Welcome to our review of Utawarerumono: ZAN, a new musou hack and slash game out now on Playstation 4.
Unveil a lost legend in a new light with Utawarerumono: ZAN! This action-packed brawler is a reimagination of the story of Haku, a man with no memories, and the great conflict that consumes the land he calls home. Take control of over 12 legendary heroes from the world of Utawarerumono, and utilize their unique strengths and abilities to engage hordes of enemies in ferocious melee combat. Venture through dynamic battlefields, unleash devastating special moves, and experience a grand tale of war and destiny.
Heroes Rise – Over 12 playable characters, each with their own unique abilities and gameplay.
Rally the Troops – Online multiplayer for up to 4 players to team up and conquer multitudes of enemies.
Witness the Legend – This tale of war comes to life with fully animated cutscenes, a first for the series.
Officially, this is considered an action RPG, but I would like to iterate that the actual action I have been playing through was mostly of the musou genre. I had some running away action too, but it was mostly hack and slash. In a fun way, mind you, but not action RPG. That is all to be had outside the actual gameplay. Which in itself was quite meaningless compared to the action.
Allow me to explain this a little. If you were to purposely skip the story, it all comes down to picking a team, heading into battle and (mostly) fighting your way through hordes of enemies. Sadly this is also where the game falls a little short. I love the variety of characters to play, I mean really, what’s not to like about playing as a girl on a giant birdlike creature, right?
Well, the lack of depth in the fighting is where it went wrong. I consider myself a seasoned player of the musou genre. I found Utawarerumono: ZAN to be lackluster and easy to say the least. I had no trouble whatsoever in the initial three levels and even just used the basic attacks. Nothing big or so, just basic attacks. Musou games tend to be at least a little harder and Utawarerumono: ZAN failed to really captivate my attention on this aspect.
While incredibly pretty graphicwise, I am calling it a mixed bag. On one side, fans of the series are finally getting their own game, but on the other side, a game that is lacking energy and yeah… I got some disappointment out of this game. Considering the full retail price of this game, I wonder who made the decision to go full-priced for this game.
In conclusion, Utawarerumono: ZAN disappointed me as a game that is high priced and just not that impressive. Take away the glorious graphics and you are left with a storyline that is easily skipped by pressing a button…
