izigame.me

The fourth Utawarerumono game you can find on Steam, even though it's not labelled as such
Unlike the visual novel/strategy RPG hybrids of before, this one is a traditional JRPG
However, it comes with certain quirks

First of all, the game looks pretty bad. This is not what one would normally expect from a 2022 3D JRPG that released on PS4/PS5/PC
Now this wouldn't be much of a problem except for that it looks like a downgrade from the beautiful 2D art of the previous games. This game still retains some of that 2D art and introduces a few of its own, but the majority of the game takes place in typical 3D JRPG style maps, and they're just not good in comparison

The game is rough and feels like a new developer's first attempt at making a JRPG (which is close to the truth since while they have assisted with some big JRPGs before, this seems to be their first time making one all by themselves). It seems the game had performance issues at launch, but with patches over the next couple of years, the game now runs pretty well in that regard. I came across one dungeon with some odd frame rate drops, but other than that, it's been smooth sailing

The gameplay itself is what feels clunky, with even the way characters move on screen when you move the left stick feeling a bit weird
This game uses a rather unique "action ring" system for its combat, and while I can respect their attempts at trying to innovate, this system just ends up being a pain, especially when it comes to using buffs and debuffs (Fortunately, at least on Normal, you don't have to worry about buffs and debuffs for the most part)

But then I don't really approach Utawarerumono looking for amazing graphics and riveting gameplay anyway

The story is very entertaining, focusing on three characters existing fans will already know well, and another newcomer who grew on me very fast. It has its issues, and falls into some typical prequel traps sometimes, and goes a bit off the rails at a few points, but it managed to hold my interest throughout its runtime (Though the pacing meanders a bit in the middle). It does a good job of handling certain things that become very important in the Mask games, though some of this might be divisive
However the biggest thing about this story is that it's incomplete
It ends with a very blatant sequel hook, and no, neither Prelude to the Fallen nor Mask of Deception works as that sequel. There's a big gap between the ending of this game and the start of Mask of Deception which leaves a lot of things unexplained
Now Aquaplus has announced a new Utawarerumono game for 2025, but it's yet to be seen if it's related to this or something new altogether
(EDIT: More details on the upcoming 2025 game has now been revealed, and it is in fact looking like it will continue the story from this game. There is hope)

So I can recommend this game under certain conditions
1) You're already into Utawarerumono (if not, look into Prelude to the Fallen or Mask of Deception)
2) You can put up with some rough gameplay and graphics
3) You don't mind that the story is incomplete and that it may never be completed