Update: I finished the whole trilogy and here are my thoughts on this game:

- Utawarerumono is a visual novel series, developed by Aquaplus. Currently the main games in this series that you can find on Steam are Utawarerumono: Prelude to the fallen, Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception and Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth. This is the second game in the trilogy.
- Can you start this game without playing the first game aka Prelude to the fallen? Yes but I highly recommend you to finish Prelude to the fallen first because the events, the characters will have much more depth if you already knew them in Prelude to the fallen.
- Is this an Eroge? No. This is not an eroge. if you want Eroge, you can play the first game but keep in mind that the steam version of it doesn't have R18, because it was a port from console.
- Getting the whole trilogy on sale is highly recommended.
- It is highly recommended that you should finish the first game before playing this game. The story is fantastic and the world building, the character development throughout the story is awesome. You will enjoy every moment in this game, even fillers.
- The story has a big cliffhanger at the end, which leads to the third game, aka Mask Of Truth
- Personally I think in term of story, this game is more well written than the first game.
- The game has a 3D turn-based tactical strategy element, which is very refreshing compared to any traditional visual novel. The game mechanic is also improved from the first game (like new chain rings, counterattack,...) but some things like Unit rotating is removed, which is, to me, a big stepdown. Other than that, the gameplay is awesome.
- You can either play as a hardcore gamer in hard mode or just enjoy the story with pretty simple turn-based gameplay.
- The game's default resolution is 720p, which is a real disappointment to be honest.
- Character sprites are gorgeous. the CGs are even beyond that.
- I'm not gonna judge the 3D graphic because this is, mainly, a visual novel. 3D characters look really cute tho :3
- This game has a very stacked cast. You can find Inori Minase, Risa Taneda , Saori Hayami and a tons of famous seiyuus in this game. You won't be disappointed by the character VAs
- The BGMs are superb. Some of them are reused from the first vn, which is very nostalgic.
- The OP is sung Suara, who also have sung most of Utawarerumono songs in anime and visual novel. Suara and Utawarerumono, you can't find a more perfect duo.

Conclusion: Awesome game, awesome series. it's a must play.
This review also applies for Mask of Truth since both are technically the same game
Also if you want to watch the anime, Mask of Truth's adaptation, Futari no Hakuoro is coming this July 2022.

Having completed this game after 60+ hours, I can say that this visual novel is beyond my expectations. Also this is my second visual novel from Sprite, after Koi to Senkyou to Chocolate. Here are the things that I liked the most about this fantastic visual novel:

- Good plots: Depending on which route you choose, the plots will be different. There are 4 endings, one of them is the true ending. For the complete experience, I suggest completing Mashiro or Rika ending first, them move to Misaki and the last one is Asuka

- Catchy opening: having been playing rhythm games for years, I've played the opening "Wings of Courage ~Sora wo Koete~" so many times without knowing that it was from this visual novel. Really liked this song and other ones as well. Also some of the songs are sung by KOTOKO, fack yeah!

- Characters: Character sprites are awesome. They have high resolution and cute designs. Also the voice acting is done very well but I did encounter a sprite error (Asuka's face). Characters development throughout the game is not perfect, but you can call it great!

- CGs: High-res CGs and backgrounds. The CGs in fighting scenes are absolutely freaking gorgeous too. Just take a random screenshot and you can use it as your wallpaper.

Also this game has R18 patch, which can be downloaded for free on official website.

=>Conclusion: BUY THIS ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ GAME! Thank NekoNyan for the awesome localization.