Utawarerumono (2002)

Developer: Leaf, Sting
Publisher: Aquaplus, Leaf
Platforms: PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Tactical, Visual Novel
Rating: 4.4 of 5, 24 player ratings

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A quiet village life gradually consumed by war and mystery, unfolding at the deliberate pace of a novel where story and character bonds matter far more than combat.

atmosphericnarrative-drivenslow-burnmelancholicepicmethodicalfantasy warfarecharacter-focused

About

Hakuoro, a man who wakes up in a tiny backwoods village near the mountains with heavy injuries, no memory, and a mask he cannot remove. After being nursed back to health by Eruruw, the girl who found him lying at the point of death in the forest, he starts to view the village as his new home. But when an oppressive ruler threatens the peaceful life of Hakuoro and his newfound friends and family, they find themselves hurtled towards war, chaos, and a destiny far greater than any of them imagined.

What players say

A beloved hybrid of strategy-RPG battles and visual-novel storytelling set in a warm, folklore-tinged world, prized far more for its emotional, mystery-laden narrative and endearing cast than its rather simple combat. JP fans treasure its blend of laughter and tears.

Screenshots

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More by Yuke's

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.