I hadn’t heard of Utawarerumono until recently. This is a franchise that has been around for over two decades with multiple manga & anime adaptations as well as video games. I first heard of Utawareumono from a YouTuber I’ve been watching for the last few years talking about this series called The Kiseki Nut (https://youtube.com/@TheKisekiNut) & felt genuinely curious so decided to pick up Prelude to the Fallen first to see if I would enjoy this game as that seems to be the recommended entry point for the series.
But first a bit of background. The original Utawarerumono was released back in 2002 for Microsoft Windows. This is a Japanese adult fantasy tactical role playing visual novel developed by Leaf. It was later ported to the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita & PlayStation 4. It is now more commonly known as Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen which is a remastered version of the OG. The game follows Hakuowlo, an amnesiac man who one day wakes up in a village without any memories of who he is.
Now while this is indeed technically a strategy RPG, I feel like with this game you really should know exactly what you’re getting into beforehand. If you are expecting something akin to Fire Emblem or any other popular strategy role playing game, then I’m sorry to say you will be sorely disappointed. I’d say less than half of this game is filled with these sections as Utawarerumono is mostly a visual novel as mentioned before.
And while the gameplay is simple & not anything to write home about while definitely decent at doing its job, that’s not why you should play Utawarerumono. You experience it for the story & the characters. And man does this game deliver on that excellently. I was so enamoured in this world from the very start & grew incredibly attached to everything going on. I mean it had me in tears only five hours in so really that should say a lot about just how much I loved this game’s story & how impactful it was. Sure it’s not perfect & I will say it has its low points but ultimately I was so incredibly invested from start to finish that I can look past the not so great parts. I felt SO many emotions by the end of my 45+ hours, it’s truly something special. I also really really love the artstyle of this game & the soundtrack is just magnificent. I struggle to find things I genuinely hated about this game. It’s just a rollercoaster throughout.
So yeah I think it’s fair to say I absolutely adore Utawarerumono. This is one of the most magical tales I’ve experienced in quite some time & I cannot wait to get to the sequels whenever I’m able to.
Play this game. I cannot recommend Utawarerumono enough. Do not sleep on it. This is one experience you don’t want to miss out on.
But first a bit of background. The original Utawarerumono was released back in 2002 for Microsoft Windows. This is a Japanese adult fantasy tactical role playing visual novel developed by Leaf. It was later ported to the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita & PlayStation 4. It is now more commonly known as Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen which is a remastered version of the OG. The game follows Hakuowlo, an amnesiac man who one day wakes up in a village without any memories of who he is.
Now while this is indeed technically a strategy RPG, I feel like with this game you really should know exactly what you’re getting into beforehand. If you are expecting something akin to Fire Emblem or any other popular strategy role playing game, then I’m sorry to say you will be sorely disappointed. I’d say less than half of this game is filled with these sections as Utawarerumono is mostly a visual novel as mentioned before.
And while the gameplay is simple & not anything to write home about while definitely decent at doing its job, that’s not why you should play Utawarerumono. You experience it for the story & the characters. And man does this game deliver on that excellently. I was so enamoured in this world from the very start & grew incredibly attached to everything going on. I mean it had me in tears only five hours in so really that should say a lot about just how much I loved this game’s story & how impactful it was. Sure it’s not perfect & I will say it has its low points but ultimately I was so incredibly invested from start to finish that I can look past the not so great parts. I felt SO many emotions by the end of my 45+ hours, it’s truly something special. I also really really love the artstyle of this game & the soundtrack is just magnificent. I struggle to find things I genuinely hated about this game. It’s just a rollercoaster throughout.
So yeah I think it’s fair to say I absolutely adore Utawarerumono. This is one of the most magical tales I’ve experienced in quite some time & I cannot wait to get to the sequels whenever I’m able to.
Play this game. I cannot recommend Utawarerumono enough. Do not sleep on it. This is one experience you don’t want to miss out on.