem almost to be human… except for their furry ears and tails.

Expect more details on this release in the months to come. This game has been made into an anime series and more details are easy to find if you're interested!

The re-launch, where we'll begin: Mask of Deception

In September 2015, over a decade after the first Utawarerumono, the surprise sequel Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception was released in Japan on consoles. This game follows a new protagonist, named Haku, who awakens similarly to Hakuowlo in the first game but follows a very different path to his destiny. It features similar combat and systems to the first game, but with much more modern polish and details.

Explore, defend and come to love the kingdom of Yamato, a land ruled by the enigmatic Mikado and upheld by its Eight Pillar Generals, as you begin to unravel the mysteries of its anachronistic advancement…

This is the first of the two games coming back to PC on January 23rd. It was previously released in English on consoles only in May 2017.

The emotional and revelatory conclusion: Mask of Truth

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth came out in Japan on September 2016, just a year after the release of Mask of Deception. This game introduced new mechanics, such as co-op attacks in which multiple party members gang up on a single enemy with flashy animations and dialogue. More importantly, it delivers a conclusion to the story begun in Mask of Deception and to the greater arc of the trilogy.

See Yamato divided and engulfed in fire. Redefine yourself and your relationships to your allies and enemies, retake the kingdom for the rightful Mikado, and dive to the deep truths at the root of the world…

This is the second of the two games coming to PC on January 23rd. It was previously released in English on consoles only in September 2017.

More about the PC Release

On January 23 rd , 2020, players can enter the world of Utawarerumono from Mask of Deception, recommended by the developers themselves as a good entry point, and play straight through to the end of the story. Then, later in the year, the first game in the trilogy will return to PC as well, and players can see where it all began.

Wishlist the games at the URLs below:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1149550/Utawarerumono_Mask_of_Deception/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1151440/Utawarerumono_Mask_of_Truth/

Visit the store pages for more details, including bundles and DLC!

About DMM GAMES and ShiraVN

DMM GAMES is a Tokyo-based publisher and developer of games, with a PC platform that's a popular competitor to Steam in Japan and a stable of hit titles including Kantai Collection and Touken Ranbu.

ShiraVN is a team at DMM GAMES focusing on bringing visual novels to the world in English and Chinese. Having launched only recently, we are still building a library of games, beginning with Master Magistrate, which has been in Steam Early Access since September. Please follow us on Twitter at @shira_vn for the latest public details and announcements.

© AQUAPLUS / DMM GAMES