Utawarerumono Series Gets Localized, "Small Content Edit" And Digital Only On Vita In Europe

When the obscure releases start going worldwide, you know the lifecycle of a generation starts dipping towards the lower end. Publishers Atlus and Deep Silver announced the localization of Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception, as well as Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth, for North America and Europe. Release for the former is set for spring of 2017 on Playstation 4 and Playstation Vita, while the latter will come later in the year.

There are, however, a few differences in the distribution of the roleplaying game (RPG), as North America will receive a physical version on both platforms, but Europe will choose to launch digital only on PS Vita. Our press release doesn’t even mention the Vita version at all, but only highlights the €49.99 price for PS4. A post on the Playstation Blog mentions the two choices will be priced differently, $49.99 on console and $39.99 on handheld, with “commensurate prices” for Europe.

The Utawarerumono series mixes visual novel storytelling from publisher Aquaplus with strategy RPG tactic mechanisms, which can be seen in a short announcement video below. Gameplay matches similarities to games like Disgaea, where grid-based battles periodically will be chopped up with small close captured scenes for emphasis. Additionally, the game features a unique rewind option.

More small changes to the Utawarerumono series are noted at the end of the press release. Atlus states:

A brief note on content: While Atlus is committed to bringing over games that are as true to their original forms as possible, in the case of Mask of Deception, a scene had to have a small content edit to comply with various regional regulations about the depiction of physical discipline to minors. We worked with Aquaplus to keep the scope of the editing to an absolute minimum, and we both agree the change made to the scene in the game still conveys its full meaning without running into issues.

It’s common practice for a Japanese release to be altered for Western standard, when localized. For instance, the recently ported Steam version of Criminal Girls: Invite Only opted for the censored version that puts a slight fog in front of the punished or “motivated” characters that find themselves in compromising positions. As to Utawarerumono, a post on Neogaf speculates about a specific scene with a young character, which we’ll link to, in case you don’t want any spoilers. The scene is said to be unimportant.

We’ve reached out to Atlus for more information about the content edit of Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception.

Daav Valentaten, NoobFeed (@Daavpuke)