Utakata no Uchronia Review: Steampunk fantasy with well-written characters

TLDR Sypnosis:

Toei is a country attacked by flood
Some outsider decided to make a city above called Itehari to save people from floods
They now worship him as Taijuu-sama
300 years later, the outsider's descendants live amongst the Itehari ppl
Itehari is known to be a utopian. crime-less city
But there is blatant discrimination between the people living in Itehari vs ppl living below in Senka
There is also social discrimination between nobles and commoners
MC is a noblewoman living in Itehari
Plot begins when MC meets Yashiro, a man who's a transient. As she helps Yashiro unlock his memories, she learns more about this utopian city she lives in

LI impressions (according to play order)

Tobari

Known as the 'Face' of Red Light district (like a mayor role)
GENTLE and SEXY VOICE by Nobu (Piofiore Yang, Radiant Tale Radie) ? YESSSIR
He's such a cat and takes a while to warm up
Cinched waist
Pacing issue: his route was sooo slow and nothing's really happening until chapter 7, I got quite bored in the middle
Their romance feels like MC the one doing the chasing. Not a fan but learning his backstory, I understand why,
Best line: "Don't get hurt... it bothers me"
I feel really bad for him.. Especially his best end is bittersweet
He's like a Legendary Pokemon in other routes, not easy to find but shows up when least expected LMAO
TLDR: A TRUE GENTLEMAN, someone take care of him

Awayuki

MC's butler who takes care of her since young
Overprotectve and caring boi and husband material
Saitou Souma (Virche Yves) DEEP and SEXY voice? YES
Makes such delicious sweets for Hinagiku! Awww!
Not the best route plot wise but a lot of cute moments!
Funniest guy when stressed or angry in every route LMAO
Best line: "Don't just concern yourself with the guy that you picked up, take responsibility of me too."
Best line 2: "Because if I'm a tool, I can stay by Hinagiku's side"
I LOVE HIM PERIOD. He loves Hinagiku and deserves her!
Looks fragile but is not, VERY STRONG
The man who protects and must be protected at all costs!
Ahhh the best end CG was.... beautiful! UGH I WANT MORE!
Bad end is for those who wants to be in a lot of PAIN
TLDR: My husband~

Tsuyukasa

MC's childhood friend and a mechanic who's part-time job is like Courunne from Virche
Such a sweetheart!! Half-dog, half-cat guy!
Matsuoka (i.e. OlymSoiree Akaza) is the VA. That's all I need to say.
Intelligent man who loves tinkering
Protective and thoughtful and loves the MC so dearly... I can't T^T
Cute childish side to him.. SOO CUTE when he pouts!
Love when he confidently talks about his geeky stuff, and how straightforward he is with expressing his feelings
Route was great overall, esp in revealing the plot but romance feels mostly one-sided until towards the end
Best line: "I'm really holding back, you know"
Best line 2: "Heal me... Hinagiku" (pouts)
He wants to be pampered and he will get it HAHA
TLDR: My KARESHII

Yori

Works for Kuruzuru (like the police in Itehari)
Likes to be mean and tease MC, the "villain" in every route
Eguchi Takuya.. I didn't expect you to have such a CAPTIVATING voice (too used to hearing him only from animes as weirdos)
TOP VISUAL amongst the LIs imo
Has an equally HOT undateable bro
Literally a walking red flag/psychopath but for some reason you can't hate him
Interesting route with good balance of plot and romance
Unexpectedly high in sugar content
Best line: "Don't you think other people's things look delicious?"
Best line 2: "Doki doki shita?"
Why he has a mole in such an eroii spot?
TLDR: My one-night-stand

Yashiro

The guy who only remembers his name
VERY SUS, gives off an unsettling/mysterious vibe in every route
Who is he? What is his motive? I find myself asking that all the time
Unexpectedly CUTE and yabaiii! Please be more jealous!
His CGs are most beautiful imo
Love his chemistry his MC and love how he raises Awayuki's BP LMAO
Character development? YES. Sugar content? YES. Comedy? YES.
Best line: "Everthing that is important to the princess... Give them all to me"
Best line 2: "I love you... princess"
Plot is ok, nothing too mind-blowing but knowing his backstory is great
TLDR: My lover~

LI Ranking: Awayuki >= Yashiro > Tsuyu >Yori >>>>>>>> Tobari

Route ranking: Yashiro > True route > Awayuki = Yori > Tsuyu >>> Tobari

Cons:

JP difficulty: N2 and above. It's really hard. There's tons of kanji and they use a lot of expressions and you have to get the nuances sometimes.
The game itself is similar to Piofiore in a way that I am hardly interested in the overarching plot. Couldn't really get immersed into it
A lot of plot-related dialogues that I just want to skip sometimes, pacing issues. It gets old how certain plot lines were repeated because MC resets her memory in every route
Low sugar content. The focus on romance is light on most routes, plot is main focus
MC not voiced and no sprite, which is a shame cuz she's a beauty
I find her recklessness quite... unrelatable. She's put herself in danger without thinking and it makes me think she's quite impulsive.

Pros:

What makes the game charming is the characters, worldbuilding and GORGEOUS art/music
Every CG was breathtaking, every LI is so beautiful and MC too ofc!
MC is overall a good MC. She's nosy but in a good way. She cares for others and has a strong sense of duty as a noble
You cannot hate any LI, they are all so precious and loves the MC
The voice acting cast is STELLAR!! Even the side characters has top tier seiyuus like FukuJun, Horie Shun, Ono Yuuki, Toshiyuki-san!
Themes around utopian worlds, wealth, power, slavery, and justice, etc. Ideals vs. Realities
Steampunk setting reminiscent of Code Realize
They have really cute extra short stories with CGs like Piofiore to compensate for lack of cute romance moments in the LI routes LOL
Such fun character interactions and dialogue! I will find myself giggling many times! They all have such banters with each other and they all love Hinagiku!

Enjoyed the game overall. Very much like Piofiore to me. Not immersed at first playthrough but slowly the characters will be why I keep replaying the game. Wished there were more romance but hopefully that will be in DLC! For now, i'm satisfied. 7/10