Utawarerumono is a Visual Novel with Tactical RPG elements, released back in 2002 for PC. Since then, it has spawned two sequels on multiple systems, along with a remake in the works. The remake was announced just for the PS4 and Vita system, however, it looks like they have changed their approach. The developers have just made a surprise announcement that the complete VN trilogy is getting ported and localized to PC.
There are three entries in this series: The original Utawarerumono, Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception and Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth. The latter two games are going to be made available on Steam on Jan 23, 2020, with all DLCs available right away. The remake of the first game, Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen, is also heading to Steam later this year.
About Utawarerumono’s gameplay: this is a visual novel, and because of that, the amount of interaction you have to make is rather minimal. Players would spend most of the time reading, with occasionally picking between dialogue options for further branching stories. The plot would progress based on whatever options players pick.
About the tactical RPG battle system, it features the usual turn-based JRPG format, with players doing various quests usually involving clearing out mobs of enemies or reaching a destination. During each turn, you would control a character and perform move/attack on the map. Various customization options would be available, with items and skills exchanged by battle points from completing fights.
For a complete experience, it is best to wait for the remake of the first game to be available before playing. As the games were based on a console release, there wouldn't be any 18+ contents - if you want to access those scenes, you would have to play the original PC version. Luckily, a fan translation is available.
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